In This Issue
· Inoculatte! Say What?
· La Transporte!
· Diesel vs. Government
DIDJA KNOW?
Smartphones have developed a BAC app, for those of you who have business dinners. Punch in your height, weight, how many drinks, and over how long to find out if your ok to drive. If not, it will suggest local cab companies for you to call. Look for it on your Smartphone market. Also you may want to check out “Trucker Jobs the App” developed by Wright Media. It now gives companies a chance to recruit using smart phone technology. Costs are steep, but if you can’t use Transport Brokerage or Transport Express, it may be worth a look.
What People Are Saying About Transport Brokerage
Craig S says, Why do business with Transport Brokerage? “100% Satisfaction with the service we receive from John and your drivers.”
DIDJA HEAR?
City of Aurora, Colorado makes 125 acres “blighted” to make way for the Gaylord project (huge hotel )and a possible move for the National Western Stockshow facility. CDOT is trying out “rolling speed harmonization” on _I-70 eastbound to try and smooth out traffic flow, look for a state patrol car moving along at 55 mph….
Random Web links
Fantasy Football Cheats Need a different viewpoint than your stand by for whom to draft with your 7th pick? Look here for new answers.
Best of Craigslist
So Craigslist has been around for a while, and you probably have had a chance to use it at least once by now. Maybe you sold a bike, or have had someone come pick up a scrap refrigerator. Maybe you even met someone online, or purchased your car there. What you may not know is that sometimes ads get nominated for a list… the Best of Craigslist list. And it’s freakin hilarious.
(Some Content R Rated!)
The Food You Eat
Did you ever wonder why Pop Rocks pop? Or why Wint-o-Green Lifesavers Spark in the dark? 10 ten things you didn’t know about junk food!
Contact Us
areece at transpx dot com
If you don't want to receive this awesome newsletter anymore, send me a quick email with "Get me outta here" in the subject line"
Alternatively if you think someone else may like to receive Inoculatte! Forward them a copy and have them send me an email. |
Inoculatte!:
Because making up words is fun, and we hope that every once in a while you try and define something that has never been said. Please send me your best made up word or definition or just look at somebody else’s here. Our word was Inoculatte!, and it’s defined as is your quick espresso shot of information, your foamy taste of knowledge, and the whipped cream of stuff that you know, didn’t know, or maybe you did know and forgot.
Mexican Trucks Mean What?
 |
In the first week of July, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood signed an agreement authorizing Mexican trucks to start importing to the United States. To go along with the deal Mexico is going to reduce a coupla billion in trade tariffs on items exported from the United States which will give a big leg up to agricultural producers and deodorant/ beauty products guys (and Christmas Trees per all the articles by the major news affiliates). According the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book (yes, that CIA). |
Mexico accounts for about 12 % of the United States exports while Mexican exports to the United States account for about 80% of their total export market. {And in 2010 that meant 32% of Mexico’s GDP per the Congressional Research Office (yes, that Congress}.
So if the United States holds a stacked deck on the Mexican Economy, what gives?: Well at the risk of being label a conservative whack job, I’d argue that the United States is doing the same job of propping up the economy of our neighbors to the south that you see France and Germany doing to the rest of the European Union (and look how well that’s going for them.) I an not an economist, but I don’t see how providing a market for cheaper goods into the country, while taking more industry out of the country results in favorable outlook for our economic futures.
So do we see Mexican Trucks at every truck stop now?: The USDOT issued proclamation 79-11 letting us know that safety comes first, and that every truck and driver will be extensively screened before being allowed on United States highways. Amongst the details drivers will be drug tested, (they give the samples in Mexico but then ship them to a certified lab in the US, no chance of trying to cheat the system there!), undergo an assessment to understand the English language and understand U.S. traffic signs (you can order your Spanish logs from JJ Keller here), trucks will have to comply with all FMCSA criteria, and will have block boxes onboard to watch where they are picking up and delivering. (BTW, You pay for that with your taxes). Just to make sure that it’s all even steven, truckers from the U.S. can now cross the border into Mexico with goods too. (There is currently a Travel Warning in effect for Mexico, and they won’t even let some government officials cross the border, have fun!)
So where does that leave you/us? Chances are, this impacts your business very little in the next 3 weeks, 3 months or even 3 years. Both sides of the issue have legitimate concerns, with arguments for citing decreased reliance on materials from China, and increased economic prosperity on both sides of the border, while those arguing against worry about safety, compliance and further erosion of the freight market. Really it’s up to you. Will jobs and wages be lost? Is there a market for you in Mexico? Do narcotics, illegal immigration, or terrorism increase? Can you afford to do business there?
Got Juice?
|
New fuel standards are going to save us all money right? New fuel technology, aerodynamic options, tires, Smartway, and the recent White House announcement about fuel economy standards have left me scratching my head. IF all of these phenomenal savings add up so quickly, and we can be “greener” at the same time, then why haven’t more of the super carrier companies jumped in to start making their stockholders more money?
The truth is out there. When you start looking, getting that 23% fuel savings that the Fed is talking about isn’t all that hard. The Smartway website figures average diesel consumption at 4 mpg, so all you really need to do is get your truck bumped up to 5, (probably lower than what most of you are getting now). |
But wait, the math is a little scary since the estimates are all based on government figures. (See how government math works Here)For example Super single tires are valued at $5600, but if you go to Michelin’s website, the price tag goes up to $8600. (And for those of your frugal/miserly penny pinchers out there, no more retreads) The costs reflected in the calculator (total of $20,100) also don’t reflect the reality of installation, (my number for super singles does), maintenance, or damage to your tens of thousands of dollars in upgrades by drivers in trucks that they don’t own.
But wait again… We all need to be good stewards of the system, and the Smartway program isn’t actually asking for get everybody to cut anything. Like most government programs Smartway just wants you to try. You have to do an assessment, calculate your carbon footprint, and then track fuel and emissions reductions. Then you’re ranked against the others, granted certification, and after 3 years have to show that you are actually making progress toward the goals you set for yourself. In the end, don’t try to fool yourself or anyone else into thinking that $73,000 over the life of the truck is a real savings. It’s an investment to be sure, but one that you may not ever realize a return on.
We need your Input
If there is a tool that you use time and time again, or you have a question about shipping, or even if you just want to pass along some juicy gossip (as it relates to your industry, we don't want to know about the latest office romance), I would like to include it. My goal is to offer you something that you can use, or at least doesn't just end up in the "deleted items" folder of your email. |
