I headed up from San Diego to get to Burbank yesterday, to go to the CTN Expo to see if it's as good as it once was, and worth making it an annual thing I go to, or not. Answer, not. On the way, in the middle of Camp Pendleton, slowing down traffic for miles on the 5, was this jack knifed semi

and from the amount of mud on the interstate, it's obvious the truck had momentum when it hit the shoulder kept it there for a while

from the amount of mud caked into the back tires, its impressive that it didn't tip over

the railroad lobby once successfully convinced Illinois to limit the total length of a tractor and trailer to just 35 feet.

if trucks were too short to be an efficient method to move cargo, more freight would be shipped by rail. 

https://www.theautopian.com/six-decades-ago-general-motors-made-semi-trucks-carry-more-weight-by-turning-the-truck-into-a-cracker-box/

this was back when states had the control over the highways, before the federal interstate system changed that to federal laws on the interstates

The Iowa State Patrol found two dozen violations during just this one traffic stop on Saturday, August 23.

https://cdllife.com/2025/troopers-find-nine-out-of-service-violations-on-truck-and-driver-traveling-through-eastern-iowa/

a driver of an 18-wheeler made a split-second decision to avoid other drivers by crashing into the overpass. “This man saved everyone that night, everybody,” (the night of Aug 27th)

In Memphis, Tn, on the I 40 near North Watkins that night, the semi saved lives, only because a pair of Mustangs were street racing. 

https://wreg.com/news/witness-blames-fatal-i-40-tractor-trailer-crash-on-drag-racers

There is no news outlet that gives the names of the trucker

 A life saving hero chose to risk his own life instead of someone else's

A moment of silence for the dead.

you don't see a destroyer turret every day!

https://historichenderson.com/top-cat-service-stations/

How is there enough space in there for a seat belt buckle, and how did they hide an engine under that cab?

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=24608101868775920&set=gm.1527928001816354&idorvanity=226675368608297

Compared with diesels, electric prime movers are very expensive, don’t go far on a charge, and take a long time to recharge. This might result in the process getting changed, through this innovative electric motor bolt on

According to the EPA, transportation produced 28% of the greenhouse gases released in the United States in 2022, and nearly a quarter of that came from heavy vehicles – more now than from passenger cars. 

California-based startup Revoy sees itself as well-placed to break up the logjam, with an innovative product and an innovative business model behind it.

The product is an electric motor dolly that can be spliced between the tractor and trailer of any standard diesel semi-truck and then propel the truck via its electrically driven axle.

Power comes from a battery carried on the dolly with a 575-kWh capacity that's comparable to batteries in fully electric prime movers. Revoy says it offers a range of about 250 miles (400 km), and a higher-capacity unit is in the pipeline.

https://newatlas.com/automotive/revoy-electric-semi-tractor/

A semi driver is alive and well after his truck careened off U.S. Highway 14-A in northern Wyoming. Amazingly, the semi managed to hang on to the K rail/barrier, and not slide down the cliff. (thank you Don!)

It's no surprise that this happened at a downhill curve, at 35 mph, at 230 am. That's faster than the posted limit 

the driver overcorrected, rolled to the passenger side, slid on the jersey barrier, and over the edge of the hillside barrier.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/07/22/trucker-survives-accident-which-left-semi-dangling-off-of-cliff-on-wyoming-mountain-highway/

a new documentary series (not yet released), is shining a spotlight on the dedicated professionals behind the wheel who keep the nation rolling as part of its Nothing Without Trucking campaign.

the pilot episodes deliver a compelling journey chronicling the lives of three extraordinary professional truck drivers who keep America moving. Later this year, the series plans to expand its aperture to profile the vast ecosystem and intricate network of roles throughout the trucking industry that work in tandem to move the U.S. economy.

Meet the Stars
Roland Bolduc – A professional driver for FedEx and two-time National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion. His impressive achievements are the culmination of meticulous preparation, countless hours of practicing precision driving, and a relentless pursuit of safety.

Tiffany Hargraves – A single mom who drives the Dalton Highway, an iconic stretch that runs up the North Slope of Alaska to the Arctic oil fields. Making the 24-hour roundtrip route requires an indomitable spirit of independence and resilience that defines the trucking industry.

Germany Wiliams – A professional driver whose fortune changed after he earned his CDL. Germany’s story inspired the founding of the South Dallas Driving Academy, a non-profit that is breaking through the systemic barrier of driver’s license access in underserved communities and launching careers in the trucking industry.

https://www.thetrucker.com/trucking-news/business/driven-new-documentary-series-shines-spotlight-on-americas-trucking-industry

When you're told to leave your load at the yard so the locals can deliver it .. but the sucker is an extremely top heavy domino... think this is an appropriate enough note to leave for the next guy who has to deliver this?

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1276375417190179&set=a.235663504594714

the Skyscraper for Commercial Carriers, Inc. (CCI) by Whitehead & Kales. This truck’s design is credited to P. J. Huebshman, patent 2,647,009

Notice the cab of the hauler, is split in two... and the forward most cargo vehicle is under the cab but over the COE's engine

https://www.theautopian.com/the-crazy-way-1950s-truckers-fit-5-cars-on-short-35-foot-car-haulers/

intriguing concept, it would sure speed up cargo transport across the border, possibly reduce the amount of drugs smuggled across with cargo, and reduce the large number of semis clogging border city freeways: An elevated autonomous freight corridor between Laredo, Texas and Monterrey, Mexico.

An autonomous logistics and infrastructure company announced approval from the Trump Administration to kick off construction on a “megaproject” intended to streamline cross-border freight transportation between Laredo, Texas and Monterrey, Mexico.

The project carries an estimate price tag of $10 billion, to be covered by Green Corridors in part through fees charged to customers moving freight through the system.

Green Corridors also says that the project will enhance border security by curbing “terrorists, human trafficking, and drug smuggling,” reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve visibility for freight customers through a connected mobile app.

https://vimeo.com/1038957733

https://cdllife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/cdllife.com/2025/company-to-build-10-billion-165-mile-elevated-autonomous-freight-corridor-between-u-s-and-mexico

Pakistan sugarcane waste truck transportation

the sugarcane waste is loaded with tractors, that double as weight to compact the material so more fits in the size limits of width and height

then all this is covered by a tarp before heading to the destination

Standing ovation and a slow clap crescendo for a semi truck driver with skills in a possibly catastrophic situation!

https://backfirenews.com/semi-driver-pulls-off-impossible-save/

Arizona and California highway patrol are catching a lot of safety fails. Just letting you know that there are a lot more vehicles ready to cause problems on the freeways than you'd believe...

https://www.facebook.com/AZDPSHighwayPatrol

https://cdllife.com/2025/here-are-some-of-the-eye-popping-commercial-vehicle-violations-inspectors-have-spotted-at-scale-houses-lately/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064445242178

here's a small indication of how bad the trucking industry is...

About 88,000 trucking companies and 8,000 freight brokerage firms went out of business in 2023

The trucking sector reported a net loss of about 10,000 carriers in the first half of 2024

https://www.thestreet.com/breaking-news/iconic-trucking-company-closes-down-operations-no-bankruptcy-yet

Retired Amtrak conductor Brad Swartzwelter is making headlines for his proposal to use trains to reduce commercial vehicle crashes and congestion along the I-70 mountain corridor in Colorado.

The I-70 mountain corridor presents a number of risks for truckers — severe winter weather conditions, steep grades, brake failure risk, and hazards like rockfalls, fires, and floods. I-70 in Colorado is frequently closed for crashes, many of them involving commercial vehicles.

Trains would use an existing Union Pacific rail line to carry trucks on a nine hour trip through Colorado, taking loads of commercial vehicles up and over the Rocky Mountains as an alternative to taking I-70.

system would involve driving semi trucks onto flatbed rail cars at the onset of the train journey. The truck drivers would then be free to choose to enjoy the trip in a train sleeper car, potentially helping them to maximize their allowable driving time.

Swartzwelter says that the concept is already in use in European countries, with a system in Austria acting as “the model for this whole thing.”

https://cdllife.com/2025/railroad-conductor-wants-to-take-trucks-off-colorados-i-70-mountain-corridor-by-loading-them-onto-trains

The LumberZone in Steinbach, Manitoba must have ran out of attention span... they loaded the trailer, but didn't use a single strap on the underside of the trailer to secure the load.

 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=9037690643024144 for the video of this rig driving past the dash cam of another trucker

If you see something, say something... the life you save might be a very important one to you, or to me, or to someone who needs someone else on the road to make it home alive

incredibly, this driver was still on the job, trying to deliver the cargo, even though the rig and trailer were BADly damaged

https://cdllife-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/cdllife.com/2025/driver-keeps-on-trucking-with-rig-in-shockingly-bad-condition

it's heart warming to see truckers getting help from people when they are stuck on the snow or ice

https://fordauthority.com/2025/01/lifted-ford-super-duty-driver-rescues-stuck-semitruck-video/