Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/734262
PULSE October 2016 | Overdrive | 5 By Max Heine Editorial director mheine@randallreilly.com Setting a governor too low creates a problem for drivers who undergo a steer-tire blowout, not- ed longtime trucker and writer Tim Brady. "78 mph – that's what I had my governor set at," he wrote. Assuming the driver voluntarily restricts top speeds to about 70 mph, that makes it possible to respond to a steer blowout by accelerating a bit and then using trailer brakes to reduce weight at the front of the vehicle and re-estab- lish control of the truck. "Anyone who runs against the [limit of the] governor isn't a trucker but a steering-wheel holder," Brady added, "and a danger to him-/herself and everyone else on the road." This fall's movement of black athletes sitting out the national anthem reminded me of hearing the anthem sung Aug. 26 at the Great American Trucking Show. The performer was Janine Stange, who in 2014 complet- ed her goal of performing the anthem in all 50 states. At GATS, she was part of an announcement in which 95 trucking-related employers pledged to work closely with the National Guard and military reserves. Later that day, San Francisco 49ers quar- terback Colin Kaepernick stayed seated when the anthem was performed at a game, and the press noticed. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that op- presses black people," Kaepernick told NFL Media. "It would be selfish on my part to look the other way." Overdrive's readers also feel strongly – as strongly as Kaepernick feels about unjustified police shootings and other black oppres- sion – that they're abused by governmental officials. Instead of bullets and bludgeons, these officials wield an expanding arsenal of regulations that often add expense and misery to truckers' everyday lives. Likewise, many Americans can cite other valid grievances. Is each best resolved by taking a piñata-swat at a widely revered icon? That smacks of the terrorist's strategy: I'm too weak, lazy or cowardly to fight head- on, so I'll take pot-shots at a big, defenseless target for maximum flash, even if results are minimal. When culture splinters into shrill pockets of protest, anything positive and unifying is a welcome relief. For example, the national an- them celebrates "the land of the free," where even those who disapprove of Kaepernick's action support his freedom to protest. The song's references to the War of 1812 remind us that hundreds of thousands of Americans have given their lives to defend such freedoms, embodied in another symbol, the flag. "Respecting our national anthem shouldn't be viewed as something we have to do, but as something we get to do," Stange told me. "We have the opportunity to collectively put aside what divides us to focus on what unites us – our brave, who keep us the free." Many celebrities use their platform to do active good, such as Angelina Jolie adopt- ing African orphans and skateboarder Tony Hawk fighting AIDS and cancer. The grandstanding of Kaepernick and his imitators demands much less. He gets huge media coverage at the expense of a rare symbol of higher ideals – values that make justice possible, even probable, for those he professes concern for. The selflessness he so proudly hailed comes across as just the opposite. Cheap shot If any, what setting would be most fair for a speed limiter final rule? None, I oppose speed limiting 45% 80 mph 11% 75 mph 18% 70 mph 18% 68 mph 4% 65 mph 2% 60 mph or other 2% DOT's proposal examines three speeds for limiting – 60, 65 and 68 mph. Other commonly cited speeds in an Overdrive poll correspond to the highest speed limit in a few states (80 mph), the top-speed rating of most commercial truck tires (75 mph) and the common 70 mph limit. Janine Stange sings the national anthem at the Great American Trucking Show. She also performed last year for Wreaths Across America, a program that relies on fleets to help place wreaths at military cemeteries during the holidays. Max Heine