Letters to the Editor: Hot Fuel, Identity Theft, 2007 Cat Engines, 68 MPH Limit
b> Hot Fuel
In my studies of fuel measurement and dispensing, I found that the thermal coefficient of expansion of fuel is about 0.5% per 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, a gallon of fuel dispensed at 80 degrees will weigh approximately 1% less than a gallon dispensed at 60 degrees and therefore provide about 1% less chemical energy to the engine.
Except in the most southern states, it seems unlikely that fuel temperatures in under-ground storage tanks would get much higher than 80 degrees. The year-round average ground temperature in North America is about 60 degrees.
Dennis Taylor
i> Self-Employed
rofessional Engineer
olumbus, Ind.
Identity Theft
It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This is small consolation when you learn that someone has hijacked your company identity to victimize others.
Yesterday, I learned that someone in Glendale, Calif., had contacted trucking compa-nies about moving loads for my company. I do not now, nor have I ever had an office in California.
Further research revealed that someone had gotten my company’s fact sheet, authority and surety bond and altered them to show a post office box in Glendale. The telephone numbers were also changed. My name was left on the fact sheet — to give it a look of authenticity, I suppose. This person even went so far as to forge my name on a W-9 tax form, which is a federal offense, in order to further appear legitimate.
During my four years in business, I have worked very hard to build a good credit rating as a broker and now someone is trying to destroy it. How did it happen? What could I have done to prevent it? I really don’t know. But I do know I can put forth as much effort as necessary to prevent it from continuing, whether or not it does me any good.
Shippers and brokers, please be sure the individual to whom you give your loads is le-gitimate. This won’t always be easy, especially considering the number of companies with agents all over the country.
Be wary of anyone requiring advances against your loads. My philosophy is and always has been that anyone who can’t afford the fuel to pull my freight probably can’t afford to properly maintain his equipment either. I certainly realize that in many cases small com-panies operate on tight budgets and cash flow is a serious issue, so I set those up on a quick-pay with no deduction.
Carriers, if someone offers you freight, take the time to check them out thoroughly. Ver-ify that they are who they claim to be. It only takes a little time, but can save you a lot of grief later. If you accept a load from a fake, you have no contract with the legitimate shipper or broker and have no guarantee of being paid anything.
Our industry has enough problems without this type of criminal activity. Unfortunately, it appears to be a growing problem. We all have to work diligently to curtail it.
Dennis Stallings
i> President
ransportation Inc.
ock Hill, S.C.
2007 Cat Engines
I saw your Oct. 2 article where the DaimlerChrysler guy says the Caterpillar 2007 en-gines won’t work. Is this the same company that makes an engine called Mercedes-Benz? You would hope that wouldn’t color his thinking.
Ronald Kleintop
i> Service Manager
iami-Dade County
iami, Fla.
68 MPH Limit
I just wanted to let you know my feelings on the 68-mph truck speed limit.
To give you a little history of myself, I was the Virginia state champion and grand cham-pion in the 1993 Truck Driving Championships and also the 1993 national tank cham-pion. I was on the 1994 America’s Road Team and was named a Golden Wheels award winner by DSI Transports in 1994 — chosen as one of its top four drivers that year. I now have 2 million safe driving miles and own my own tank line in Virginia, with 11 trac-tors. I transport gasoline and diesel fuel in three states and also own a truck and trailer repair facility.
My units are not turned down. I pay my drivers by the hour while giving them 550 horsepower. All drivers but one have been ticket-free when it comes to speeding.
feel that by capping all trucks at 68 mph, you will make a formula for trouble — and more driver frustration than you can imagine.
One truck passes on a hill because it is running a lighter load and then gets hung out to dry — now both lanes are blocked. People with courtesy are gone nowadays. My men have the ability to pass and get out of harm’s way while getting paid to drive like they have some sense.
I strongly oppose the 68-mph rule.
Too many of the people who support this rule have been out from under the wheel of a truck for far too long — or have never driven and could never understand how a driver feels.
I once worked for a company that had its trucks set at 58 mph on the pedal and 62 mph or 64 mph on cruise. Think about running in the left lane driving with a switch in heavy traffic to make a pass on a heavier-load truck; you could only realize it if you drove it yourself and knew how dangerous it felt.
I hear none of those complaints from my men. We have satellite tracking that shows their speed and I see no dangerous acts.
I must and will oppose this rule because I feel we are headed down a wrong road. Truck drivers have enough junk to deal with than to have their tempers always in an uproar. Put yourself in the driver’s seat and drive a while and you will see — and not just one day. Spend a month and get the “big picture.”
I probably have not sounded “politically correct,” but I speak from the heart.
Cecil Wolfe
i> President
olfe Motor Lines Inc.
oanoke, Va.
These letters appear in the Oct. 16 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
