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The whole point of forensics is that dead men sing like canaries. They tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth-- to those patient and skilled enough to figure out how to 'listen".

I'm probably not the best one to ask. The "Gray Lady" has the old Chevy 5.7 engine in it, you can't get those today unless you get really old vans. This workhorse has 406,500 miles on it and still seems strong, gets between 13 and 15 mpg depending on load and which way the wind is blowing...

The problem is that you have to see it coming in time to get your concealed weapon out and use it. The video I saw didn't look like they were giving much if any warning, so you'd have to walk with your gun at the ready position all the time. Even then, an attack from the rear won't allow you to...

Ouch. Double ouch. Please, please say I didn't actually read someone ask what class of license a tractor-trailer requires. Here in Illinois, the classes are A, B, C and D. A is tractor-trailer over 26K, B is heavy straight over 26K, both of these heavy classes require a CDL. Below that, C is...

It is possible to turn Detroit around. But first, you have to figure out how to put the city on a giant Lazy Susan. That will take some work, which should have the advantage of creating jobs right there.

OK, let's be clear about this so we're all on the same page. If you're hauling anything for compensation, including the trailer itself-- what we're looking at is the declared cgvwr of the resulting rig. It doesn't matter if both the van and the trailer are empty, if your combined gross vehicle...

I'm not so sure. I remember driving for a local courier, anything under 10K you didn't need a DOT physical-- but the safety director would have a cow if you had a vehicle over 10K and you didn't have the card. It may have been insurance-- I understood it was the law. If you don't need the DOT...

As I understand it (I could be wrong) you need the medical card on anything over 10K, same as logs and all the rest of the DOT stuff. Some companies make you get the DOT medical even under 10K, the rule with those companies is that if it's motorized you need the DOT physical to drive for them...

Most turnpikes frown on the kind of U-Turn you're proposing. If you get caught you can count on a fine as well as paying extravagant tolls. The right way to do this is to continue to the next exit, get off and get turned around, then enter again. It'll be cheaper, guaranteed.

Maybe I've just had too many birthdays-- I'm 58, so the days of being a "spring chicken" are long behind me-- but the idea of doing over a thousand miles non-stop seems to me to be sheer idiocy. I don't care if I'm in a van and therefore not regulated, I'm also in a human body that gets tired...

I can't be sure, but-- I have a baaaaadddd feeling about these warranties. Gut instinct says not to trust them.

I feel the need to add this, take it for what it's worth. For the most part, I pretty much leave these "loyalty cards" alone. I have three at the moment from two different outfits, one from Speedway and two from Flying J, and that's about all I really intend to go in for. I note that a number...

Some people just can't be happy. They wanted green power. Wind turbines are about as green as it gets,and they don't want them. We had a similar problem-- only they didn't take to the roads-- in De Kalb County just West of me a few years back. A company wanted to put in wind turbines, many...

It's funny that you mention auto parts. "Just in time" delivery of auto parts is probably where expedited freight got its start, and it was a deliberate decision by the auto companies. Seems expedited might be a little cheaper than maintaining a warehouse full of parts, with all of the expenses...

It's a bit of a trick to get in, but-- on the driveway, in back of the house. I have to make a sharp turn, usually "backing and filling" a bit, to clear the garage. My landlord usually leaves for work a little after 5:00 every morning so it wouldn't do to block him in.

No. Absolutely not. Forgetaboutit. Way back in the "Reward yourself" thread, I got the message good and loud that my business, as the driver of a gasoline-powered van, wasn't particularly welcome at TA/Petro. So, I haven't set foot on their property since. It's going to take a wee bit more than...

The newer vehicles are probably easier to upgrade. The throttle is "fly by wire" on most anything after '05. Older vehicles like mine, which still use cables, are a bit harder-- but not impossible-- to upgrade.

I had occasion to pay attention to one of these things while loading at O'Hare one evening. I didn't notice what, exactly, he loaded but I did get a good look at the markings. He had markings on his door of less than 10,000 GVW, and inside the box the maximum payload was listed as 2650 if I...

The funny thing is, in all this talk I've felt that we who drive CVs are out of the loop, whether by design or by happenstance I don't know. We've always been the "po' relatives" at this table, so no reason to believe this discussion will be different.

If the Trucker's Strike is/was to have a chance, keep it to truckers issues. The instant you make it a grab-bag like the Occupy movements, you lose any reason for truckers to break from their usual routine to take part in it. Certainly, I can't be the only one not willing to stick my neck out...