Auto insurers underwrite policies to evaluate the risk given to each insurance applicant. During this process, a person is grouped into a category, such as a high-risk driver, low risk, teenage or elderly. If this risk associated with the applicant is considered too high, the application could be denied coverage altogether. After the results are calculated, the insurance carrier then gives a price, which is based on the perceived risk that driver poses.

1. This is also known as rating the driver

Insurers use this rating as a way to measure what it costs to insure a particular person if a claim is made and how likely claims would occur again in the future. This is often referred to as financial responsibility that an insurer takes on. The tip is to maintain a safe driving record and avoid traffic accidents and you will go a long ways towards getting cheaper car insurance.

2. Not all Insurance Companies Rate Drivers the Same

Many providers use the same general metrics but their algorithms that ultimately determine rates are quite distinct. One of the biggest factors that all insurers use in calculating premiums is the frequency of accidents. When a person files a claim, the insurance kicks in and accidents can cost many thousands of dollars, especially if there is a death involved. The more claims a person files, the riskier he or she is in the eyes of the carrier and more likely to file a future claim. Thus, higher rates are imposed on these at-risk motorist. To keep rates low, avoid incidents and filing claims and you will save a lot of money on auto insurance. If you have had accidents in the past don’t worry.

3. Main Contributing Factors that Affect Auto Insurance Rates

*Driving Record: Auto Insurers will take a close look at how many citations and accidents you have been involved in.

Keep up a good driving record and watch your rates go down.

*The Location you live: If you live in the city, you can expect to pay more than if you live in a rural location with much less traffic.

* The Car you Drive: This is a very large factor that makes up rates. New and expensive luxury or sports cars have some of the highest insurance rates. On the other hand, used cars that are safe and cheap to repair have some of the lowest coverage costs. Get a boring used car and save on coverage.

* Marriage Status: Married people pay less for car ins because they are considered more responsible.

* Your Age: Drivers that are under 25 can expect to pay about double for auto ins. The sweet sport for the lowest rates is between 32 and 62 years of age.

4. Apply for all the Discounts you can

A great and smart way to save on vehicle insurance is to apply for several discounts. If you have more than one automobile, consider getting a bundled or multi-vehicle discount. You can also take a safe driver course and save about 5%. Other popular discounts are good student, military, and even teacher.

5. Shop Direct on the Web for the Cheapest Rates

The internet has literally taken over the world. It has also saved millions of people money on car insurance. Buying car insurance online is smart because you can find direct rate pricing that most brokers can’t match.

First, let us acquaint ourselves with some alarming statistics: 250,000 people have died in alcohol-related accidents in the past 10 years; 25,000 people die each year in alcohol related accidents; 500 people are killed weekly and 71 people daily in alcohol-related accidents; one American life is lost every 20 minutes in an alcohol-related car crash; and one out of every two Americans is likely to be involved in an alcohol-related accident in his lifetime. Every year, 708,000 persons are injured, 74,000 of them seriously, in alcohol-related crashes. About 2,000 people receive injuries each day in alcohol-related accidents.

A recent study reveals that alcohol-impaired drivers cost American taxpayers $21 – $24 billion dollars per year. According to a recent National Geographic report, alcohol abuse costs American society $136 billion and 65,000 lives annually.

The rise in the number of accidents often goes hand-in-hand with binge drinking, meaning having at least five drinks at a time. Binge drinkers were 13 times more likely to report driving while they were alcohol-impaired, and most of them admitted they often had far more than five drinks per binge.

If you receive injuries in a drunk-driving accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the drunk driver or his insurer. Under certain circumstances, even injured pedestrians and their close family members are entitled to receive compensation. Such compensation usually includes payment for medical treatment, past and future lost income, and emotional distress damages.

In some limited instances, the injured person is entitled to get recovery from the provider of alcohol to the driver, usually a bar or restaurant. Such cases against third parties are, however, more complicated and difficult to prove. Punitive damages are meant to punish malicious or reckless drivers, and to deter such conduct in the future.

Sometimes you may have to find someone who has, for whatever reason, made it hard to find them. It may be that they simply moved on without a forwarding address, but it also may be that they are deliberately hiding. It does not matter – hard to find is hard to find.

The reason you are searching for someone does not matter. You may want to search for a person simply to get in touch with an old friend. But you may also be searching because, for example, they owe you money or you need their help in a legal matter. Or you may be searching because you are considering hiring someone who needs to have a clean driving record.

The reasons you have their license number can vary as well. You may have their driver’s license number because they had to provide you with a copy in order to, say, cash a check or sign a lease or apply for a job.

Regardless of why you have it or why you are looking for them, if you have someone’s driver’s license number, finding them or information about them can become much easier, although not necessarily free to do.

While searching for people when you have other details can often be as simply as typing the information into your favorite search engine, the likelihood this will work with a drivers license number is practically nonexistent.

If you are checking someone’s records for employment purposes, you will need to access Registry of Motor Vehicle records. You can request someone’s driving record and other related information yourself, or you can use a third-party service. You also need the permission of the person who’s driving record you are requesting. You can make your request in writing or in person from any DMV office or examination station.

On the other hand, if you are trying to find someone and do not have their permission, you will likely need to use the service of a private detective or specialized third-party service as such records are not made public to just anyone without permission. There are exceptions to the permission requirement, such as for use in court proceedings, but using a third-party (be it a detective, attorney, etc.) will likely be worth the money.

CA DUI Laws- BAC Under.08 Can Still Lead to a DUI Arrest

Did you know that according to California DUI law, a driver 21 years of age or older with a BAC under .08% can still face DUI charges? Most drivers are aware that driving with a BAC of .08% or more will result in DUI charges- this is known as a per se DUI. Per se DUIs are straightforward. They rely on testing the driver’s blood-alcohol level. If the result of the chemical test comes back at .08% or above, it is an automatic DUI. However, under California DUI law, a driver 21 or older can also be charged with a DUI with a BAC within the legal limit if their driving is impaired because of the use of drugs or alcohol.

California Vehicle Code 23152(a)

According to California Vehicle Code 23152(a), “it is unlawful for a person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage to drive a vehicle.” Legally, you are “under the influence” if your “physical or mental abilities are impaired to such a degree that you no longer have the ability to drive with the caution characteristic of a sober person of ordinary prudence under the same or similar circumstances.” This type of DUI is far more subjective. To be charged with a DUI with a BAC below .08, simply requires the officer to have probable cause or a reasonable suspicion that you are driving impaired. For example, a police officer can develop probable cause based on observing suspicious driving behavior. Suspicious driving behaviors include driving excessively fast or slow, weaving between lanes, failure to use turn signals, failure to stop at a stop sign, etc. After pulling the driver over, the officer will look for signs of behavior or physical traits that indicate impairment and thus establish probable cause. Examples include red or bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, dilated pupils, an open container, slurred speech, the smell of alcohol, erratic behavior, etc.

California Implied Consent Law

If the officer observes signs that could indicate impairment, he or she will ask you to perform a series of field sobriety tests that serve to test your mental and motor skills in order to identify whether you are impaired. California implied consent laws require anyone with a valid driver’s license to submit to alcohol and drug testing if an officer suspects you of committing a DUI. After conducting several field sobriety tests, the officer will likely ask you to submit to a breathalyzer. If you blow within the legal limit but performed poorly on the field sobriety tests, the officer can still arrest you for DUI. Even if you refuse to blow, the officer can still arrest you if they believe that you are impaired. According to California’s implied consent laws, refusal to blow can result in the immediate suspension of your driver’s license. Fortunately, there are several California DUI Defenses to Vehicle Code 23152(a). A skilled and experienced California DUI attorney can help you fight your DUI charge and possibly get the charges reduced or even dismissed.

Driving Under the Influence of Drugs in California

California DUI laws make it illegal to drive while “intoxicated” by any substance. If the officer witnesses signs of impairment resulting from drugs (legal or illegal), you can still be arrested for DUI/DWI. Law enforcement officials believe that the legalization of recreational marijuana will lead to an increase in California DUI arrests. The lack of an accurate scientific method to accurately measure the amount of THC affecting a person at a specific time, gives law enforcement officials extraordinary discretionary power to arrest based on the suspicion of intoxication.

Increased speed makes the laws of physics become more and more important to the driver. These laws, although not enforced by a policeman or written by a law producing body, are absolutely binding on all drivers, and no one can relax their effect. The laws of physics control any and every object that moves. The particular laws which apply to driving cover areas such as friction, centrifugal force and inertia, impact, and gravity. You should always remember that these laws apply to city driving as well as to driving on the highway, because their significance increases proportionately with the speed at which you are travelling. However, this article on highway driving would seem the best place to discuss their importance.

Proper sight requires sufficient light and time for a picture to impose itself on the retina of the eye, be relayed to the brain, and thereby trigger a reaction by the driver. This means that traffic signs, signals, and pavement markings become increasingly important when driving at higher speeds. These give the driver advance warning of any curves, hills, intersections, or railway crossings that may be ahead, as well as intended maneuvers by other drivers. A driver must learn to recognize all signs and signals instantly, for at higher speeds the time for recognition and reaction becomes shorter and shorter. To facilitate recognition, signs and signals throughout the United States are standardized by shape and color and can reflect light to be seen at night. Remember, it takes time to observe a sign, signal, or condition, and then react to it. Reaction time for a given driver is fairly constant, but the distance travelled in this time is directly related to speed. Therefore, stopping distances and distances required for evasive action become greater as speed is increased.

Friction

Friction is the force which opposes the motion of one surface over another, and is the means through which a vehicle may move in a straight line, or may turn or stop. This force is exerted entirely through four small friction areas, also known as, tires. If we assume that the average reaction time is 0.75 seconds than common sense tells us that the faster the car is travelling, the greater the distance it will take to stop. The difference in stopping distance from 40 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour is approximately 3.5 times greater. This means that if you can stop within 100 feet at 40 miles per hour, you will need 350 feet of leeway to stop travelling at 70 miles per hour.

These conditions only occur part of the time, however: should the force of friction be reduced by ice, snow, rain, oil, mud, loose gravel, a rough surface, or poor tires, then stopping distances will increase drastically and evasive maneuvers will become much more difficult, or even impossible. Because stopping distance increases more rapidly than speed, it is important to allow a greater distance between your car and the car in front as your speed increases.

Inertia and Centrifugal Force

If at any time the frictional force, or traction, between the four small areas of the tire and road surface are lost, control is lost as well, and one or both of the following physical forces may determine the situation: inertia, the tendency of a moving body to keep moving in a straight line unless an outside force acts to change its direction of motion; and centrifugal force, the tendency of a moving body turning about a center to fly away from that center. Centrifugal force can be demonstrated by placing a weight on the end of a string and swinging it in a circular motion. If the string is release or breaks, the weight will leave the circular path and continue in a straight line.

Obviously, a similar effect can happen to a turning vehicle. A car driving around a curve must overcome the centrifugal force in order to make the turn. If the centrifugal force is greater than the friction between the tires and the road, the car will not be able to turn, but will skid off the highway. The key point is that the friction increases with speed, but the centrifugal force increases even more rapidly. Therefore, the faster your speed, or the sharper the turn, the greater is the chance that you will be unable to get around safely. If you remember this principle, you will realize that you must slow down before entering a curve, especially if the road is slightly slippery

Brakes should never be applied after entering a curve, as this has a tendency to reduce the friction between the wheels and the road. Remember, friction enables you to move your car, control it, and stop it. When you consider that for each tire the area touching the road surface is about equal to the size of your hand, it is understandable that many factors can cause loss of friction, and resultant loss of control. The greater the speed, the greater the possibility this may happen – and the greater the consequences. Speed must always be adjusted to suit road conditions.

As well as the speed of the car, another factor determining whether or not you will be able to make a turn safely is the angle at which the road is banked through the curve. The easiest is a banked turn (similar to a race track); the second, a flat road surface; and the third, a crowned surface. The flat road surface is dangerous at high speed, and in comparison, in a turn, the crowned surface can only be negotiated at low speeds because the car is tilted against the direction of the curve. On entering sharp curves, there is usually an advisory speed sign posted, telling you the speed at which the curve may be safely taken. One who ignores these signs is indeed a very foolish driver.

Kinetic Energy and the Force of Impact

If control of a car is lost, the usual result is collision, either with another car or with a fixed object. The all important variable in this situation is the force of impact. The force of impact itself is a function of the speed and the weight of the car. If you double the speed of a car before a collision, the force of impact is four times as great. If you triple the speed of the car before collision, the force of impact is multiplied nine times! Weight also has a part to play here; if the weight of the vehicle doubles, the force of impact doubles too. The total result of doubling the speed and the weight of the vehicle would be to increase the force of impact eight times. Therefore, any collision would necessarily be eight times as damaging. In effect, the impact of hitting a solid object at 30 miles per hour is like driving off a three story building.

Highway engineers use several techniques to reduce the force of impact in cases of unavoidable contact with surrounding objects. Smooth metal guard rails allow a car to glance off rather than hit solidly. Wide road shoulders, free of obstacles such as trees, culverts, and bridge abutments, help to reduce the hazard. Where light and sign standards are essential, these poles are designed to sheer or break off easily on contact. The best way to make sure that the force of impact does not act upon your car is to drive at all times in a manner which will avoid collision with any and all objects!

The Force of Gravity

Gravity – the force which attracts objects downwards towards the center of the earth – will cause cars to lose speed going up hills, thereby decreasing their stopping distances; and to accelerate going down hills, thereby increasing their stopping distances.

A good driver will cut his speed when descending a hill; on steep grades, he should put his gear selector into low, so that the engine of the car will act as a brake. Hills are potential driving hazards for other reasons also. They limit visibility; the driver should not pass on or approaching a hill, no matter how slowly the vehicles in front are moving, unless there is a passing lane. At the crest of a hill, the driver must be alert for approaching cars not in their proper lane, or for obstacles in the road ahead, such as a car stopped while waiting to make a left turn. Remember that you must be able to stop your vehicle in the distance you can see ahead either day or night.

The odds and statistics are frightening for teen drivers. The Texas Handbook suggests that the leading cause of death for young people in the United States (ages 16 to 24) is alcohol related automobile crashes. The second leading cause for death is non-alcohol related crashes. One of a driver’s most valuable assets is his/her years of driving experience. We know that there is nothing a parent can do to give their children that experience. Experience can only be gained through time spent on the road driving, with every parent’s nightmare a teen driver.

The topic of traditional or contemporary side mirror settings is the start of the first big battle between teens and many parents when we begin to teach the fundamentals of driving. Parents immediately get confused when we teach their children the new technique of setting the mirror out farther. In my experience the best way to resolve the conflict is to first clarify how the blind zones are created.

It is important to explain that the traditional method requires the driver to set the mirrors where the whole side of the car is visible. This is what creates an area that can hide a whole vehicle or a motorcycle. To compensate for hidden vehicles many parents were trained to look quickly over their shoulder. I point out three things happen with this method: 1. Eyes are taken away from the road they are traveling putting them at risk for not seeing changes in the traffic scene 2. Because focus is removed from the path of travel you create a moment crisis because of divided attention 3. An increased tendency to drift into the lane being cleared goes up.

I always emphasize that the contemporary settings will help the driver maintain control over the vehicle in several ways. The technique for doing this is to adjust the inside mirror so that it frames out the back window. Adjusting the driver’s side mirror is simple you simply lean towards the window, and set the mirror so that you can barely see the car. The process is repeated by leaning towards the center and repeating the process for the passenger side. This new method eliminates the need to look over the shoulder. The first issue is that blind zone is eliminated by setting the mirrors out farther. Secondly the drifting tendency is resolved, because the eyes move to the mirror and finally the divided attention crisis is reduced.

A video card, no matter what the application, is quite the investment and sometimes, it can set you back a few thousand of dollars as well, depending on what sort of application you are using it for. When you are making that sort of purchase, you would want everything to run correctly, and the last thing you would want is for you to come back and install the video card, only to find out that the thing doesn’t even work, or worse, it has affected the rest of your priceless computer.

Now this is worse when you are using the video card for your work, because any amount of downtime would be costing you money that you do not want to waste in the first place. So what do you do when you do find yourself at the foot of your computer looking at a screen that does not make sense to you. Well, it would surprise you to know that the video card problem is one that is quite common around the world so what you need to do is to first of all not panic. This is the first step of any sort of disaster management that should be followed, keep calm and know that there is a rationale and very technological solution and answer to this problem.

Doing the same thing over and over again or trying to be a genius when you are not will not solve anything, and if anything, it will make things much worse then they really are. What happens is that most likely there is a conflict with the video card and the computer operating system and most of the time, it is the driver that is at fault. All you need to do for the second step is to check whether or not there is a problem with the version of the driver that you are using and see if you need to change it.

Some rare occurrences would deem that you might even have to downgrade the version of your driver, but it is more than likely that the driver needs to be upgraded and these companies often test their systems and solve conflicts by adding another layer of architecture into the driver and updating the set of instructions inside. Once you have established that it is the problem, and 99% of the time it is, all you need to do for the third step is to download the latest version of the driver from the internet and of course installing them.

Make sure that between the second and third step you check against the forums or tech support centres against the version of the card and the sort of system that you are using. It sometimes is not so cut and dried as just renewing the driver and it could be a much deeper conflict than it is. But most of the time, this is a condition that is quite rare and does not happen very often.

Within the last three and a half years, the U. S. trucking industry has seen the most expensive regulatory action in decades, imposing $46 billion in annual costs. Current discussion on mandating EOBR’s on all trucks would add another $2 billion to the figure.

There are around 500,000 trucking companies in the United States, down from 1.2 million from 2003. Out of these 500,000 approximately 80% operate 20 trucks or less.

These smaller companies, the true backbone of an industrialized nation, along with independent and owner operators are literally in a fight for survival against over-regulation. Regulations that always seem to come tagged with the term, “safety.”

The most vital of regulations for the professional truck driver are the hours of service (HOS) rule. These rules determine how long a driver can drive and work, thus having the largest impact on their income potential.

The newest change in the HOS rule which will come into compliance on July 1st, 2013 will limit a driver’s work week to 70 hours, not allow the driver to operate the CMV after working eight hours until a rest break of at least 30 minutes has been taken and drivers who maximize their 70 hour work week will be required to take at least two rest periods between the hours of 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. home terminal time. This will eliminate the current usage of the 34 hour restart provision where the driver will be allowed to use the provision only once during a seven-day period.

This addition of more downtime for drivers, along with the push to get as many miles and payable work in as possible within 14 hours will ultimately lead to less safety. The 14 hour rule, in my opinion, is the worst and most unsafe regulation to ever hit the professional truck driver. Many motor carriers continue to push their drivers to the maximum 14 hours with the maximum workload possible. Bottom line… the oncoming new HOS rules, while ignoring the fact of how companies push their drivers, is a recipe for disaster.

Most countries have hours of service rules imposed for truck drivers, specifically industrialized nations such as the United States, Canada, Australia and countries of the European Union. So, how does the FMCSA hours of service rule for truckers compare with the HOS rule of other countries?

Australia

• Drivers must rest for 30 minutes every 5 hours and stop for 10 hours of sleep for every 14 hours of work (includes driving and non-driving duties).
• After 72 working hours (not including time spent resting or sleeping) a driver must spend 24 hours away from the CMV.

Canada

There are two sets of hours of service rules, one for above 60th parallel north, and one for below.

• Below latitude 60 degrees drivers are limited to 14 hours on duty in any 24 hour period.
• 14 hours includes a maximum of 13 hours driving time. Rest periods are 8 consecutive hours in a 24 hour period, as well as an additional 2 hour period of rest that must not be taken in less than 30 minute blocks.
• Drivers operate on a concept of “cycles.”
• Cycle 1 is 70 hours in a 7 day period, and cycle 2 is 120 hours in a 14 day period.
• A driver who uses cycle 1 must take off 36 hours at the end of the cycle before being allowed to restart the cycle again.
• Cycle 2 is 72 hours off duty before being allowed to start again.

Above 60th parallel north

• Because of this area being so remote, north of the 60th parallel, Canadian hours of service rules are basically nonexistent.

European Union

• Non-stop driving time may not exceed 4.5 hours.
• After 4.5 hours of driving the driver must take a break period of at least 45 minutes.
• Time can be split into 2 breaks, the first being at least 15 minutes, and the second being at least 30 minutes.
• Daily driving time shall not exceed 9 hours.
• Daily driving time may be extended to at most, 10 hours, but not more than twice during the week.
• Weekly driving time may not exceed 56 hours.
• Driver cannot exceed 90 hours driving in a two-week period.
• Within each period of 24 hours after the end of the previous daily rest period or weekly rest period, a driver must take a new daily rest period.

Mexico

Where the U. S. rules are established through the governmental body of the FMCSA, the rules for truck drivers in Mexico are established by a Constitutional mandate, meaning that it falls under the country’s labor laws.

• A maximum work week of 48 hours without going into overtime. (Average work week of 40 to 45 hours).
• Entitled to one day of rest with full pay, for every 6 days of work.
• 3 work shifts – Day shift ( 8 hours ), Night shift ( 7 hours ) and Mixed shift ( 7 1/2 hours ).
• Hours worked over these periods are considered overtime and pay is doubled, but can not exceed 9 hours per week.

The United States

• 11-Hour Driving Limit
• May drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• 14-Hour Limit
• May not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time does not extend the 14-hour period.
• 60/70-Hour On-Duty Limit
• May not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days. A driver may restart a 7/8 consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty.
• Sleeper Berth Provision
• Drivers using the sleeper berth provision must take at least 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, plus a separate 2 consecutive hours either in the sleeper berth, off duty, or any combination of the two.

Changes to HOS rule, July 1st, 2013:

• 34-hour restarts – Must include two periods between 1 a.m.- 5 a.m. home terminal time and may only be used once per week.
• Rest breaks – May drive only if 8 hours or less have passed since end of driver’s last off-duty period of at least 30 minutes.
• On-duty time – Does not include any time resting in a parked vehicle. In a moving property-carrying CMV, does not include up to 2 hours in passenger seat immediately before or after 8 consecutive hours in sleeper-berth.
• Penalties – Driving (or allowing a driver to drive) 3 or more hours beyond the driving-time limit may be considered an egregious violation and subject to the maximum civil penalties.

As the U. S. trucking industry continues to be bombarded with “safety regulations”, the true solution to the issue is not more regulations, but control of the real problem. As truck driver fatigue is touted as a major cause of truck accidents, coupled with other variables such as sleep apnea, the factual causes of driver fatigue are ignored.

Delaying drivers at the shipper and receiver docks, dispatchers pushing drivers beyond the legal hours of service, lack of safe parking and rest areas, anti-idling laws and failure to provide an APU system for the driver, lack of home time and keeping drivers out for months at a time; just a few of many real causes of driver fatigue and safety factors.

The problem with truck driver fatigue and safety issues will only be resolved when the FMCSA takes a hard look at the practices of shippers and receivers and those motor carriers that continue to push the professional CMV driver above and beyond human capabilities.

Large truck accidents are potentially serious because of the size, weight and speed of these commercial vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Administration’s (FCMSA) Large Truck Crash Study revealed that 50 % of such accidents result in fatal or incapacitating injuries. The truck driver was judged to be at fault in 87% of these crashes, and in 7% the driver admitted to having fallen asleep while driving. Truck accidents result in over 5200 deaths annually and more than 125,000 injuries. These figures are likely only the tip of the iceberg regarding the total number of truck crashes due to driver fatigue. Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder among commercial vehicle drivers, with a prevalence believed to be between 17% to 28%. Given that there are roughly 14 million commercial drivers license holders in the United states, somewhere between 2.4 and 3.9 million of these drivers are expected to be affected by OSA.

Unfortunately, OSA often remains unrecognized or unreported by professional drivers and their employers, as well as undiagnosed by physicians. OSA has been shown to significantly enhance a driver’s danger of driving drowsy. Medical research demonstrates that drivers with undiagnosed OSA have an increased risk (2 to 7 times) for falling asleep at the wheel and increases the possibility of an individual developing important health issues such as hypertension, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and mood disorders. Studies suggest that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators have a higher prevalence of OSA than the general population. The chance of having sleep apnea depended on two key elements – age and degree of obesity – with prevalence increasing with both. Population projections by FMCSA indicate the amount of older drivers will increase by 50% over the next twenty years. Therefore, determining which truck drivers are most prone to excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) must be a major public safety priority.

U.S. federal statute requires commercial motor vehicle drivers to undergo medical qualification examinations at least every 2 years-This section states that the driver must have “no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of respiratory dysfunction likely to interfere with the ability to control and drive a commercial motor vehicle safely.” Nonetheless, the FMCSA medical examination form only includes a single question on sleep problems, though strong economic incentives exist for drivers to deny a history or symptoms of a sleep disorder. In fact, latest studies have demonstrated that only 15% answered yes on the single sleep-related question on the driver medical evaluation form among drivers subsequently proven to have substantial OSA.

To be able to address these problems, a consensus document was published by the American College of Chest Physicians, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, along with the National Sleep Foundation. These criteria were proposed based on a thorough literature evaluation to assist medical examiners in detecting individuals who may possibly have OSA, and thus who may require a sleep study, both to protect the long-term health of the driver and to ensure public safety on the highways. The suggestions consist of:

1) definition of sleep apnea;

2) current regulations, recommendations, and guidelines;

3) identification of patients at risk for sleep apnea and diagnosis;

4) objective assessment of sleepiness and performance;

5) identification of CMV drivers with sleep apnea who are at high risk for crashes;

6) management of sleep apnea in the CMV driver;

7) practical considerations;

8) additional research questions.

In one recent medical literature report, out of 134 sleep study results performed because of the consensus criteria, 94.8% of the individuals had OSA. This researcher also reviewed 10 large truck crashes resulting from driver loss of motor vehicle control for which the carrier is being sued for at least 1 million dollars. Of those ten, their review of the CDME medical examinations prior to the crash suggests that at the very least 4 out of the 10 would have been required to be tested for OSA by the consensus criteria.

These recommendations suggest certifying a driver at lower risk for sleep apnea for a maximum of three months, pending a medical evaluation (in-service evaluations), while drivers with more significant risk factors or a motor vehicle crash likely related to sleep disturbances must be prohibited from returning to work until they receive a medical evaluation (out-of-service evaluations) Furthermore, the task force suggests expanding the screening process to involve a far more extensive medical history, flagging such risk factors as body mass index, neck circumference, family background of OSA, and history of comorbidities. For those diagnosed with sleep apnea, experts strongly recommend utilizing positive airway pressure for no less than four hours within a 24-hour period via a machine that is able to measure time on pressure. Current guidelines do not specify minimum use of positive airway pressure.

Not only will the driver and the public at large benefit from these recommendations, but a large scale recent clinical investigation has already proven substantial rewards to the employer by lowering medical costs, reducing absenteeism, improving productivity, and fewer accidents.

Driver 1: “Breaker. MacTruck handle here just doing a radio check. 10-4”

Driver 2: “VinDiesel can hear you coming in loud and proud MacTruck.”

Driver 1: “I’m on the granny lane doing a double nickel. What’s your 10-20?”

Driver 2: “Driving behind a parking lot at The Dome.”

Driver 1: “Copy that. See you on the flip flop. Over and out.”

Was that a real conversation? As a matter of fact it is. That’s the verbal exchange truck drivers have while on the road. They are using ‘truckie slang’ – a kind of language that is predominant used in the truck driving circles.

Trucker slang, is basically just your regular CB (Citizens Band) Radio lingo. Truckers generally use CB Radio to communicate with one another and the CB jargon was picked up. CB lingo / Truck slang became popular in the 1970’s because this was featured and glamorized in several big screen films such as “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Black Dog”, as well as mainstream television programs. Truck slang is still used now and, as with any language (formal or otherwise) it has evolved to include words and terminologies that are more appropriate for today’s society.

Truck driving slang is very colorful and entertaining to listen to. It’s quite easy to pick up on but, unfortunately, unlike formal languages there are not any truck driving slang classes that are open for enrollment. Truck driving schools do not offer this as a separate course, nor are there any training manuals, books and audio tapes available to use as a learning resource.

The best way to learn truckie slang is to just jump in and be immersed in the language. Tune into CB airwaves and listen. Try to glean the meaning behind the words before asking questions. If queries are necessary, always be polite when interrupting. Profanities and other vulgar CB terms are to be avoided as truckers generally discourage this. Learn the “10 codes” such as 10-4 (message received / OK / copy), 10-20 (your location), 10-9 (repeat), and others. The 10-codes used by police and fire departments are the same ones used by truckers. Although formal books on truck driver lingo have not been printed, there are websites that list down commonly used trucker lingo and its meaning.

Do it slowly and when interrupting, it is usually polite to say “Breaker, Green Apple” so those on the same CB channel would be aware that a beginner is on air. As with anything, the key to being good at trucker lingo is to keep practicing.

So what was that exchange all about? Basically, Driver 1, (MacTruck) announces his presence and introduces himself on a channel (Breaker. MacTruck handle). He asks those on the channel if his radio is working (doing a radio check). Driver 2 (VinDiesel) responds by identifying himself and confirms that MacTruck’s CB signal is strong (coming in loud and proud). MacTruck then says he’s driving on the slow lane (granny lane), doing 55 miles per hour (double nickel), and asks for VinDiesel’s location (10-20). VinDiesel then says he’s driving behind another truck that transports cars (parking lot) at Houston, Texas The Dome). MacTruck acknowledges and will just see VinDiesel on his return trip (see you on the flip flop).