MC Number

Receiving nation attention during the 1960's and 70's, songs and movies about truck driving were major hits. Finding solidarity, truck drivers participated in widespread strikes. Truck drivers from all over opposed the rising cost of fuel. Not to mention this is during the energy crises of 1873 and 1979. In 1980 the Motor Carrier Act drastically deregulated the trucking industry. Since then trucking has come to dominate the freight industry in the latter part of the 20th century. This coincided with what are now known as 'big-box' stores such as Target or Wal-Mart.

In 1976, the number one hit on the Billboard chart was "Convoy," a novelty song by C.W. McCall about a convoy of truck drivers evading speed traps and toll booths across America. The song inspired the 1978 action film Convoy directed by Sam Peckinpah. After the film's release, thousands of independent truck drivers went on strike and participated in violent protests during the 1979 energy crisis (although similar strikes had occurred during the 1973 energy crisis).

In 1999, The Simpsons episode Maximum Homerdrive aired. It featured Homer and Bart making a delivery for a truck driver named Red after he unexpectedly dies of 'food poisoning'.

Very light trucks. Popular in Europe and Asia, many mini-trucks are factory redesigns of light automobiles, usually with monocoque bodies. Specialized designs with substantial frames such as the Italian Piaggio shown here are based upon Japanese designs (in this case by Daihatsu) and are popular for use in "old town" sections of European cities that often have very narrow alleyways. Regardless of the name, these small trucks serve a wide range of uses. In Japan, they are regulated under the Kei car laws, which allow vehicle owners a break on taxes for buying a smaller and less-powerful vehicle (currently, the engine is limited to 660 ccs {0.66L} displacement). These vehicles are used as on-road utility vehicles in Japan. These Japanese-made mini trucks that were manufactured for on-road use are competing with off-road ATVs in the United States, and import regulations require that these mini trucks have a 25 mph (40 km/h) speed governor as they are classified as low-speed vehicles. These vehicles have found uses in construction, large campuses (government, university, and industrial), agriculture, cattle ranches, amusement parks, and replacements for golf carts.Major mini truck manufacturers and their brands: Daihatsu Hijet, Honda Acty, Mazda Scrum, Mitsubishi Minicab, Subaru Sambar, Suzuki Carry   As with many things in Europe and Asia, the illusion of delicacy and proper manners always seems to attract tourists. Popular in Europe and Asia, mini trucks are factory redesigns of light automobiles with monochrome bodies. Such specialized designs with such great frames such as the Italian Piaggio, based upon Japanese designs. In this case it was based upon Japanese designs made by Daihatsu. These are very popular for use in "old town" sections of European cities, which often have very narrow alleyways. Despite whatever name they are called, these very light trucks serve a wide variety of purposes.   Yet, in Japan they are regulated under the Kei car laws, which allow vehicle owners a break in taxes for buying a small and less-powerful vehicle. Currently, the engine is limited to 660 cc [0.66L] displacement. These vehicles began being used as on-road utility vehicles in Japan. Classified as a low speed vehicle, these Japanese-made mini trucks were manufactured for on-road use for competing the the off-road ATVs in the United States. Import regulations require that the mini trucks have a 25 mph (40km/h) speed governor. Again, this is because they are low speed vehicles.   However, these vehicles have found numerous amounts of ways to help the community. They invest money into the government, universities, amusement parks, and replacements for golf cars. They have some major Japanese mini truck manufacturarers as well as brands such as: Daihatsu Hijet, Honda Acty, Mazda Scrum, Mitsubishit Minicab, Subaru Sambar, and Suzuki Carry.

In 1971, author and director Steven Spielberg, debuted his first feature length film. His made-for-tv film, Duel, portrayed a truck driver as an anonymous stalker. Apparently there seems to be a trend in the 70's to negatively stigmatize truck drivers.

In the 20th century, the 1940 film "They Drive by Night" co-starred Humphrey Bogart. He plays an independent driver struggling to become financially stable and economically independent. This is all set during the times of the Great Depression. Yet another film was released in 1941, called "The Gang's All Here". It is a story of a trucking company that's been targeted by saboteurs.

All cars must pass some sort of emission check, such as a smog check to ensure safety. Similarly, trucks are subject to noise emission requirement, which is emanating from the U.S. Noise Control Act. This was intended to protect the public from noise health side effects. The loud noise is due to the way trucks contribute disproportionately to roadway noise. This is primarily due to the elevated stacks and intense tire and aerodynamic noise characteristics.

The moving industry in the United States was deregulated with the Household Goods Transportation Act of 1980. This act allowed interstate movers to issue binding or fixed estimates for the first time. Doing so opened the door to hundreds of new moving companies to enter the industry. This led to an increase in competition and soon movers were no longer competing on services but on price. As competition drove prices lower and decreased what were already slim profit margins, "rogue" movers began hijacking personal property as part of a new scam. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) enforces Federal consumer protection regulations related to the interstate shipment of household goods (i.e., household moves that cross State lines). FMCSA has held this responsibility since 1999, and the Department of Transportation has held this responsibility since 1995 (the Interstate Commerce Commission held this authority prior to its termination in 1995).

Signage of business routes varies, depending on the type of route they are derived from. Business routes paralleling U.S. and state highways usually have exactly the same shield shapes and nearly the same overall appearance as the routes they parallel, with a rectangular plate reading "BUSINESS" placed above the shield (either supplementing or replacing the directional plate, depending on the preference of the road agency). In order to better identify and differentiate alternate routes from the routes they parallel, some states such as Maryland are beginning to use green shields for business routes off U.S. highways. In addition, Maryland uses a green shield for business routes off state highways with the word "BUSINESS" in place of "MARYLAND" is used for a state route.

A relatable reality t.v. show to the industry is the show Ice Road Truckers, which premiered season 3 on the History Channel in 2009. The show documents the lives of truck drivers working the scary Dalton Highway in Alaska. Following drivers as they compete to see which one of them can haul the most loads before the end of the season. It'll grab you with its mechanical problems that so many have experienced and as you watch them avoid the pitfalls of dangerous and icy roads!

In the United States, the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 established minimum requirements that must be met when a state issues a commercial driver's license CDL. It specifies the following types of license: - Class A CDL drivers. Drive vehicles weighing 26,001 pounds or greater, or any combination of vehicles weighing 26,001 pounds or greater when towing a trailer weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Transports quantities of hazardous materials that require warning placards under Department of Public Safety regulations. - Class A Driver License permits. Is a step in preparation for Class A drivers to become a Commercial Driver. - Class B CDL driver. Class B is designed to transport 16 or more passengers (including driver) or more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation. This includes, but is not limited to, tow trucks, tractor trailers, and buses.

Implemented in 2014, the National Registry, requires all Medical Examiners (ME) who conduct physical examinations and issue medical certifications for interstate CMV drivers to complete training on FMCSA’s physical qualification standards, must pass a certification test. This is to demonstrate competence through periodic training and testing. CMV drivers whose medical certifications expire must use MEs on the National Registry for their examinations. FMCSA has reached its goal of at least 40,000 certified MEs signing onto the registry. All this means is that drivers or movers can now find certified medical examiners throughout the country who can perform their medical exam. FMCSA is preparing to issue a follow-on “National Registry 2” rule stating new requirements. In this case, MEs are to submit medical certificate information on a daily basis. These daily updates are sent to the FMCSA, which will then be sent to the states electronically. This process will dramatically decrease the chance of drivers falsifying medical cards.

There are many different types of trailers that are designed to haul livestock, such as cattle or horses. Most commonly used are the stock trailer, which is enclosed on the bottom but has openings at approximately. This opening is at the eye level of the animals in order to allow ventilation. A horse trailer is a much more elaborate form of stock trailer. Generally horses are hauled with the purpose of attending or participating in competition. Due to this, they must be in peak physical condition, so horse trailers are designed for the comfort and safety of the animals. They're typically well-ventilated with windows and vents along with specifically designed suspension. Additionally, horse trailers have internal partitions that assist animals staying upright during travel. It's also to protect other horses from injuring each other in transit. There are also larger horse trailers that may incorporate more specialized areas for horse tack. They may even include elaborate quarters with sleeping areas, bathroom, cooking facilities etc.

Relocation, or moving, is the process of vacating a fixed location, such as a residence or business, and settling in a different one. A move might be to a nearby location such as in the same neighborhood or a much farther location in a different city or even a different country. Moving usually includes packing up all belongings, transferring them to the new location, and unpacking them. It will also be necessary to update administrative information. This includes tasks such as notifying the post office, changing registration data, change of insurance, services etc. It is important to remember this step in the relocation process. 

The 1950's were quite different than the years to come. They were more likely to be considered "Knights of the Road", if you will, for helping stranded travelers. In these times truck drivers were envied and were viewed as an opposition to the book "The Organization Man". Bestseller in 1956, author William H. Whyte's novel describes "the man in the gray flannel suit", who sat in an office every day. He's describing a typical office style job that is very structured with managers watching over everyone. Truck drivers represented the opposite of all these concepts. Popular trucking songs glorified the life of drivers as independent "wanderers". Yet, there were attempts to bring back the factory style efficiency, such as using tachnographs. Although most attempts resulted in little success. Drivers routinely sabotaged and discovered new ways to falsify the machine's records.

Smoke and the Bandit was released in 1977, becoming the third-highest grossing movie. Following only behind Star Wars Episode IV and Close Encounter of the Third Kind, all three movies making an impact on popular culture. Conveniently, during that same year, CB Bears debuted as well. The Saturday morning cartoon features mystery-solving bears who communicate by CB radio. As the 1970's decade began to end and the 80's broke through, the trucking phenomenon had wade. With the rise of cellular phone technology, the CB radio was no longer popular with passenger vehicles, but, truck drivers still use it today.

There are various versions of a moving scam, but it basically begins with a prospective client. Then the client starts to contact a moving company to request a cost estimate. In today's market, unfortunately, this often happens online or via phone calls. So essentially a customer is contacting them for a quote when the moving company may not have a license. These moving sales people are salesman prone to quoting sometimes low. Even though usually reasonable prices with no room for the movers to provide a quality service if it is a broker.

Commercial trucks in the U.S. pay higher road taxes on a State level than the road vehicles and are subject to extensive regulation. This begs the question of why these trucks are paying more. I'll tell you. Just to name a few reasons, commercial truck pay higher road use taxes. They are much bigger and heavier than most other vehicles, resulting in more wear and tear on the roadways. They are also on the road for extended periods of time, which also affects the interstate as well as roads and passing through towns. Yet, rules on use taxes differ among jurisdictions.

Many people are familiar with this type of moving, using truck rental services, or borrowing similar hardware, is known as DIY moving. Whoever is renting a truck or trailer large enough to carry their household goods may obtain moving equipment if necessary. Equipment may be items such as dollies, furniture pads, and cargo belts to protect furniture and to ease the moving process.