Overdrive

VOICES CHANNEL 19 6 | Overdrive | June 2017 Visit Senior Editor Todd Dills' CHANNEL 19 BLOG at OverdriveOnline.com/channel19 Write him at tdills@randallreilly.com. On April 12, driver Scott LeVan parked for a long break at a rest area on In- terstate 77 in Ohio. While he took it easy, his dashcam was at work, capturing criminals involved in a carjacking. "Two armed men took a couple's car by gunpoint," he says, "and I got them on my dashcam." When police knocked on his door that afternoon and asked how long he'd been there, the offi cer's "jaw dropped," LeVan says, when he handed over his SD card with footage of the fl eeing criminals. "The car thief looked right at my camera 10 feet away," he says. One suspect was arrested that night in Cleveland. Catch part of LeVan's vid- eo from the Bath Township rest area south of Cleve- land via news reports at a link in the April 14 post to the Channel 19 blog. You'll also hear him give this message: "That's our duty as truck drivers: To keep the public safe, as well as deliver the goods." Truck driver and sleep apnea sup- port group Truckers for a Cause co- founder Bob Stanton was a presenter during a session on the fi rst full day of a March conference on fatigue research. He took the show-and-tell ap- proach, with the "show" on a big scale. Stanton ran his rig bobtail into downtown San Diego, where he gave attendees tours of his sleeper. He also related his own version of what sleep scientists refer to as "good sleep hygiene" by creating optimal conditions for eff ective, restorative sleep — not always easy in a truck, of course. Speaking at the conference, Stan- ton outlined challenges truckers face in treating apnea with an in-cab CPAP machine. He likewise broke down the reasoning behind the muddled approach to guidance on apnea screening that has been the norm from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — and the industry backlash as a result. A 2013 congressional vote brought to public law a notice-and-comment rulemak- ing requirement for any further apnea-related regulatory action. Stanton's session also included an apnea research literature review from a representative of the Vir- ginia Tech Transportation Institute. The rep spoke of "needed man- dates" for diagnostic driver testing, not in the context of safety but of mandates' data-mining value to sleep apnea and fatigue research. Stanton was a welcome voice of reality and reason, and a standout among the crowd — nary a current over-the-road driver among them — of regulators, scientists and transportation professionals. In the April 21 post to the blog, catch a video interview with Stan- ton about his history with apnea and eff orts to engage all those inter- ested in apnea and safety. CAR THIEVES CAUGHT ON CANDID CAMERA Bringing apnea experts into the truck Oh my God, I'm one of them, I've got it! I have the scarlet A on my forehead! Trucker Bob Stanton, somewhat facetiously opening his presentation on apnea to regulators, researchers and transportation professionals attending the international conference on managing fatigue in San Diego in March.

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• CAT ON A GREASY FIFTH WHEEL Wendy Parker’s pet feline snaps and nearly ruins her new couches.
• BUSINESS: Uber enters freight-matching market “Uber for trucking,” a descriptor long touted by app-based load-matching services, has taken a literal form now that the ride-sharing giant last month unveiled its Uber Freight app. It’s aimed at the owner-op
• COVER STORY: Path to prosperity Overdrive’s Most Beautiful winner Stephanie Klang spreads the word of how trucking served as her ticket to the good life.
• Where the rubber meets the road A tire might look like a simple component – a round piece of rubber with a tread design – though it’s anything but.
• The crazy quilt of intrastate logging States failing to adopt an e-logging mandate. State hours of service differing from the federal rule. ELDs missing state-specific features. For the intrastate driver required to use e-logs, the change could get compl
• Diversions Re-creation of “Bandit” bridge jump set; Trucker Talent Search winner teams with fellow finalists; a new book from one of Overdrive’s own.
• The safety flaw of 14 straight hours.
• Pulse: Uber’s load plan.
• Bringing apnea experts into the truck.
• Indie truck stops remain popular.
• TSA warns of truck- ramming terrorism.
• Wireless roadside inspections hit brakes.
• Trailer emissions order in question.
• Florida, Texas rank highest for congestion costs.
• Car haulers’ touching tribute to police.
• Rethwisch wins Shell Rotella’s SuperRigs.
• Proffitt racks up Bandit Series wins.
• Custom KW’s interior gets a facelift.
• Reader Rigs: ’07 W900L a desert runner; ’05 9400i flying like an Eagle; ’15 389 has Pride and Class; ’09 389 a quad-axle Pete; ’14 389 has northern exposure; ’16 389 steps across borders.