NISSAN JOINS GM, DONATES 30 TRUCKS TO HAITI

Leftlane reported in early February that the General Motors Foundation had donated 30 Silverado trucks – loaded with supplies – to the country of Haiti which was devastated by a massive earthquake.

GM’s donation came after former President Clinton called upon America to donate 100 trucks to the cause. Now, Nissan has announced that it will be sending 30 Nissan D22 4×4 trucks to Haiti as part of its partnership with the UN World Food Program and the Clinton Foundation.

“I’m pleased Nissan has answered our call for trucks to aid our recovery efforts in Haiti,” said President Clinton. “This generous donation will be critical in ongoing efforts to mobilize food and other needed supplies, and I’m thankful for Nissan’s leadership in demonstrating how the private sector can help the people of Haiti ‘build back better.’”

Nissan previously donated $100,000 to the recovery efforts immediately following the earthquake, along with matching any gifts donated by its employees and establishing a commitment with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes for Haitians. In all, Nissan and its employees have donated time, cash and products valued at $750,000 to help the impoverished nation.

The 30 D22 trucks shipped to Haiti were built by the employees of Nissan Mexicana at the Cuernavaca manufacturing plant. Nissan says that each truck is marked with a special message of hope from the employees, “Nissan: Dans les rues d’Haiti pour vous aider!” Translated from the Haitian French dialect, the message reads, “Nissan: On the roads of Haiti to help you!”

Chinese made military trucks arrive in Burma

Hundreds of new Chinese made military trucks have been delivered to Burma’s military in the past weekreports the Kachin News Group (KNG).
The trucks crossed the Sino-Burma border into northern Burma’s Shan State. KNG quotes local witnesses as saying over 300 trucks have crossed into Burma, while another 100 are still waiting on the Chinese side of the border.
The 6-wheeled trucks can carry between 40 and 60 troops. However, local residents said most trucks were covered and no body knew what they were carrying.
According to staff of the local border trade zone, the trucks are being distributed to 13 regional commands around the country. They said the trucks are to be used in the event of a civil war with ethnic armed groups in the pre or post election period this year.
The elections planned for later this year are to be held under a new junta-drafted constitution that was adopted after a disputed referendum last year. Critics say the new constitution and elections are intended to strengthen the military’s grip on power.
China is the main supplier of weapons to Burma’s military, although it also receives armaments from other countries including Russia, Singapore, India, Ukraine and North Korea.

Vinnie’s Peterbilt as seen on North American Show Trucks DVD vol. 4

Now here’s one fine Pete. I know most of you guys have seen Vinnie’s Pete in mags, but take a look at it going down the road . I filmed it during production of North American Show Trucks vol. 4 down in wildwood Florida at the 75 Chrome Shop truck show. Let me know what you think. If your interested in getting the DVDs, North American Show Trucks vols. 1 -5 contact me at www.ibbubba.com, or just stop by our trucker tee shirt shop inside the Pilot Travel Center on I-40 exit 39 in Jamestown , NM God bless and keep on cluckin

Ford Wants To Kill Off Mercury This Summer

Mercury's glory days are long over, with the brand lacking anything exciting or unique since the muscle car era. With the Grand Marquis scheduled to die alongside its customer base, and every other Mercury product available right next door at the Ford showroom, the storied brand is set to be euthanized by its parent company, Ford Motor Co., according to a report by Bloomberg News Service.

Ford executives are reportedly readying a proposal to kill Mercury, and will present the plan at a board meeting this July. While Ford is in good financial shape, shuttering Mercury would make sense, as two of its four cars are scheduled to die next year, leaving it a lame duck amid strong Ford and Lincoln lineups. General Motors has closed down three brands within the last decade, and Chrysler closed down its Plymouth division in 2001, so the move would not be unprecedented. Ford has spent 88 percent less on the brand from 2005 to 2009, as sales declined rapidly.

Funded trucks short L.A. port; Clean air vehicles not making required trips

Nearly 12 months into a program that paid dozens of trucking companies $44 million to upgrade vehicles serving the Port of Los Angeles, the vast majority of subsidized trucks have not made the minimum number of trips to the port.

In all, 393 of the 2,100 subsidized trucks have not made a single call at the port. Officials would not identify the companies that own those trucks. Both the companies and the port characterize the main snag as the recession, which reduced port business 14 percent last year.

Warnings About The Dangers Of Big Trucks

A number of recent accidents involving big trucks have spotlighted the dangers auto drivers face when sharing the road with the 30-ton behemoths.

A tragic crash in Kentucky last week claimed 11 lives, the deadliest two-vehicle highway crash in the state since 1988.

Earlier this month in Hendersonville, an emergency room nurse returning home following her shift died after she hit a trailer that had detached from a big rig.

And a sensational video posted on YouTube earlier this year shows a small car in England trapped on the front of a big truck that pushed it at high speed down the highway.

One out of nine U.S. traffic fatalities in 2008 (the latest year with available data) resulted from a collision involving a large truck, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Of the fatalities that resulted from crashes involving large trucks, 74 percent were occupants of another vehicle, 10 percent were non-occupants, and 16 percent were occupants of a large truck. (www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811158.PDF)

Funeral services are today (March 30) for 10 of the people killed early Friday morning when a tractor-trailer on I-65 crossed the median and hit them head-on. The victims were Mennonites headed to a wedding in Iowa in a 15-passenger van when the crash occurred about 100 miles north of Nashville.

Killed in the van were John and Sadie Esh, pillars of a small Mennonite community in Burkesville, Ky.; four of their 12 children; a daughter-in-law; the fiancé of their youngest daughter; a 4-month-old grandchild; and a family friend.

The truck driver from Alabama was also killed.

The only survivors were two grandsons, age 5 and 3, who were pulled from the wreck by an eyewitness in another vehicle.
(google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hLwSxXtdifP0CI2hAcp3nu-NSl-QD9EN8RB00)

The 18-wheeler traveled about 425 feet after departing the southbound lane, driving through the median, over a cable barrier, careening into the dark green van, striking a rock wall and finally bursting into flames.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the site this weekend starting their investigation. But it may take up to a year to determine a probable cause , according to NTSB vice-chairman Christopher Hart. (bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/03/28/news/news1.txt)

Another fatal truck accident this month happened even closer to Nashville. An emergency room nurse was killed in the early morning of March 15 after her car hit the trailer from a semi-truck.

The accident in Hendersonville was triggered when a large empty trash container fell off the truck, operated by Allied Waste Services. The truck also lost its trailer and a Honda Prelude hit it, driven by Freeda J. Simmons from Gallatin.

Ms. Simmons, 50, was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she later died. Ms. Simmons had been returning home after her shift in the Vanderbilt emergency room.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, including whether the trash container was properly secured to the trailer.
(tennessean.com/article/20100316/NEWS09/3160339/1001/news/Early+morning+crash+in+Sumner+kills+Vanderbilt+nurse)

More than half a million people have watched a cell phone video on YouTube that shows Rona Williams in her Renault Clio being pushed sideways at 60mph down a busy highway by a tanker truck.

Ms. Williams, a 31-year-old veterinarian from York, England, was headed to work earlier this year when she found her car turned sideways, trapped under the front bumper of the tanker truck. She honked her horn and flashed her lights but could not get the trucker’s attention. She said she called police on her cell phone but realized there was nothing they could do to help her.

After a minute, the truck driver realized what was happening and pulled over with her car, which had remarkably little damage. Ms. Williams was unhurt and said the driver did not think the accident was serious, even asking her if he needed to stay around.
(www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7496046/Rona-Williams-vet-tells-of-miracle-escape-after-lorry-traps-her-car-at-60mph.html)

These examples may not necessarily represent all wrecks involving big trucks. But you can be sure that almost anytime a car collides with an 18-wheeler, the car and its occupants will come out on the losing end.

And there are undoubtedly many times that an accident occurs because of careless - even wreckless - driving on the part of a car around a big truck. Auto drivers have to be mindful that trucks don’t maneuver the same way smaller vehicles do.

Always be aware of traffic around you - big truck or otherwise. Drive careful out there!

Uninspected meat trucks enter Canada from USA

Canadians are wondering if meat from the United States is safe after learning 70 truckloads have evaded border inspections since January. That’s how many truckloads the Windsor Star newspaper said had risked fines to cross the border before inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) showed up for their new 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift times.

The new daylight only inspections began Jan. 4. The Star went public with its truck count on Feb. 19. Food entering Canada outside of those hours designated for inspection must wait until an inspector is scheduled to report for work before an inspection can take place and the truck can proceed to its destination. As a consequence, many trucks choose to ignore the regulation and pass on through to Canada with their loads.

In the U.S., every truck entering the country with food destined for its citizens’ dinner plates is inspected. “In the States if you miss going to an inspection, your fine is three times the load you’re carrying,” said Marchuk, president of Windsor Freezer Services Ltd. Together with Border City Storage, Windsor Freezer Services is responsible for conducting the import inspections in Windsor. “Nobody skips inspections in the States because it’s too risky,” Marchuk concluded.

In contrast, Canadian fines are considered a joke since there is no real consequence for breaking the law.

The border inspection companies have joined New Democrat Border Critic Brian Masse–who discovered the flaw in the border inspection at Windsor–in calling on the federal government to implement stiffer penalties for long haul truckers who avoid inspection. They would like to see the Canadian policies and fines align with the US policies and ensure the Canadian public that every truck carrying meat be inspected.

Food safety has been at the forefront of Canadian minds since August of 2008, when 22 mostly elderly Canadians died during a listeria outbreak traced to the consumption of packaged deli meats made at a Maple Leaf Foods plant, despite the fact the company recalled 23 packaged meat products. Since this event, Canadians were expecting the food inspection regulations to become more stringent and effective, not to mention enforceable.

“Canada’s imported meat inspection regime needs to be strengthened immediately,” said Kam Rampersaud from Border City Storage Ltd. (Canada). “US producers are becoming increasingly aware of the lax inspection standards at the Canadian border,” he warned.

“There is something desperately ironic about the situation where one government agency goes overboard with a regulatory regime that seemingly has nothing to do with actual food safety but that imposes enormous costs on local small abattoirs and butcher shops while at the border Canada has lost track of an estimated 70 trucks full of actual meat products selected for inspection in the last few months,” said Grant Robertson, of the National Farmers Union of Canada.