Motley Crue, trucking

How a member of Motley Crue became a truck driver

The trucking industry is no stranger to celebrities. The list of famous people who were once behind the wheel of a big rig is extensive – you might know names like Elvis Presley, Liam Neeson, or Richard Pryor, among others.

Usually, these celebrities were truck drivers first and pursue their passions in the meantime. Sometimes, that series of events gets flipped on its head.

This was the case for John Corabi, the frontman for Motley Crue from 1992-1997. The former rockstar took up trucking after parting ways with the band in 1997.

Motley Crue frontman John Corabi described his year in trucking as “a f***ing blast”

After parting ways with Motley Crue in 1997, John Corabi didn’t have as much money as some might think. Throughout the entirety of his time in the band, he was financially taking care of two family members – one with diabetes and another with cancer. That said, his Motley Crue money was dwindling, wondering “how am I going to pay my bills?”

Corabi decided to turn to the trucking industry. The singer described his love for trains and trucks since he was a child. Plus, he figured the three-week turnaround for a CDL was a strong selling point.

“I’ve been literally touring my whole life and there was things that I’d never seen before until I started driving a truck,” he said in an interview with Logical Logistics, “pardon my French, but I had a f***ing blast.”

He enjoyed the same things that virtually every trucker enjoys about their job. He mentioned the health insurance for his family as well as the opportunity to clear his head while he was out on the road. He also mentioned that he made a decent living, especially considering the ease of access to the industry. It was the perfect transition for this part of his life.

Trucking, Positive marijuana tests

Marijuana is becoming a major issue in trucking

The trucking industry is unlike any other. With drivers required to maintain focus on the road at all times, DOT and individual companies are extremely careful with drug policies to maintain safe driving on the road.

Even a single positive drug test will usually cause a driver to be fired and go through an SAP program, or a Substance Abuse Program. Whiteline Express, for example, is zero tolerance.

Because of this, one would assume that failed drug tests are not that common in the trucking industry. That assumption is dead wrong.

Failed marijuana tests are becoming a huge issue in the trucking industry

Quest Diagnostics recently released a report showing how common positive marijuana drug tests were in the trucking industry. The numbers were. . . jarring.

Since 2020, there have been over 100,000 positive tests in the industry. Each year, the number has risen and continues to rise, with over 9,000 through March of 2023.

Marijuana isn’t the only drug coming up on tests though. Since 2020, there have been over 30,000 positive cocaine tests and over 16,000 positive tests for methamphetamines.

Perhaps the positive marijuana tests are a result of the legalization of the drug throughout certain states in the US. Regardless, it’s becoming a huge problem, with some drivers struggling to maintain a job without a failed test. The numbers are as clear as day.

Taylor Swift Trucking Fleet

Taylor Swift uses a staggering amount of semi-trucks for her tour

Trucking and Taylor Swift are not two words that you’ll often hear in the same sentence. It’s unlikely that the average truck driver is a fan of the global pop star.

That said, Swift is employing more truck drivers than 95% of trucking companies. That’s right, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is going to be bringing along around 90 semi-trucks, according to The New York Post. This is supported by a photograph posted in Reddit’s r/Truckers showcasing a small portion of her tour fleet.

Guess that makes it the second-largest Swift fleet in America. Sorry, bad joke.

Why does Taylor Swift need so many semi-trucks?

The first question when you hear about Taylor Swift’s 90-truck fleet is simple: why? Why does she need so many trucks and what is in all of these trucks?

Unfortunately, the answer is vague and extremely unsatisfying. That said, it can be explained away by looking at Swift’s elaborate and physically demanding stage sets. The pop star sees multiple set changes per concert. But how can she afford that much in logistics fees, you ask?

According to Forbes, the Eras Tour could bring Swift over $600 million. Yeah.

This makes sense, as the cheapest tickets for her concerts are hovering around $1,000. Taylor Swift knows how to draw a crowd.

Truck driver bridge escort

Truck driver shows what to do if you can’t fit under a bridge

Truck drivers will experience a handful of inevitabilities throughout their career. Whether that be getting pulled over, having a vehicle issue, or being involved in an accident, negative things are bound to happen. It’s the nature of the job.

One inevitability that no truck driver is looking forward to is encountering a bridge that is too low.

Despite the fact that there are usually plentiful warning signs. . . stuff happens. If you’re active on social media, you probably see a new photo or video every week – no matter what precautions are taken, semi-trucks will continue to run into bridges.

This truck driver just showed all truckers what to do if they’re approaching a bridge that is too low

Approaching a bridge that is too low can be a huge dilemma for a truck driver. It’s easy to panic or do the wrong thing. Earlier this week, a truck driver gave a strong example of what to do if you’re approaching a low bridge.

Though it may seem like common sense, the best option is never to drive under a bridge and hope for the best. When in doubt, stop your truck and pull over.

That’s what a truck driver in Houston, Texas did earlier this week when they realized that their oversized load was not going to fit under a bridge. The driver had no way of turning off of an exit. Instead of powering through, the driver stopped and alerted the police.

Unfortunately, this mistake caused a huge backup but the alternative would have been a crash straight into the bridge. The semi-truck had to be escorted the wrong direction on the highway by police.

The entire ordeal took over two hours. Still, it was the right choice.

Make sure you’re watching signage on the road for clearance heights. If you miss it, be prepared. Drivers crash into bridges all the time – it’s easy to avoid being one of them.

trucking, truck yard

Over 3,000 trucking jobs were created last month

One thing that is unique and highly-appreciated in the trucking industry is the resilience of the job market. No matter what type of economic change is seen, the trucking job market will, at least generally speaking, remain consistent.

For this reason, nobody was panicking in February when the trucking job market saw a decrease of 5,000 jobs – the largest plummet we’ve seen in a long time.

And just as expected, the jobs have returned.

Over 6,000 jobs have been added to the trucking industry in the last two months

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job industry bounced back from its 5,000-job plummet with a spike of over 3,000 in March. This was followed by another 3,000 in April.

Still, this leaves the industry behind the extremely hefty bar that was set last year. That number was 61,000 in 2022 – one that likely will not be reached by the end of this year.

That said, transportation jobs are way up as a whole and have followed a similar trend to trucking-specific jobs. Transportation-related jobs as a whole rose by 11,000 last month and has jumped a total of 38,000 total on the year. Last year, the industry jumped by 261,000 jobs.

Trucking, Texting and Driving Ohio

Trucking: Watch out for this new driving law in Ohio

There’s nothing worse than being pulled over when you didn’t know that you were doing anything wrong. Whether it be a light that has gone out mid-drive or a new law that was put into place, it happens to the best of us.

That’s why it is so important for those in the trucking industry to be on top of their stuff. That includes doing their their pre-trip checks and keeping up with local, regional, and national laws.

Recently, there have been updates to a texting and driving law in the state of Ohio that could affect truckers, regular drivers, and anybody else behind the wheel.

Truckers – make sure you’re aware of this update to texting and driving laws in Ohio

Trucking, Phones Down Ohio
Trucking, Phones Down Ohio

If you’re having trouble interpreting the graphic, I’ll simplify it for you – stay off of your phone.

As is laid out by the state of Ohio, most actions that go beyond a single touch, swipe, or click will be against the law. This doesn’t mean you cannot use your phone at all.

Some options for phone use include taking calls on speakerphone, through an earpiece or wireless headset, using a smart watch, and connecting your phone to your vehicle via Bluetooth.

You should, however, avoid anything that is not a hands-free action. This includes, but is not limited to, dialing a phone number, sending a text, browsing social media, taking a video call, browsing the web, watching videos, playing games, and recording a video.

Penalties can stretch from a distracted driving course up to a $500 fine and 90-day suspension of your driver’s license. It’s not worth it.

Ohio State Police will be giving out warnings for the first three months of this new law – that’ll reach until October 4th, 2023. After that, drivers will begin to receive citations.

trucking company, R&L Carriers

This trucking company had to pay out over $1 million for discrimination

Lawsuits are every trucking company’s worst nightmare. In an industry that often sees liability issues arise, businesses will often go out of their way to cater to their employees to avoid such incidents. Unfortunately, not all companies are like this.

This time around, R&L Carriers, Inc. is reminding us why every employee or applicant should be treated fairly.

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Ohio-based trucking company was recently involved in a sex discrimination lawsuit. Spoiler alert – they lost.

R&L Carriers, Inc. was ordered to pay out $1.25 million for sex discrimination

R&L Carriers has one of the largest trucking fleets in the United States, coming in at 15th on Freightwaves‘ 2023 Top-500 Carriers list with 6,744 tractors and 19,709 trailers. That said, they probably won’t feel a $1.25 million hit as much as some other companies. Still, that’s got to hurt.

But what did they actually do?

According to the lawsuit, the trucking company discriminated against women across a seven-year span. A large percentage of female loader applicants were directed toward other positions or rejected altogether and a handful of witnesses claimed that they were told R&L Carriers does not hire female loaders. The difference between percentage of female applicants hired and male applicants hired was drastic.

For any trucking company, especially one that large, that is not something that should ever happen. R&L Carriers decided to follow that path and they are paying the price.

At the end of the day, the goal is to make sure every company gives an equal opportunity to every applicant.  Indianapolis District Director Michelle Eisele weighed in and said “I am pleased qualified women will finally have the opportunity to be hired as loaders at R & L Carriers rather than being steered to office jobs.” Hopefully, the Ohio-based company will make sure they don’t repeat the same mistakes.

trucking, dimes stolen

$100,000 in dimes was stolen from this semi-truck

Another day, another bizarre trucking story.

Earlier this week, a trucker parked in Philadelphia had an estimated $100,000 stolen from their truck. But as you can see by the title, this wasn’t your ordinary robbery. The truck in question was transporting $750,000 worth of dimes, according to NBC News. The break-in was reported at 6:00 AM northeast of Philadelphia in a Walmart parking lot.

The crime seems like an odd one. Coins are extremely heavy, especially when they are that low in value, and the payout only yielded 15% of the truck’s value. Plus, the money could easily be tracked.

The dime robbers left money all over the ground

If you thought that this was a well-organized, thought-out plan, you were wrong. The robbers used bolt cutters to get into the truck and proceeded to take the dimes, which were kept in bags, and transfer them into their own containers. Throughout this process, they spilled dimes everywhere.

https://twitter.com/Emme0703/status/1646878999786803201?s=20

That’s right – if you’re not good at math, this dime theft took 1,000,000 dimes. That equates to nearly 5,000 pounds.

Again, this crime seems. . . inefficient.

As of this morning, authorities are searching for a White Chrysler 300 with tinted windows. They’re also searching for a “dark colored pickup truck” that presumably carried the cargo once it was stolen.

trucking facts, international

5 mind-blowing facts about the trucking industry

The trucking industry has given jobs to over 3.5 million truckers. According to the ATA, the industry itself employs a total of eight million employees. That includes truckers, dispatchers, and office workers for the industry. For those who struggle with math, that’s over 2% of jobs across the United States.

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – trucking moves America.

As a result of the sheer volume of truckers in the United States, you will also notice a plethora of mind-blowing statistics.

Here are 5 crazy trucking facts

1. Around $50 billion is paid in trucking-related taxes each year

One of the aspects of trucking that isn’t often spoken about is also one of the least desirable topics – taxes. I won’t bore you with the details but if you weren’t already aware, truckers pay a lot of taxes just to own a truck. Apparently, this number sits around $50 billion per year. That’s over $3,000 per truck.

2. Over 300 billion yearly miles are registered by truck drivers

There are a handful of numbers thrown around when it comes to distance traveled by truck drivers in a year. The most reliable is 300 billion, according to trucking.org. That number is from 2020, too, which means that it could be even higher in recent years.

3. Over-the-road truckers spend over 240 nights per year away from their families

Trucking is a lifestyle. Plenty of jobs, such as an office job, will tell you that working at their company is a “lifestyle.” Usually, that’s an exaggeration. In the trucking world, it may actually be an under-exaggeration. Truck drivers, live and breathe trucking, as many of them spend weeks away from their families at a time. According to JIT Truck Parts, this adds up to around 240 nights per year.

4. Semi-trucks need three football fields of space to stop

As somebody who works in the industry, this is something that I hear all of the time. At times, it seems repetitive, but the more I drive, the more I notice four-wheelers cutting off big rigs in tight traffic situations. If you do this and get honked at by a trucker, you are the problem.

5. The transportation industry uses over 46 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year

Ever wonder why truckers never complain about regular gasoline for their cars? Currently, they’re paying a dollar more per gallon in a vehicle that has significantly worse fuel mileage.

Trucking, Scary Dashcam

Trucking: This truck driver caught a ghost on his dash cam

Even though the connection might not be obvious, the trucking industry is no stranger to the dark and mysterious. Whether it’s a haunted truck stop or a disaster on the road, scary things happen all the time. It’s unavoidable in an industry that employs over 6 million people across the United States.

If you’re reading this article at night, you may want to close it out.

This week, we saw another example of a creepy occurrence captured on a truck driver’s dashcam at night.

https://twitter.com/TheSun/status/1637778515306377216?s=20

Even if the trucker’s video doesn’t show a ghost, it’s extremely creepy

The video originally depicts something that looks like a human standing next to the road. In fact, most attentive drivers would go so far as to move their vehicle out of the way. This includes William Church, the driver who saw the ghost, who actually twitched the wheel to miss whoever it was.”

Church states that while he originally thought he had seen a human, a review of the dashcam footage showed that the figure did not appear to have an upper half. Despite the bottom half of the figure seemingly having two legs standing up, this one remains a mystery to this day.

Either way, it’s not something that you’d want to see while driving down the road. Best case, it’s some sort of animal or a reflection of one. Worst case, you just saw a ghost – a few feet further into the road and it could have caused any driver to swerve out of the way and crash.