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About Me
I'm the Pickups host here at Edmunds CarSpace.com - be sure to check out the Pickups forums if you have or are interested in one!
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The Big Rigs
We're gonna talk about the big ones... trucks and buses that require those 3 marker lights front and rear. Everything from dual rear wheel pickups to class 8 trucks to the bus that takes you to work.
Try fueling a tractor-trailer these days. A few months back when diesel was around $3.35 or so, I was chatting with the pump jockey at my local station about the credit card shutoff... depending on the card, it will either stop at $75 or $100. He said "When the semis come in, I have to swipe that card 8 or 9 times."
An article at CNN.com today mentions the plight of the trucking industry and the rapidly escalating price of diesel fuel: CNNMoney.com 5/6/2008 - Think gas hurts? Try diesel. One of the stats in the article should make you take notice... "The American Trucking Association predicted that truckers will have to shell out $140 billion for diesel in 2008, sharply higher than the $112 billion they spent in 2007." I'll save you the trouble of grabbing a calculator - that's a 25% increase. And that gets passed on to the end user... eventually, that is John and Jane Average, who will be forced to absorb that increase in virtually everything they buy.
Vikki )driver of the red Peter on your left) said her company doesn't have as many loads as they did a year ago. In order to meet costs, they have to raise rates, and that means customers are now looking for whichever trucking outlet will do the job for less. But soon enough, even those who can afford to lowball will have to pony up at the pump. A fuel contract that locked in a low rate will eventually expire, and those suppliers will want to make up for their losses.
Unless a long term solution comes about, this isn't going to get any better for quite a while. Is algae-based biodiesel the answer? Food-crop biodiesel certainly isn't, as it will simply reduce the crop supply and cause food prices to spike. And biodiesel has yet to be standardized... if you have the equipment, you can "brew a batch" in the back yard.
Common sense tells me a tax suspension won't do much. What we need is a major increase in production and supply of a fuel that will do the job as well as petroleum-based diesel.. That's the only way prices will come down. Time will tell.
Truckers ‘going broke’ and threatening to strike - Quad City Times 3/18/008
It's getting rough out there, and the independent trucker feels it the most. In the last month, I watched diesel rise at the station i use most often from $3.239 (Feb 12) to $3.959 (Mar 20). That's an increase of 22% in just 5 weeks. I know my paycheck didn't rise that much, consumer prices everywhere else didn't rise that much, and we can be sure that trucking rates did not rise that much, either.
So what is the answer? Should the fuel taxes be suspended on diesel to help the economy and the truckers? Should the truckers receive a tax break on income to help offset their expenses? Will a grass-roots strike bring the needed attention and response?
All questions I can't really answer. And it's affecting other heavy users of diesel as well. This message appears on the home page of DeCamp Bus Lines, a privarte commuter bus company here in NJ:
Ladies and Gentlemen/DeCamp passengers, it is never easy for any of us to discuss increased costs BUT, oil prices are literally out of sight! A fuel surcharge is becoming a necessity, and this in addition to the recent 48% increase in toll charges. We will continue to watch oil prices closely as our Government attempts an economic recovery, but it is a good guess that sometime in April, 2008, it will be necessary to institute a 6% fuel surcharge on our commuter fares. One positive thing about a surcharge is that if this oil pricing can be captured and reduced, DeCamp will be in a position to reduce this fee or possibly eliminate completely. These times are tough on everyone; we will get through it together. Thank you for your understanding.
And while the government-run transit systems buy in bulk over annual contracts and avoid fuel taxes, you can be sure to see fare hikes there when the next contract comes up as their suppliers will want to recoup losses.
Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the economy runs on diesel. As the trucker noted in the article, “Our federal government is subsidizing railroads, airlines, banks and farmers,” [Dan Little] said. “Meanwhile, we’re being taxed to death.” As I noted before, if all the trucking ends up in the hands of large fleets because the O/Os are run out of business, prices will only go up - and it won't necessarily be the fault of those fleet companies.
usually diesel begins a seasonal decline in April as winter-mix fuel is no longer needed in the colder states, and home heating oil (a similar distillate fuel to diesel) production can be reduced. I can only hope this year is no different.
 This is the first of 1145 new buses headed for New Jersey streets. They are being manufactured by North American Bus Industries (NABI) of Anniston, Alabama and will be delivered over 6 years. The total contract is worth $409 million. This unit was put on display for the press on February 13.
There will be 1070 transit (local/city) buses, and 75 suburbans (equipped with high back seats, overhead parcel racks, and reading lights). 5201 shown here is a suburban.
This is a redesigned front end for the NABI model 416, with new-style round headlights and a sculptured windshield and front sign area. While the industry trend is to low-floor buses that have no steps at the doors other than the initial entry point from the ground, NJ Transit opted for the standard floor (two-step entry) model because they get more seats and legroom, plus some of the regions of New Jersey where these buses will operate are older infrastructure and rural areas where low floor buses may be at an operating disadvantage (e.g. country roads with high crowns and no curbs).
These buses are fully ADA compliant with wheelchair lifts, oversize destination signs, PA systems, and other features. They also exceed federal EPA emissions regulations for clean diesel.
The last thing a misbehaving child wants to hear on a road trip...
 New Jersey is thinking about coming back there. The state assembly has introduced bills that will strengthen the existing seat belt law to include adults in the rear seat(s), and to raise the fines for not securing a child from $20 to as much as $500.
Most of us with sense buckle up as it is, so such a law should not intrude on the majority o drivers. But it will be interesting to see if these bills face challenges, and on what grounds. There was also no immediate information as to whether the proposal would apply to cars for hire, such as taxis and limos.
Then there is the decades-old debate about seat belts for buses. Because buses in general are allowed to operate with standing passengers, a seat belt law has generally been a no-issue - how would someone holding the ceiling grab rail buckle up, and to what? Bus company owners have argued that, unlike airplanes, buses don't operate in a complete terminal-to-terminal mode - passengers can be picked up or let off en route. And a bus driver is often not in a position to verify that everyone is buckled properly, where airplanes are staffed with attendants for that purpose. Proponents of a seat belt regulation for buses have attempted to delineate the use by specifying the bus type, but this has been effectively defeated by many local transit authorities purchasing "over the road" motorcoaches for suburban express service. So I doubt this will ever happen any time soon.
Regardless, if the buckle is there, use it. It beats the alternative.
If you have a large vehicle, parking is a consideration when you are deciding where to live. One of the reasons I chose the place I moved to in 2002 was because it gave me sufficient room to park a Dodge Ram dually without disturbing or blocking other residents. The pic below is my truck in its spot at my home.
Parking lots can be challenging. My space at work is not that big a deal unless someone next to my assigned space parks too close to the stripe. When I go shopping, whether it's a supermarket, small shopping center, or a full-fledged mall, I park away from the masses... not because I'm overly concerned about door dings, but because I want to make sure I have room to maneuver. (And besides, I need the exercise of walking an extra few hundred feet.)
What about people who drive something bigger? Talking to Vikki (driver of the red Pete on the left) last week, she checked with the local police about what she was allowed to do. The police were nice enough to look the situation over and give her an answer. When she's home from the road, she detaches the flatbed trailer and leaves that at the curb, and parks the Pete in the driveway. She used to park the rig in a nearby church parking lot, but when new leadership came in, they declined to extend the courtesy, claiming they didn't want to have to do that for others. (Like a church in a residential neighborhood is in danger of becoming a truck stop.)
When my dad was a bus driver in the 60s in Newark NJ, he was deadheading and realized there was something he left at the house. He parked the bus at the curb as if it were the family car and dashed in to grab whatever it was. As a little kid, I thought that was beyond cool and was glued to the living room window checking out the empty bus... the specific model was a GMC TDH-5304 of Public Service.
I guess if I hit the lottery, I'll make sure I have a driveway long and wide enough for Vik's rig if she wants to stop by while in the area.
 In the online Overdrive magazine, there was a great article about the issues faced by truckers on large hills. While the article first appeared nearly three years ago, it still holds up well today.
My home is at 1000 feet elevation. A mile later when I get on I-80, it has dropped to 770 feet... my office is around sea level. So I know about inclines - downhill to work (boy, that's a lousy coincidence) and uphill home. For that 200 foot drop in the morning, I keep my Dodge Ram 3500 in the 2 position on the trans shifter - on the way home, I hit the Tow/Haul button to keep the trans from upshifting and lugging the engine. On that morning trip, the transmission combined with the low-revving Cummins diesel keep me below 35 mph the whole way down without braking... and most days there is always somebody right up my tailgate. There are a couple of blind driveways and curves on this stretch of road, and flying down it is not a great idea... especially if it's anything besides sunny and dry.
Just past westbound I-80 exit 42 here in NJ is an unmarked grade, although an extra right lane is provided for heavier vehicles. In total, there are 5 lanes up this hill. Because there is no notice of the grade, tractor-trailers regularly find themselves in the left-center and center lanes struggling just to get to 50 mph - speed limit at this spot is 65. And rather than give them the opportunity to move to the right and downshift, most cars just go around on the right, leaving the big rig in no-man's-land until the highway levels back out and they can pick up speed again.
One of the points I made in my CarSpace guide about sharing the road with The Big Rigs was how to handle highway hills and what lane to be in. This is something that is never covered in driver's manuals, license tests, or even some driving schools. Hills and mountain passes pose serious issues for all vehicles, but the larger and heavier the truck/bus, the more attentive the drivers around that vehicle need to be.
 School has opened around the country - yes, some places started last month, but it's a done deal everywhere now.
My office is a few blocks away from a school, and with my hours, I usually am on my way back to the office after lunch around 2:30-3 pm.
And every September, it seems as though drivers either forget over the summer or are just increasingly becoming less tolerant of school children who aren't picked up by their parents and shuttled door-to-door.
When the school bus driver activates the amber flashing lights, prepare yourself to stop in a matter of seconds... when the bus stops, the flashing lights switch to the red units and the arm swings out, STOP. Don't roll up on the bus at 5 mph, don't ease towards the kids as they cross the street... STOP. And for crying ouyt loud... NEVER PASS THE BUS. Where I used to live, the landlord had a handicapped child, and a small lift-equipped bus came to the front door every day to pick up Josh in his wheelchair. Mind you, this is a tertiary street, one block long. The bus driver, really nice older gent, would stop the bus, lights flashing, and position the lift while the father brought Josh out. I was watching this daily ritual one morning when some genius in a Honda Accord attempted to pass the bus... on the door side. The bus driver, who just missed getting picked off by this loser, absolutely freaked on the car driver.
When i was a kid taking the bus, in the early and mid 70s, this wasn't as bad. But the last couple of years, I have seen people approach a stopped school bus, lights flashing, stop arm out, children actively boarding or getting off, and seen some of the dumbest moves by drivers. One idiot actually blew his horn at the bus immediately in front of him, apparently annoyed that the process wasn't fast enough for his liking.
Same for crosswalks attendaed by crossing guards... when they walk out into the street with their Stop sign raised, you can't proceed. Period.
Bad enough we've lost courtesy to other adults on the road, but give the kids a shot at it, ok?
Peyton showed us last night he has no ill effects of "Super Bowl hangover"... man, what a blowout.
To the left is NBC commentator John Madden's current ride, his customized MCI E4500 LX conversion coach. This is his fifth coach after using Amtrak for many years to get between games. His main driver, Willie Yarborough, has been with him since 1987. Yarborough was a Greyhound driver who was one of two winners to drive Madden when Greyhound made the initial deal to transport Madden in a converted coach (a 1987 MCI 102A3 converted coach painted in regular Greyhound livery). Madden became so comfortable with Yarborough, he hired him outright, and he's been the main driver ever since.
 Madden's home away from home is outfitted with 4 plasma high-def televisions, a granite-trimmed kitchen (floor tiles and countertops), two bathrooms (including a steam shower in the master suite), and a queen-size bed for Madden. It weighs in at 45,000 pounds and gets approximately 5-6 mpg of diesel. It was delivered last summer, and cost approximately $800,000.
Conversion coaches have been the entertainment industry's vehicle of choice for decades. They have ranged from used school buses and retired city buses to multi-million dollar custom units made from shells by MCI and their main North American competitor, Prevost Car.
As for football... I'm a Giants fan. Seen them in person at every home stadium they've had since the old Yankee Stadium. Thanks to my dad working at the Meadowlands Sports Complex for almost 25 years, I got a few "perks" over the years at Giants Stadium, and I was even standing in the tunnel for one of the Giants' worst losses in the 80s,... the famous Flipper Anderson play in the 1989 playoffs against the Rams. He ran right past me as he entered the tunnel, screaming like a banshee, and it was all I could do not to trip him. I also remember the look on Lawrence Taylor's face as he walked off the field... it was an expression that said "Don't give me a reason to slam you through a concrete wall."
Prediction: Giants will go 9-7.
While not a new phenomenon, advertising wraps on buses is becoming not only more common, but more ingenious too. For those who see these and wonder about the windows, you can actually see out of the windows from the inside just fine... the vinyl is perforated and from inside the bus, it's essentially the same effect as looking out a window that has a storm screen on it.
This pic is of New Jersey Transit 1773, a 1994 Flxible Metro powered by a Cummins C8.3. The wrap is for Absolut vodka... 1773 runs in the Jersey City area. Image courtesy of busfan "Bee Flexible #823" at subchat.com
I've been driving diesels exclusively for over 11 years. I get excellent performance, great fuel economy,. and here in NJ, the cost vs unleaded regular is pretty balanced over the course of a year (diesel higher in winter, gasoline higher in summer).
My engine supplier of choice,. Cummins Inc., is already meeting the stringent 2010 EPA and CARB emissions standards with the current 6.7L ISBe engine used in the Dodge Ram 2500/3500, and starting this fall 4500/5500. The Indiana Business journal recently ran a great article on Cummins and how they're faring in the new "emissions world" of diesels.
Strictly my pair of pennies, but the emissions rules are misguided, and have been for a while. Tightening emissions on future vehicles is great, don't get me wrong. But the problem vehicles are the OLDER ones. The general public perceives diesels as noisy, smelly, and smoky. And 15-20 years ago, that was very true. But as long as those engines are still out there, the air isn't going to get much cleaner. It would take over 10 years to turn over the entire vehicle fleet at current sales rates. If the EPA and CARB really want to get "green", then they need to get behind engine replacement. Most heavy-duty buses and trucks (the biggest targets of blame) can handle several engine replacements before the body and chassis give out. The trucker with a 1992 Freightliner that is otherwise perfectly serviceable can't really afford a new truck... so give him a break on a new engine and watch how much cleaner his rig becomes.
No one wants to sit in traffic with a cloud of exhaust from ANY other vehicle. But it's not the vehicle that necessarily needs replacement.
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