A trailer is not very difficult to categorize. In general, it is an unpowered vehicle towed by a powered vehicle. Trailers are most commonly used for the transport of goods and materials. Although some do enjoy recreational usage of trailers as well.
The public idea of the trucking industry in the United States popular culture has gone through many transformations. However, images of the masculine side of trucking are a common theme throughout time. The 1940's first made truckers popular, with their songs and movies about truck drivers. Then in the 1950's they were depicted as heroes of the road, living a life of freedom on the open road. Trucking culture peaked in the 1970's as they were glorified as modern days cowboys, outlaws, and rebels. Since then the portrayal has come with a more negative connotation as we see in the 1990's. Unfortunately, the depiction of truck drivers went from such a positive depiction to that of troubled serial killers.
In 2009, the book 'Trucking Country: The Road to America's Walmart Economy' debuted, written by author Shane Hamilton. This novel explores the interesting history of trucking and connects certain developments. Particularly how such development in the trucking industry have helped the so-called big-box stored. Examples of these would include Walmart or Target, they dominate the retail sector of the U.S. economy. Yet, Hamilton connects historical and present-day evidence that connects such correlations.
“ The first original song about truck driving appeared in 1939 when Cliff Bruner and His Boys recorded Ted Daffan's "Truck Driver's Blues," a song explicitly marketed to roadside cafe owners who were installing juke boxes in record numbers to serve truckers and other motorists.” - Shane Hamilton
As most people have experienced, moving does involve having the appropriate materials. Some materials you might find at home or may be more resourceful to save money while others may choose to pay for everything. Either way materials such as boxes, paper, tape, and bubble wrap with which to pack box-able and/or protect fragile household goods. It is also used to consolidate the carrying and stacking on moving day. Self-service moving companies offer another viable option. It involves the person moving buying a space on one or more trailers or shipping containers. These containers are then professionally driven to the new location.
In 1978 Sylvester Stallone starred in the film "F.I.S.T.". The story is loosely based on the 'Teamsters Union'. This union is a labor union which includes truck drivers as well as its then president, Jimmy Hoffa.
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.
A moving scam is a scam by a moving company in which the company provides an estimate, loads the goods, then states a much higher price to deliver the goods, effectively holding the goods as lien but does this without do a change of order or revised estimate.
The American Trucking Associations initiated in 1985 with the intent to improve the industry's image. With public opinion declining the association tried numerous moves. One such move was changing the name of the "National Truck Rodeo" to the "National Driving Championship". This was due to the fact that the word rodeo seemed to imply recklessness and reckless driving.
Popular among campers is the use of lightweight trailers, such as aerodynamic trailers. These can be towed by a small car, such as the BMW Air Camper. They are built with the intent to lower the tow of the vehicle, thus minimizing drag.
The United States' Interstate Highway System is full of bypasses and loops with the designation of a three-digit number. Usually beginning with an even digit, it is important to note that this pattern is highly inconsistent. For example, in Des Moines, Iowa the genuine bypass is the main route. More specifically, it is Interstate 35 and Interstate 80, with the loop into downtown Des Moines being Interstate 235. As it is illustrated in this example, they do not always consistently begin with an even number. However, the 'correct' designation is exemplified in Omaha, Nebraska. In Omaha, Interstate 480 traverses the downtown area, which is bypassed by Interstate 80, Interstate 680, and Interstate 95. Interstate 95 then in turn goes through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Furthermore, Interstate 295 is the bypass around Philadelphia, which leads into New Jersey. Although this can all be rather confusing, it is most important to understand the Interstate Highway System and the role bypasses play.
Within the world of transportation, bypass routes are often very controversial. This is mostly due to the fact that they require the building of a road carrying heavy traffic where no road existed before. This has created conflict among society thus creating a divergence between those in support of bypasses and those who are opposed. Supporters believe they reduce congestion in built up areas. Those in opposition do not believe in developing (often rural) undeveloped land. In addition, the cities that are bypassed may also oppose such a project as reduced traffic may, in turn, reduce and damage business.
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.
As of January 1, 2000, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was established as its own separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation. This came about under the "Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999". The FMCSA is based in Washington, D.C., employing more than 1,000 people throughout all 50 States, including in the District of Columbia. Their staff dedicates themselves to the improvement of safety among commercial motor vehicles (CMV) and to saving lives.
Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) are fundamental to the FMCSA's compliance program. The purpose of the CSA program is to oversee and focus on motor carriers' safety performance. To enforce such safety regulations, the CSA conducts roadside inspections and crash investigations. The program issues violations when instances of noncompliance with CSA safety regulations are exposed.
Unfortunately, the CSA's number of safety investigation teams and state law enforcement partners are rather small in comparison to the millions of CMV companies and commercial driver license (CDL) holders. A key factor in the CSA program is known as the Safety Measurement System (SMS). This system relies on data analysis to identify unsafe companies to arrange them for safety interventions. SMS is incredibly helpful to CSA in finding and holding companies accountable for safety performance.
In the moving industry, transportation logistics management is incredibly important. Essentially, it is the management that implements and controls efficiency, the flow of storage of goods, as well as services. This includes related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet customer's specifications. Logistics is quite complex but can be modeled, analyzed, visualized, and optimized by simulation software. Generally, the goal of transportation logistics management is to reduce or cut the use of such resources. A professional working in the field of moving logistics management is called a logistician.
Unfortunately for the trucking industry, their image began to crumble during the latter part of the 20th century. As a result, their reputation suffered. More recently truckers have been portrayed as chauvinists or even worse, serial killers. The portrayals of semi-trailer trucks have focused on stories of the trucks becoming self-aware. Generally, this is with some extraterrestrial help.
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.
With the ending of World War I, several developments were made to enhance trucks. Such an example would be by putting pneumatic tires replaced the previously common full rubber versions. These advancements continued, including electric starters, power brakes, 4, 6, and 8 cylinder engines. Closed cabs and electric lighting followed. The modern semi-trailer truck also debuted. Additionally, touring car builders such as Ford and Renault entered the heavy truck market.
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