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AuthorLaura Smith

Driving Truck and Getting Back Home to Family

One of the very top values at Freight Tec is Family.

We believe in trying to find a different load for a Carrier, who wants to be home for the weekend to spend time with his family…  Taking care of some of the extra headaches for a Shipping Manager so he can spend more time with his family… or making sure our Agents and Employees get the time they need to spend with their own families. We consider each of these part of the our Freight Tec Family as well.

This article – Myths about the Trucking Industry – is about Truck Drivers in general, and it really struck a chord with me as I read it this morning.

Quoted from the article:

“Next time you see a semi-truck on the road, think about the driver behind the wheel, and realize he—or she—is a person just like you, working toward a goal, delivering goods you depend on, and looking forward to getting back home to family.”

If you get a chance, be sure to thank a Truck Driver – and at the very least, respect what they do and the part they play in keeping this country rolling.

Are you an Agent or Broker interested in joining the Freight Tec Family?

17 May 2016 Continue Reading
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Take a Ride In a Self-Driving Semi

The automated, driverless vehicle is something we keep hearing more and more about. They could potentially remove the human error factor in driving, it could save a lot of lives. But it’s expensive, and not everyone is going to want to give up control of their vehicles.

But you have to admit, there’s something fascinating about the idea. Take a ride in world’s first road-ready self-driving truck:

What do you think? Is this our generation’s “Flying Car”? Fun to think about, but never gonna happen?

28 Feb 2016 Continue Reading

Is the Future of Freight Underground?

A company in the UK called Mole Solutions thinks so. They’ve designed pods, that would travel underground to deliver goods currently hauled by trucks. They travel via a computer controlled smart track, using electromagnets.

The company claims they could ship goods for 20% the cost of road shipping.

But is it feasible? Laying that much pipeline would be a massive undertaking that would take years, if not decades to complete.
What do you think? Are underground pipelines just a pipe dream?

Here’s some footage of the test pods in action:

21 Feb 2016 Continue Reading

TED Talk: How to Make Work-Life Balance Work

Nigel Marsh, thinks work-life balance is too important to be left in the hands of your employer.

He lays out his “ideal” day, working, taking time for himself, his wife, his kids, the dog, and friends. Nigel quickly realizes that ideal is just not possible.

He stresses the importance of not falling into the trap of “I’ll do it when I retire.” And reminds us that the little things matter.

He breaks down the problems with how we’re dealing with balancing career and having a full and fulfilling day.

This talk is from TEDxSydney.

 

21 Feb 2016 Continue Reading
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The Death of the 8 Hour Workday?

Do you work 8 hours straight? Do you often work through your lunch? You may think that you’re a better worker for these habits, but, studies say you’re doing it wrong. They say the 8 hour workday is inefficient and outdated.

Entrepreneur says:

“The 8-hour workday was created during the industrial revolution as an effort to cut down on the number of hours of manual labor that workers were forced to endure on the factory floor. This breakthrough was a more humane approach to work two hundred years ago, yet it possesses little relevance for us today.”

No one is saying that the work day should be shorter per say, but our work, break, work schedule needs to change.

“Your brain wants an hour on, 15 minutes off.”

So take a break every hour, a real break. Get up and walk away from your work, get outside, lie down. Completely disconnect from your work, and when you return 15 minutes later, you’ll be primed and ready to focus!

Read the Entrepreneur article here.

16 Feb 2016 Continue Reading
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Enraged Driver Cuts off Semi-Truck!

In an moment of, what we can only call road rage inspired insanity, a motorist in Salt Lake City became enraged when a semi-truck changed lanes in front of their car. Instead of simply slowing down and giving the truck room, they decided to get “revenge” on the truck driver. The small red car passed the truck, changed lanes in front of it, and slammed on the breaks. The semi driver lost control, and rolled; blocking 4 lanes of traffic and causing 5 more accidents. Luckly, the only injuries were minor. The highway was closed for 7 hours while the cleanup was underway.

The accident happened on an interchange from I-15 to I-215. The trucker admits he was unfamiliar with the interchange and should have been going a little slower for the curve.

Police are searching for the driver, but so far, they have no leads. Utah Highway Patrol says that if they do find the driver, he will be facing reckless driving charges, in the least.

Driving a Semi isn’t easy, and they don’t have the same sight lines as someone in a car. Most drivers know that they need to give trucks room and understand that they have blind spots. Apparently this driver didn’t get the memo, or maybe he just didn’t care.

Let this be a lesson to all drivers: Give. Trucks. Space. That driver is doing a difficult job, and delivering goods you depend on every day! Cut them more slack, they’re often traveling routes they’re unfamiliar with. And always, always give them plenty of space.

Road Rage is never, ever, an appropriate response in any situation. But when it comes to trucks the damage is multiplied. This drivers desire to “Get back” at the truck driver could have killed people.

16 Feb 2016 Continue Reading
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Why Do We Celebrate “President’s Day”?

It seems like most of the buzz around President’s Day has little to do with Presidents. It’s all about big sales, or taking off for a 3-day weekend. But where did the holiday come from? What exactly or who exactly are we celebrating? A surprising amount of American’s don’t know much about the holiday.

We bet you didn’t know it was this complex!

Originally the Holiday was celebrated as Washington Day, in celebration of George Washington’s Birthday, and fell on the 22nd of February.

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The idea of changing the holiday from Washington Day to President’s Day, was first introduced in 1951. A bill proposing the holiday celebrate not Washington specifically, but the office of President itself. But the bill was stalled, and in 1968, finally voted down.  

In 1971, under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, it was moved the the third Monday of February. An early draft of the act would have renamed the holiday to “Presidents’ Day” to honor the birthdays of bothWashington and Lincoln, which would explain why the chosen date falls between the two, but this proposal failed in committee, and the bill was voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968, keeping the name as Washington’s Birthday.

Yep, that’s right, technically, today is Washington Day.

Here’s where things get even more confusing…

“President’s Day” isn’t just a Federal holiday, it’s also an official State holiday. And just about every State has a different name for the holiday.

So what does your state celebrate? Find out:

Presidents’ Day is celebrated in:

  • Hawaii
  • New Mexico
  • North Dakota
  • South Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • Puerto Rico
  • Texas
  • Vermont
  • Washington

President’s Day is celebrated in:

  • Alaska
  • Idaho
  • Maryland
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • Tennessee
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Presidents Day is celebrated in:

  • Michigan
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • Oregon

Did you notice the only difference in the first three categories is spelling?

George Washington Day is only celebrated in Virginia

Washington’s Birthday is celebrated in:

  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • New York
  • Massachusetts

Lincoln’s and Washington’s Birthday is celebrated in Montana.

Washington–Lincoln Day is celebrated in Colorado and Ohio

Washington and Lincoln Day is celebrated in Utah

Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday is celebrated in Minnesota

Alabama celebrates George Washington/Thomas Jefferson Birthday

And in Arkansas they celebrate George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day

These states recognize multiple names:

  • Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day in Maine
  • Lincoln/Washington/Presidents’ Day in Arizona

In California “The third Monday in February” and Lincoln’s birthday are explicitly named as separate holidays.

So there you have it, we’re celebrating George Washington on a federal level, and depending on your state, you might throw some other president’s in the mix!

 

 

15 Feb 2016 Continue Reading