At a time when many American car companies were floundering due to the recession, Tesla Motors became the first American car company to launch publicly since Ford Motors in 1956. Since then, Tesla Motors has built a reputation for having its finger on the pulse of the latest car technology. Electric cars and charging stations, dual motors, and self-driving cars are all part of Tesla’s top-of-the-line offerings. As you surely heard, in early May, Tesla driver Joshua Brown, age 40, was killed in a collision with a tractor trailer on a Florida highway. This
Read more →Archive for the Thought for the Weekend Category
While in the mountains this week, I took a big risk. No, not mountain biking or bungee jumping or cliff diving. Still, it was a scary risk in today’s day and age…I disconnected. During our mountain vacation, we had extremely limited internet access, meaning I was just about entirely unplugged for several days. Running a business has certain responsibilities, sure – I kept my phone on in case of an emergency, but for the most part? I was freer than I’ve been in a while. One of my favorite things to do when I’m
Read more →They used to be the dread of summer. Worse than mosquitoes, worse than heat waves, worse than a sunburn. Confined with your parents and siblings for hours at a time with minimal space, weak air conditioning, and (gasp!) no TV. I’m talking about childhood road trips. And while these drives might seem like nothing to our long haul brothers and sisters in the trucking industry, as kids, they used to feel like torture. Back in my day, intense planning went into a Road Trip. In addition to library books and crossword puzzles, there was
Read more →Folks in our industry probably pay a little more attention to trucks than regular drivers. We can glance at a truck and get a pretty good idea of what kind of cargo it might be hauling – most of the time. Occasionally, however, even logistics experts are stumped. Take for example, the recent hauls that were being spotted on the highways surrounding our hometown of Wilmington, NC. Come to find out, these over-sized “mystery tubes” are tower sections of wind turbines that were being shipped from our port to Edenton, NC. It seems that
Read more →Americans are tough. We’re proud to be rugged, proud to be strong, proud to be American. We prize true grit, and love being the kind of cool guys you see in the movies. But there’s also something very American about opening your heart and feeling the love that we all feel for our country. A few weeks ago, I talked about my daughter Emily’s adoration for Hamilton and her Memorial Day trip to New York City. While she was there with her choir, they performed an entire Memorial Day weekend concert at a beautiful
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Logistically, financially, and physically – spilled cargo is a mess. Some sources estimate that nearly 10,000 containers fall into the ocean every year. According to CNN.com, The World Shipping Council says that figure is grossly exaggerated. The Council, whose members represent 90% of the world’s container ship capacity, reports that on average no more than 350 containers are lost annually. Spilled cargo is never a desired outcome, yet as with many unfortunate accidents, there can be a silver lining: In January of 1992, the container ship Ever Laurel was en route to Tacoma, Washington,
Read more →Early summer isn’t just produce season, it’s also road trip season, which means whether you’re a professional driver or a Sunday driver, you’re probably logging more hours behind the wheel than usual. As we haul our own precious cargo to camp sites, amusement parks, and more, long stretches of highway (and rambunctious children in the backseat) can make the hours seem very long. I don’t know about you, but by the hundredth mile on the same stretch of road, I’m desperate for something to wake up my brain and make me think. Maybe that’s
Read more →Summer vacation is here, but all my two school-age daughters want to talk about is American History. Alexander Hamilton, to be precise. They’re not alone; the whole country seems to have Hamilton fever, thanks to what might be the most popular musical in decades. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the now Pulitzer Prize-winning musical sets the life of the aforementioned founding father to a hip-hop score, portraying Hamilton and his crew as a bunch of sharp-tongued, ambitious freedom fighters. For the Tony Awards this weekend (the Tonys are like the Oscars of Broadway, for the
Read more →There are certain seasons that cause dread among many; winter and tax season are two that come to mind. But those of us in the transportation industry tend to grow anxious at the beginning of another season – produce season. It’s not that we don’t love fresh fruits and veggies as much as everyone else, (my seven-year-old daughter being a notable exception) – we do! But, hauling tons of quick-to-spoil produce can put a lot of stress on trucking capacity. Every year, shipments that are completely standard for the other nine months of the
Read more →Memorial Day weekend is a joyful time for many of us. Pool parties, beach trips, and cookouts remind us that summer is nearly here, and longer, sunnier days are ahead. But as we all know – Memorial Day is about a lot more than just long-weekend fun. It is a time to honor those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. While we love a happy, returning-home-from-deployment video as much as the next person, it’s important to remember that not everyone gets to experience that. On Memorial Day, we honor the lives
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