Archive for September, 2013

Pilot CEO Jimmy Haslam

Pilot Flying J Recognized Professional Truck Drivers During National Driver Appreciation Week

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Sept. 24, 2013 — Pilot Flying J, along with the American Trucking Associations and the entire trucking industry, honored the 3.1 million professional truck drivers that deliver America’s freight safely and securely during Driver Appreciation Week.

“We wanted to show our appreciation to them because we know that without them, this country wouldn’t move,” said Pilot Flying J CEO Jimmy Haslam. “It was great talking to professional drivers and thanking them for the great job they do for our country and letting them know how much they mean to Pilot Flying J.”

During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Sept. 15-21, Pilot Flying J offered double MyRewards points on fuel and gave away 70,000 hats and 10,000 cups of coffee. It also held a photo of the week contest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that gave drivers more opportunities to win free points. There have been three winners so far, with the chance to win one more this week.

There are more than 3.1 million professional truck drivers nationwide delivering life’s essentials.  These professional men and women behind the wheel log close to 398 billion miles each year and in 2011 delivered 68.5 percent of the U.S. freight tonnage – or more than 9.4 billion tons of freight.  80 percent of U.S. communities depend solely on the trucking industry. Professional truck drivers keep this country moving.

Take a moment and recognize the significant contributions of our professional truck drivers.  The efficiency and safety that these drivers guarantee allow businesses and American citizens to confidently ship goods across state lines and throughout America.

Pilot Flying J recognizes and appreciates the work of professional drivers – this week and every week.
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Note from Allen and Donna Smith
We would like to thank Pilot Flying J for their support in the many causes which mean so much to us, including the fight against the atrocities of human trafficking.

And for all the drivers who have been misguided or misinformed by anyone: Pilot’s Driver Reward points have never been in question and have always been honored.

© 2013, Allen Smith. All rights reserved.

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Technorati Tags: Driver Appreciation, Jimmy Haslam, pilot flying j, trucking

For as long as I can remember, people have been protesting paying federal taxes, many saying they’re unconstitutional and some even refusing to pay them at all. The majority of folks just grin and bear it, making sure that on April 15^th taxes are filed and can breathe easy for one more year.

The trucking industry has a similar sentiment towards the infamous EOBR debate.
Included in the House and Senate approved highway bill are several provisions affecting the trucking industry, including a mandate that all trucks have electronic onboard recorders.

The bill also requires the FMCSA to conduct a field study on the effectiveness of the 34-hour restart provision in its hours-of-service rule, which by the way, was to have been completed by July 1st.

Arguments such as invasion of privacy, harassment, and financial burden have all been part of the debate in opposition to the Electronic Onboard Recorder.

In order to help folks deal with the painful ordeal of filing their taxes, numerous companies have emerged, relieving the stress and ensuring that every possible means is made available to save one’s hard earned money.  Are some companies better than other? Yes, most definitely.

Christian Schenk of XRS discusses BYOD on Truth About Trucking “Live”

The same applies for the trucking industry. XRS Corporation (formerly Xata Corporation) delivers fleet management and compliance software solutions to the trucking industry to help maintain regulatory compliance and reduce operating costs.

XRS is leading the trucking industry’s migration to mobile devices for collecting and analyzing compliance and management data. Its existing mobility-based products have no upfront hardware costs and run on smartphones, tablets and rugged handhelds.

The U.S. trucking industry is currently debating the pros and cons of mobile communication platforms as it relates to Company-Owned Personally Enabled devices (COPE) or to rely on the Bring Your Own Device platform, simply known as BYOD.

This ongoing debate within the trucking industry includes whether to rely on “Bring Your Own Device” or “BYOD” mobile communication platform or more traditional “Company-Owned Personally Enabled” or “COPE” devices, especially in terms of security, privacy, cost and supportability issues, isn’t going away anytime soon – with plenty of argument evident for and against both technological strategies.

Join the debate and learn more about BOYD on Truth About Trucking “Live” on Blog Talk Radio
Thursday September 5th at 7PM eastern time, we have as our guest, Christian Schenk of XRS Corp.  Christian Schenk is Senior Vice President of product strategy and market growth for XRS Corporation, specializing in helping private and for-hire fleets use driver and vehicle data to improve every aspect of their operations.

Thursday “Trucking Mobile Communication: BYOD”
9/5/13
7PM ET
call in 347-826-9170

© 2013, Allen Smith. All rights reserved.

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Technorati Tags: BYOD, Christian Schenk, EOBR’s, FMCSA, hos, XRS