Welcome to the WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Newsletter presented by Chevron Renewable Energy Group. In this issue, strangest hauls; when dump trucks attack; pets on the road; and more.
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Weirdest hauls
What’s in the box? — Unless you specialize in moving a specific commodity, you never know what you might end up hauling. I asked my logistics network of over 100,000 people on social media what some of the strangest and most unusual hauls they’ve ever had to pull are. The responses did not disappoint.
53’ for this? — “Super Trucker” Justin Martin used to haul freight for the U.S. Government. Size doesn’t always matter, though, as he once had to deliver a single stick of dynamite. No word on if they caught the road runner with it.
It’s a zoo — Bernard Quandt flew an entire hobby farm full of animals from Chicago to Rome. Even had to bring a vet along. Shipping animals doesn’t come without its own perils though. He says that human activists shut down his company’s animal transportation division after PETA activists started assaulting drivers.
Heads-up —Stephen Seifridsberger once had to pick up a human head from the airport and deliver it to the hospital. I hope it wasn’t a hand carry!
There will be blood — Rob Carpenter has delivered a lot of blood, and he says that the volume of it would surprise you. In fact, blood makes up more than 2.5% of all U.S. exports. According to The Guardian, the U.S. “is the world’s biggest exporter of human blood plasma, supplying about 70% of global use, it’s industry worth more than $24bn in 2021.”
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve hauled? Bonus points for pics. Email me yours. Want to read more about these shipments? Go here.
Down in the dumps
When dump trucks attack — Another day, another dump truck driving around causing terror with its bed up. On Monday in Vancouver, a driver for the Nutter Corporation drove with his bed aloft toward the sky and tore down overhanging traffic signals at 192nd Ave. Here’s the video.
Yahoo news reports, “The driver indicated the truck was not equipped with the alarm which alerts when the bucket portion of the truck is not fully lowered.”
“What kills me about these stories — which happen way too frequently –— is that a cheap contact switch could prevent this. Add it to the pre-trip checklist. Dump switch working? Check.” —Tom Quimby
My wife’s Prius V station wagon had an alert on it that would go off whenever you were backing up. Can’t we take this advanced technology and put it in dump trucks so that the driver is alerted when the bed is up while in motion?
In better news, the QEW west of Toronto has reopened after it too was struck by a dump truck with its bin up.
Freight pets, sound off
Plus one — Do you bring a furry friend with you in the truck or to your office? If so, FreightWaves’ latest article might leave you purring. It talks all about the health benefits of bringing a beast to the office, even if that office is on 18 wheels.
We’re featuring your pets on WHAT THE TRUCK?!? over the course of the next couple of episodes. Send me a pic of your road pet, and you’ll be entered to win a free shirt from WTTGear.com. Email your pics here and any fun info about your companion.
Yes, squirrels count too.
WTT Friday
Experts weigh in on driver health — This Friday on WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, it’s our first-ever trucker health forum. We’ll talk about the new ways that drivers are taking control of their health. I personally joined trucker fitness program Offshift so that I could better understand some of the challenges drivers face while making my own efforts to get in shape.
You’ll learn about the problem, hear solutions, find out about programs designed for your lifestyle, and find a community of like-minded participants.
Not a trucker? Fear not. These goals also work for sedentary freight brokers and podcasters as well.
Health isn’t a driver’s only concern; so is safety. Northland Trucking Risk Control’s Anthony Slamar talks about how fleets are using telematics to drive improved safety.
Tesla tells the trucking industry to step up its electric game, while trucking leaders clap back at ACT Expo. Truck Tech host Alan Adler breaks down the latest in the wild world of the advancements that might drive freight into the future.
Right stock, right place, right time. That’s what Netstock’s Barry Kukkuk is trying to solve. Netstock has launched a tool that allows shippers to instantly identify and redistribute excess inventory. We’ll find out how it works.
Plus, latest news, weirdness and trends.
Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.
$1,100 off F3 tix
Scan the image, click this link, or use my code, WTTF324, to get the cheapest ticket available for F3 Nov. 19-21.
Now on demand
Lip nicotine supply chains; NASCAR hauling; hydrogen-powered garbage trucks
ATA CEO overpay; summer shipping surge; Lego trucks; clean fuels
The rest of the noise
FMCSA wants to know: Are truckers using their seat belts?
Dockworkers seek wage increase ‘commensurate’ with corporate profits
Visualizing the $100 trillion global economy in one chart
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Subscribe to the show
Or simply look up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player. Or, if you have SiriusXM, tune in to the show Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.
Exit through the gift shop: WTTGear.com
Don’t be a stranger,
Dooner
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