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Jan 23, 2009

DANGEROUS JOB * USA - Houston Trucker Claims, Sues Promaxima Manufacturing

Houston,TX,USA -The Houston Press, by Chris Vogel -Jan. 22 2009: -- At 2 a.m., Houston trucker Daniel Moye was the only driver on the road, speeding through the remote mountains of northern California to meet his deadline and drop off a load of exercise equipment... Suddenly, his engine stopped. An electrical lead from the battery to the cut-off switch broke. Not equipped, trained or authorized to fix it and out of cell phone range, Moye found himself stranded in what is known in California as the Lost Coast... More than six hours later, Moye arrived at the ranger station. It was closed. Moye tried again to get a cell phone signal. No luck. His only hope was what he thought looked like a fire station at the base of the mountain way off in the distance... After resting an hour, Moye set out again, not knowing it was a 17 mile hike that lay ahead. By nightfall, he was still walking, as temperatures dipped below 40 degrees and icy, gale-force winds punished his face and body. Moye was exhausted and his feet were badly blistered. Convinced he was going to die, he sat down and wrote a farewell letter to his wife in case his body was ever found... But Moye pressed on, eventually making his way to the building, which turned out to be a prison. From there, he was moved to a local hospital, where Moye was treated for hypothermia, dehydration, and his ravaged feet. When the hospital discharged Moye, doctors gave him several narcotic pain-killers... Moye claims his employer did spring for a hotel room, but because his company did not provide him transportation and because Moye had left his wallet in the rig, Moye had to hobble one mile to the hotel on his damaged feet...

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posted by Unknown @ 11:02 AM  0 comments

Nov 4, 2008

A Life of Sacrifice * USA - Log Truckers Struggle to Make Ends Meet With Rising Costs of Fuel and Equipment

An August 2008 study conducted by the University of Washington and Washington State University listed the average log trucker’s net income in 2006 at about $33,000 working 69 hours a week

Lewis County,WASH,USA -The Chronicle (Centralia,WA), by Marqise Allen -November 3, 2008: -- Scott Jerles is a 45-year-old independent log trucker... He crawls out of bed at 3 a.m., throws on his faded jeans, brown work boots, shirt and flannel jacket before putting on his maroon baseball cap... He walks outside, feeds his dogs and then gets into his 13-ton log truck... Jerles will now be in the truck for the next 13 hours. He does this Monday through Friday, rain or snow, in sickness or in health. He’s missed volleyball, softball and basketball games trying to provide for the family he rarely sees... “My oldest daughter basically grew up without a dad,” said Jerles, who lives in Raymond. “I worked away from home and only saw her on the weekends.”... But even on the weekends he could be found out in his shop maintaining his $130,000 investment... The highlight of his three daughters’ summer vacations growing up was traveling to Oregon on a Friday to pick up parts for his truck, spending one night in a motel with a swimming pool and then returning home on Saturday... “If you’re gonna make it in the trucking industry,” Jerles said. “You’re going to have to make sacrifices.”... These sacrifices are made to make ends meet. An August 2008 study conducted by the University of Washington and Washington State University listed the average log trucker’s net income in 2006 at about $33,000 working 69 hours a week. Most truckers didn’t receive overtime, putting their wages just above minimum wage... Life can be difficult making slightly more than minimum wage with a mortgage and car payment alone. Unfortunately, health insurance is added to the long list of sacrifices... (Photo by Holly Pederson - Scott Jerles, an independent log trucker from Raymond, loads his trailer during a stop at Northwest Hardwoods in Centralia last week. Jerles is one of the many log truckers who are finding it difficult to stay in business with their current wages)

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posted by Unknown @ 7:16 AM  0 comments

Dec 17, 2007

Truckers Survive * Canada - Escape lake, in hot spring

Two British Columbia loggers are lucky to be alive after their truck slid into Whiteswan Lake, about 350 kilometres from Calgary

Cranbrook,BC,Canada - The Edmonton Journal/CanWest News Service -December 15, 2007: -- ... After the truck rolled and plunged into the lake, Dustin Tily broke out of the back window and made it to shore. When he couldn't find driver Matt Brunham,Tily dove back in and brought his buddy to shore... But their troubles were far from over; their clothes were soaked and there were no passing vehicles to rescue them... The loggers walked about eight kilometres to a hot spring, took off their clothes and spent about seven hours in the spring, until a passing driver saw their clothes and discovered the men... (Picture from: tvbloggin.com/)

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posted by Unknown @ 5:12 AM  0 comments