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When was the last time you got your head cracked open for doing your job?

Clayton Agostini started off September 15, 2009 like it was any other day however this day would end with a beating and eating bad food at the hospital, which just totally disgust me! He just finished up a delivery in the Union Industrial Estate, which leads to the Trinidad Generation Unlimited (TGU) power plant being built to supply the Alutrint aluminum smelter stalled by a court order.

You see earlier last week some 350 workers downed tools to demand better terms and conditions of work. The company responded by locking out workers last Friday. Work on the $708 million power plant has been stalled since. I could see how this would piss off a group of workers who just wanted what was right for them

Clayton Agostini had just finished his delivery and was on his way out of the park when a angry group of protesters started to slam his truck with rocks, being blinded by glass he stepped out of his truck and was smashed in the head with a rock. Which sounds similar to the Reginald Denny beating during the Los Angeles riots back in the ninety’s. It is total fu#ked in both cases.

One of the protesters said “We were meeting in front of the gate and the truck wanted to go in, so we asked the driver to wait a bit but he just drove by, bouncing the man, and didn’t even stop.” No one could confirm if this even happened, no police reports where filed. Even if it did happen how about calling the fu@king cops and deal with the situation in a rational way. Yes you motherfuc^er$ are out of work, that sucks, I understand but damn. One thing is for sure, if this was my truck, in this situation the report would have been more like “trucker kills thirty protesters trying to save his life”

What would you do in this situation, would you take a as$whipping or roll a son of a b!tch over?

Hard times bring out the worst in people.

Some would say that “hard times bring out the worst in people”. I can agree that there is some truth in that statement however it is slightly optimistic. Lets face it, some people are just a$$holes. As the saying goes the one percent ruin it for the other ninety nine percent, that holds true to most things in life and trucking is no exception. Most men and women in the trucking industry are hard working people trying to take care of their families and financial responsibilities. Then there are those who are such f#ck ups they make everyone else look bad. For example, you could go about your life for weeks and not so much as notice a big rig but when one cuts you off or nearly kills your family making a lane change that kind of fear sticks with you right? You’re probably thinking about the last time it happened, can you remember what the last truck looked like that did the job the right way, probably not?!?

The media is always looking for a juicy story, one that will strike fear and conversation, one that your sure to remember just long enough till the next story is dumped on you. Recently in the desert sun there was a article about a stupid pr!ck (Angel Guillen-Raya) that got busted hauling 14 tons of marijuana, a street value of 25 million dollars and Riverside counties sheriffs biggest bust.

weed bust

This f#cking ass clown even went on to brag about how he got away with it just last week. Which makes me wonder why law enforcement officials didn’t use him as a guinea big to get to the bigger boss, after all he did admit to having a history of doing this, or does that just happen in the movies?

This guy maybe trying to bargain his way out of some jail time but one thing is for sure, he will be grabbing his ankles daily and suck!ng more cock then that chick from the Houston 500 gang bang video. No inmate likes a rat,  a snitch, a softer then butter b!tch! This dude has reached a whole new level of douche’dom.

I do have to give Angel Guillen-Raya some credit for at least being honest enough to admit that he was guilty of the crime the same can’t be said for Lazaro Merino, 42, of Miami.

Trucker busted

Who was busted in Florida for having one hundred thousand dollars stored in a make shift fuel tank as reported on the Gainesville sun. What kind of a f#cking idiot would try to run drug money(or whatever) in a big rig? I thought the drugs went by truck or plane and money on small water craft and cars separate from one another? If your going to pick a life of crime sh!t at least be good at it. Please keep in mind these morons are a rare occurrence don’t let these douche bags be the ones you remember but instead next time wave hi to the trucker who is doing it the right way!

Officer allegedly pistol whipped man during routine stop.

Imagine for a minute, you have a late night or early morning delivery to a customer who’s location is hard to find. Some how you end up on a dead end street, your costumer no where insight. you see a DOT officer great you think “he should be willing to help me out of this situation.” You decide to ask for directions,  instead of getting a friendly reply the officer request to see your log book.

The officer starts into your log book,  you watch as the clock ticks away. Stressed about not only being lost but the chance of failing to service your costumer on time looms over your head. In a desperate plea to get back on the road you state to the officer “I have a delivery to make, are you allowed to look at all my log pages not just my current day and the previous seven?”

Police brutality

You can see that questioning the officers upsets him he states “I could give you a ticket for being on this dead end street” Looking around seeing other trucks parked on the street as well as no signs that say no truck parking you ask “well why is that?” Instead of getting a response the officer pulls out his pistol and begins to pistol whip the shit out of you.  David Howard says that this is exactly what happen to him, read the full story here

I was once told by a good friend of mine who I personally know is a great officer of the law “that there is always two sides to a story and the truth is most often somewhere in the middle.” I would have to agree with that statement, some people get nervous by the sight of law enforcement even if they did nothing wrong, which would heighten any ones defensive/victim side. Making them instantly feel attacked regardless of the officers approach or situation.

For the record I’m not defending this officer of the law, I know that all professions are going to have assholes and this guy could be one of them. I would think that the difference between most professions and law enforcement is that doing the wrong thing as a officer has much steeper penalties then other professions. Such as, further damaging their public perception and the financial lose with being sued. I could see county, state, city law enforcement agencies getting rid of officers who are a liability to there department financially.

I have asked several of my friends who work in law enforcement “why are some cops such assholes?” Every one of them explained to me this four phase cycle that tends to happen in their profession or a slight variation of such.

police academy

• They explained phase one “from the time they enter the academy they’re trained to take control of a situation.” Law enforcement is dangerous I could see why that is important, other wise you could get killed.

• They explained phase two ” Commanding authority can evolve into knowing it all.”  Power like that has to be addicting, this phase two is why I couldn’t be a officer of the law. I would abuse my power (hookers, pulling over good looking chicks and banging any good looking women who likes a man in a uniform among other things.)
• They explained phase three “no one can tell me what to do”  High on that ego juice and adrenaline I could see why this could grab a hold of a officer.

• They explained phase four “the passing and blending phase. This is where a officer finally learns to control his approach to situations and use little authority or a lot of authority if need be. This is where a officer learns to handle the adrenaline rush and react to situations in a calmer fashion”. I have been told “that most officers make it through the phases but some never make it”
  

I guess that can be true with just about anyone living. I think it is safe to say that everyone to some extent is addicted to something. I feel that if this officer has a track record of these problems as stated in the article I would question if he is seeking counseling? If not why not? If he is and it is no help why is he still around? Have you ever been a victim of police brutality or would like to share your story of wrongfully being abused write to me below in the comments section.

A national trucker drivers’ association is suing the Minnesota State Patrol, contending that it is illegally taking rigs out of service based on a secret interrogation checklist that officers use in the hopes of catching operators who are too tired to be on the road.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday (5/13/9)  in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Inc. on behalf of drivers Stephen K. House of Sprindale, Wash., and Gary B. Page, of Spencer, Wis. Named as defendants, all with the patrol, are Chief Mark Dunaski, Capt. Ken Urquhart and a handful of officers.

“We consider this … an outrageous abuse of police power and an intolerable violation of the civil and constitutional rights of professional truckers,” said Jim Johnston, president of the association, the largest in the nation representing professional truckers. “We see no justification for this conduct either scientifically or in rational, legitimate law enforcement.”

A copy of the suit and the checklist were forwarded to the State Patrol this morning for comment. A spokesman said the patrol was declining to say anything because it involves pending litigation.

The suit says that the checklist was created by Urquhart, and officers were “strongly urged” in an internal memo to use it when stopping truckers, even though it “does not define fatigue, nor does it incorporate any medically or clinically tested and approved methods for measuring fatigue.”

The suit adds that the patrol has failed to make this checklist public and used it to remove House and Page from behind the wheel.

The checklist, the suit says, includes various criteria to evaluate, among them: driver’s mood and cleanliness, odor in the cab, overflowing ashtrays, presence of a urine bottle. Also on the list, the suit says: driver’s neck size, tendency to be overly agreeable, presence of a cell phone, access to the Internet.

In this episode of the blind spot trucker talk show we covered quite a bit of ground, our main focus of the show was to discuss the legality and our personal opinions on this controversial topic.

Other topics covered on the show:

• The run for cancer

• Sleep apnea/cpap machines

• Right to carry a gun in the truck

Download the show for free| Subscribe to this podcast on Itunes for free

“Ah shit look at the rookie driver f-up”, most senior drivers would say!

I would like to point out that this article is in no way a attempt to belittle a company or their driver, rather it is a way to drop a little knowledge on  new drivers and  those looking at entering the trucking industry. (this is not a reference manual, just a few insights is all)

Now I know you are saying to yourself  “now how in the hell did the driver get himself in that kind of a situation”. The answer is really simple actually, he failed to plan. Lets start by explaining what more then likely happened here and close with some helpful advice so this does not happen to you.

He either made a wrong turn or was given wrong directions, in any case seeing the road starting to look increasingly more dangerous he panicked. He was thinking my only way out of this mess is to go back the same way I came in, instead of stopping long enough to plan a course of action, you can clearly see how far his plan got him.

I’m very thankful to come from a trucking family dating back three generations, as a matter of fact almost all of my ken folk and friends drive to one extent or another.  I can remember my first over the road trip with out my father to babysit me, I was worried I would fuck up, get lost or have a accident. I turned to my father for a little bit of advice before I hit the road for Sacramento,Ca.

I said “pops any last words you could offer me?” he said ” Never run in a pack they will either slow you down or push you past your limit, run by yourself and sleep whenever you are tired. Run your own truck don’t let your log book run it for you, if you are tired sleep forget about that delivery. Did I mention sleep son?”. Most importantly he said “before you move your truck know exactly what you are doing, flying by the seat of your pants could get you killed.”

Almost everything I know about trucking came from my father who is a amazing driver with a recorded second to none ( 5 million miles accident free). I could see even when I was real young that it was not just driving for him, it seemed he had a gift for knowing what was about to happened before it happened. He has a read on his environment like he has the spirit of the road with in him. I feel honored when I get a chance to sit next to him while he navigates his big rig across America.

Now this article is getting extremely long so I am going to avoid a in depth explination of trip planning. If you are interested in learning how to plan right leave me a comment in the section below, if enough people are interested I will dedicate a entire article to such topic. The important thing when planning is to use all the resources you can.

• Atlas
• city index
• google maps or similar software
• cell phone
• State Access Policies sheet
• longer combination vehicle sheet
• weight and size provisions (federal,state,provincial)
• Bridge formula table
• Any state route map if available
• Common sense, etc

Planning is the key essential to avoding this situation however even the best of plans can get side tracked, how you get out of bad situations is what makes you either a pro or a newbie! NEVER, EVER, EVER think about doing a U-TURN in the middle of a road NEVER. If you feel like you are running out of SAFE alternatives call law enforcment who are more then willing to come out and give you a hand to get you back on the safe track. If that means coming to a stop in the road then by all means stop where you’re at. Get out your reflective vest set up your safety triangles and keep your head up as not to get hit by moving traffic. Now take a deep breath and learn from the experience we all have been there!

An inter-agency operation this week took 53 commercial vehicles and 93 drivers off Oregon roads for safety violations.

A team of Oregon State Police, several local police agencies and commercial vehicle inspectors with the Oregon Department of Transpiration ran the 16th Operation Trucker Check from 12:01 a.m. Tuesday through 11:59 p.m. Thursday at the southbound Interstate 5 Woodburn port of entry. The goal was to get impaired drivers and unsafe commercial vehicles off the road.

OSP reported preliminary statistics Friday. The 463 inspections during the check took 53 (about 11.5 percent) commercial vehicles off the road for critical safety violations and sidelined 93 (20 percent) drivers for violations that ranged from excessive driving hours, log book deficiencies and driver qualification issues. Officers and inspectors issued 42 motor carrier-related citations and 367 warnings.

During the previous trucker check in September last year at the Highway 97 Klamath Falls port of entry, state agencies placed 9 percent of the vehicles and 11 percent of the drivers out-of-service. And Trucker Check 14 at the westbound Interstate 84 Farewell Bend port of entry took 12 percent of vehicles and 14 percent of drivers off the road.

During trucker check 16, officers arrested a driver for possession of methamphetamine, hydrocodone tablets, alcohol, a handgun and a Tazer. Another driver was arrested during “Operation Trucker Check 16″ when troopers discovered he was in possession of marijuana plants, hashish, and a kit used for falsifying a urine test.

According to OSP Sergeant Dave MacKenzie, on April 8, 2009 at approximately 10:51 p.m. Senior Trooper Dianne Hansell contacted a commercial vehicle at the Woodburn Port of Entry to conduct a vehicle inspection during the 72-hour “Operation Trucker Check”.  While in contact with the operator, PHILLIP C. MATTOON, age 53, from El Paso, Texas, the trooper, assisted by Drug Recognition Experts,  determined he was in possession of four marijuana plants, user quantities of marijuana and hashish, and a kit used for falsifying a urine test.

MATTOON, who was driving for Complete Distribution Services Inc., a Texas trucking firm not related to a company by the same name based in Oregon, was taken into custody and lodged at the Marion County Jail.  Charges include:

• Operating a Commercial Motor Vehicle While in Possession of Marijuana
• Operating a Commercial Motor Vehicle While in Possession of Hashish
• Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance - Marijuana
• Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance - Marijuana
• Unlawful Manufacturing of a Controlled Substance - Marijuana
• Falsifying a Drug Test Result

The bond between most truckers (the brotherhood of cdl) is strong. Most professional drivers travel down the freeway assuming that the driver next to them is also a professional. Here is a reality check for those who are quick to stand up for another trucker just because he/she is a “trucker”. We are not all good, we are not all created equal. This goes for all occupations, you can apply it to most things in life really.

Most drivers might frown on this next comment, because there is a stigma to dislike law enforcement if you’re a trucker, as if law enforcement is out to get you, which is totally moronic. I am proud of all law enforcement officers who have made a decision to serve and protect, to take the scum bags off the streets. I salute you for a job well done!

So the next time you’re travelling down the freeway and you see smoky bear sitting in the middle wave high like I do(with all five fingers), he is working for you not against you!