Hey everyone! It is time for your Wednesday Daily Trucker news update! I’m Carlin Stafford.
And I’m Niki Snyder. We have a lot of news to cover today, including:
- A whole house left on the side of a highway
- Paint or Meth?!
- And Sky-high toll fees
So, let’s get trucking!
Niki: Last week in Texas, 24 million dollars’ worth of methamphetamine was found inside a US bound Semi. The semi-truck was manifesting a shipment of acrylic paint from Mexico, and was referred to a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, which resulted in the discovery of the 28 buckets filled with 1,234.58 pounds of methamphetamine. The narcotics have been seized and the case is under investigation.
Carlin: Well, this next one has us all puzzled Niki. We head up to Ohio where Police were called to the scene last week when a 72-year-old driver left a mobile home on the highway because the width of the house couldn’t squeeze through a construction zone. The driver left the oversized load in the construction zone on State Rt. 77 northbound near the Rt. 800 on-ramp. The driver was cited for violating his permit and for being over the legal width, said the local police.
Niki: A group of organizations representing the trucking industry have asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to use truck stops and travel plazas across the U.S. as COVID-19 vaccination sites. Using truck stops and travel plazas as mobile vaccination sites would alleviate significant challenges faced by truck drivers in receiving the vaccine. Many states, for example, currently require proof of residency to receive a vaccine. Under this plan, truck drivers would be allowed to receive a vaccine in any state, and they would be allowed to receive their second vaccination at a different location because of the difficulty in arranging their schedules to return to the primary vaccination site on a specific date or time. The organizations are currently working with pharmacies and NATSO to make a nationwide plan to have vaccine clinics at truck stops.
Carlin: We know everyone has been super bummed with all of the cancelled Truck Shows this past year. Well put your seatbelts on and get ready for the ride because the Bandit Big Rig Racing Events are back this year! It looks like the first race of the season is set for Saturday, April 17th at the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL. Make sure to head over to their website for tickets if you want to check that out.
Niki: Oil rallied to the highest in nearly two years in New York after OPEC+ shocked markets with a decision to keep supply limited as the global economy starts to recover from the pandemic-driven slump.
U.S. benchmark crude futures topped $66 a barrel on March 5, while its global counterpart Brent edged closer to the key $70-a-barrel level.
Oil’s rebound this year stands to intensify the debate about a potential resurgence in inflation, and complicate the task facing the Federal Reserve as it supports the U.S. recovery. The Treasury market is already looking for signs of faster price gains, with yields rising rapidly.
Carlin: A new study analyzed tolling practices on hundreds of roadways worldwide and ranked which ones are the most expensive. In the ranking of the most expensive toll roads in the world, the Pennsylvania Turnpike came in at first with a total of $112.91 and the twentieth was the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway at $12.00.
That does it for today’s update!
Tune in tomorrow for more trucking news you need!
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