The Nation

September 12-18 marks a special time for the trucking industry. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is earmarked as a time for America to honor professional drivers for their hard work and sacrifices in delivering necessities across our continent. The industry is often referred to as the backbone of the economy, with the drivers acting as the heart. Last year, truck drivers delivered 11.84 billion tons of freight around the country, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). Today, more than 80% of U.S. communities rely on truck drivers to deliver goods, allowing some of the nation’s most remote locations access to modern conveniences. With stringent regulations and commercial training, professional drivers are committed to safely delivering all the things that make our collective quality of life possible. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week was founded by ATA in 1998 as a way to honor drivers. This year, there are many different events held by various companies and organizations to show appreciation to truckers. NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his racing team have partnered with Pilot Flying J to raise awareness about the importance of trucking with an initiative called #ThankATrucker. “At JR Motorsports, we know the importance and value of our nation’s truck drivers. Our drivers travel the country to NASCAR Xfinity Series events, and the trailers they carry allow us to do our job on the track each week. We join Pilot Flying J in thanking all the men and women who keep our country moving every day. Take the time today to #ThankATrucker,” Earnhardt said. Featured on the hood of the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet NASCAR is the saying, “If you’ve got it, a trucker brought it” and #ThankATrucker is emblazoned across the rear of the car. Steve Vanderink, vice president of regional sales for Pilot Flying J, along with Earnhardt, recently revealed the racecar’s new look. Vanderink thanked the fleet customers whowere special guests at the event, representing the thousands of fleets and millions of professional drivers across the industry. “Pro drivers have carried us through this past year, delivering food, supplies and medicines around the country,” Vanderink said. “They have been our heroes during the pandemic. We hope this Driver Appreciation month will help raise awareness of their sacrifices and inspire all of us to celebrate what they do.” Michael Annett, who has driven the Pilot Flying J car since 2007, has a special place in his heart for the transportation industry. His dad was the chairman of TMC Transportation, so he knows first-hand how important trucking is and can appreciate being a “pro” behind the wheel. The special NASCAR vehicle can be seen racing Sept. 11 at Richmond Raceway and on Sept.18 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Additionally, Pilot Co. is encouraging motorists to join in bringing back the “trucker salute.” Pilot stores will be rewarding professional drivers all month long with free drinks, bonus loyalty points and more perks. “Professional drivers have carried us through many tough times, especially over this past year and a half, and we all owe them our gratitude and thanks,” said Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Co. “Our annual Driver Appreciation month in September is a special time to recognize and celebrate professional drivers everywhere, including our own Pilot drivers. The Pilot team thanks all of you and gives you a ‘Trucker Salute’ for working incredibly hard to haul all of the goods needed across the nation.” For those unfamiliar with the “Trucker Salute,” Pilot Company produced a video of the classic arm pump gesture that many professional drivers miss seeing and responding to with a friendly blow of their horn. To help bring back this beloved tradition, share a video of a “Trucker Salute” on social media. Pilot Co. will donate $5 to Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) for each post that tags @PilotFlyingJ and uses the #ThankATrucker hashtag, up to $25,000. Most other trucks stops across the nation are also offering promotions and specials as a way to thank truckers for their work. Travel Centers of America (TA) is holding an appreciation “swipestakes” where drivers can swipe their UltraONE card at the pump, truck service shop or UltraONE Kiosks. The grand prize is 1,500,000 UltraOne Points; second prize is an Indian Scout Bobber or Rolex watch; third prize is two plane tickets anywhere in the continental U.S. plus a $500 gift card; and 70 runners up will receive 50,000 UltraOne points. At Love’s, giveaways include a chance to win $100 instantly by using the My Love Rewards card each day in September. Drivers can enter to win 1 million Love Rewards points using the touch screen kiosks at the truckstop locations. Love’s is also offering a special on apparel, giving away a free hat with the purchase of three pairs of Love’s gloves.

GAINESVILLE, Fla — A University of Florida football player was injured recently when he steered his scooter into the trailer of an 18-wheeler. Gainesville police said that Yousef Mugharbil, 18, was hit and dragged by a semi-truck on the morning of Aug. 30 on University Avenue, receiving only minor injuries. The semi truck was headed on West University Ave. and attempted to turn right on Northwest 16th St. While driving a scooter, Mugharbil sped up while in an undesignated driving lane and the semi hit him, police said. A witness, Josue Robateaw, said he saw Mugharbil get dragged about 100 feet, according to a report by Gainesville news station WCJB. “There was blood everywhere and under the truck too,” Robateaw told WCJB. Robateaw was working when he said he saw the 18-year-old in between the tires of the semi. He was able to get the young man out and said with blood everywhere and some getting on his clothes, it’s a moment he’ll never forget. “Instead of yielding to the semi-truck, the scooter got into a non-navigable lane,” GPD spokesman Graham Glover said. “That’s one of the lanes that was striped off where you shouldn’t have been driving. It caused the scooter to go straight into the truck that was turning right and had the right of way to make that turn.” Mugharbil, of Murphy, North Carolina, enrolled at Florida over the summer as one of three offensive line signees in the class of 2021. He is not listed on Florida’s unofficial depth chart for this weekend’s game against Florida Atlantic. Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullins said he was aware of the accident and said that Mugharbil is “OK.”

HIGHGATE SPRINGS, Vt. — A giant infrastructure deal being considered by Congress includes $3.5 billion for improvements to 30 land ports of entry on both the Canadian and Mexican borders, officials said in early September. Vermont Democratic U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and Robin Carnahan, the administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, toured the U.S. port of entry from Canada at Highgate Springs Sept. 1 to focus attention on the proposal. They say the upgrades are needed to speed the crossing of both people and goods between the two countries, while enhancing security and building state-of-the-art energy saving structures. If approved in its current form, the federal infrastructure bill would spend $3.5 billion to upgrade 30 ports of entry on both the Canadian and Mexican border. Of that, $285 million would be used to upgrade five ports of entry in Vermont, including $170 million to renovate the Vermont port in Highgate Springs at the northern terminus of Interstate 89, which links the United States with Saint-Armand and Philipsburg, Quebec. The move comes as the Canadian government is moving to complete an autoroute that would reach the border at Highgate Springs, which will mean more traffic entering the United States through Vermont, Leahy said. “I think that’s a very good thing, but we’ve got to be prepared for it,” Leahy said during a news conference outside the border post. Carnahan said Congress has the opportunity to do something “really big” with the infrastructure package. “It is a once in a generation opportunity to really invest in our infrastructure again, from roads and bridges, to ports to clean water and broadband internet across the country,” Carnahan said. During construction, the projects would create up to 2 million jobs, Carnahan said The money for the ports of entry would be included in the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was passed last month by the Senate by a vote of 69 to 30. The bill includes funding for hard infrastructure project like roads and bridges, rail, transit, ports, airports, electric grid, water systems and broadband internet access. While it has passed the Senate, it had not yet passed the House at the time of this writing. The legislation is separate from a $3.5 trillion spending plan being worked on the House that some consider on a par with the New Deal that was used in the 1930s to help the country recover from the depression. In Vermont, the other border posts that would be included are in Alburgh Springs, Richford, Norton and Beebe Plain. By Wilson Ring, The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Gasoline and diesel fuel shortages across Louisiana are causing extremely long lines at stations and growing frustrations. All told, seven Louisiana refineries remained shuttered Wednesday. Combined, they account for about 9% of all U.S. refining capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Some refineries on the Mississippi River reported damage to their docks from barges that broke loose during the storm. Louisiana Governor Jon Bell Edwards has asked the federal government for help. “We need bulk fuel to be brought in before refineries come back on their own,” Edwards said, noting two-thirds of the state’s considerable refining capacity is down. “The state of Louisiana provides fuel for rest of country, and now it’s time for rest of country to give up a little of their fuel and send it back to Louisiana.” Truck drivers supporting relief efforts tied to Hurricane Ida have been given a waiver from Hours of Service (HOS) rules. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued the waiver earlier this week for Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. The declaration was effective immediately. Under the emergency ruling, drive time caps are lifted for commercial vehicles under 49 CFR § 395.3 of the federal code, which covers hours of service. It covers truck drivers “providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts transportation supplies, goods, equipment and fuel into the (affected states.)” “Direct assistance terminates when a driver or commercial motor vehicle is used in interstate commerce to transport cargo or provide services that are not in support of emergency relief efforts related to Hurricane Ida,” the waiver says. The waiver also covers section 395.5, which is for HOS restrictions on passenger-carrying vehicles, such as buses. Under federal safety rules, commercial truck drivers are limited to 14 on-duty hours after 10 consecutive off-hours duty. The emergency waiver also covers the rule restricting drivers to 60 on duty hours in a 7-day period, or 70 hours in eight consecutive days. Drivers are not exempted from speed limits, requirements to pull off the road if their alertness is impaired due to fatigue or other reasons, texting while driving or using alcohol or drugs. Relief from the HOS rule is contingent upon providing what FMCSA refers to as “direct assistance.” The waiver is in effect until either a declared end to the Ida-created emergency, or the end of the day on Sept. 28, whichever comes first. Four days after Hurricane Ida struck, the storm’s aftermath — and progress in recovering from it — are being felt unevenly across affected communities in Louisiana. The levee system revamped after Katrina protected New Orleans from catastrophic flooding after Ida struck on Sunday with 150 mph winds, tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland U.S. The power was back on before dawn Thursday in parts of the city’s central business district, Uptown, Midtown, New Orleans East and the Carrollton area, the electricity company Entergy announced. Utility crews also restored power to Ochsner’s main hospital campus in Jefferson Parish and several hospitals near Baton Rouge. City crews completely cleared some New Orleans streets of fallen trees and debris, and a few corner stores reopened. Outside New Orleans, neighborhoods remained flooded and residents were still reeling from damage to their homes and property. More than 1,200 people were walking through some of Ida’s hardest-hit communities to look for those needing help, according to the Louisiana Fire Marshal’s office. President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Louisiana on Friday to survey the damage, the White House said. Gayle Lawrence lost two cars, refrigerators and almost everything in her garage to floodwaters in southern Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish. The garage was filled with marsh grass and dead fish. Scores of other homes in the neighborhood were also flooded. “The house is solid. It didn’t even move. But when the water came up, it destroyed everything,” she said. In Jefferson Parish, authorities on Wednesday were still waiting for floodwaters to recede enough for trucks carrying food, water and repair supplies to begin moving into Lafitte and other low-lying communities. The parish neighbors New Orleans and saw widespread destruction from Ida. Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said a gas shortage was hampering hospital staff, food bank employees and other critical workers. “Today, we’re a broken community,” Sheng told a news conference. “It won’t always be that way.” Evacuees considering returning home to Terrebonne Parish were warned by emergency officials on Twitter that “there are no shelters, no electricity, very limited resources for food, gasoline and supplies and absolutely no medical services.” The leader of Louisiana’s largest hospital system, Ochsner Health, is considering opening a field hospital somewhere in Terrebonne or Lafourche parish because the shuttering of most of the hospitals in the area removed about 250 to 300 beds. When “folks come back, this is going to definitely put a strain on the situation,” Ochsner President and CEO Warner Thomas told reporters. Governor Edwards said he’s pleased that power returned for some people. It’s “critically important to show progress” after the storm, he said, while acknowledging that much more work lies ahead. Roughly 2,600 people remain in shelters, he said. “I’m very mindful that it’s a start, and only a start,” he told a news conference. As the staggering scope of the disaster began to come into focus, with a private firm estimating that total damage from Ida could exceed $50 billion, making it among the costliest U.S. hurricanes. Ida’s remnants caused catastrophic flooding in New York City and surrounding areas and tornados struck around Philadelphia. At least nine deaths have been confirmed in the Northeast with officials warning there would be more once authorities confirm details. But about 989,000 homes and businesses — 44% of all state utility customers in southeast Louisiana, from the New Orleans area to Baton Rouge — were without power, according to the state Public Service Commission. In neighboring Mississippi, more than 30,000 customers had no electricity. More than 600,000 people were without water. Hard-hit areas in southeast Louisiana were under a heat advisory Thursday, with forecasters warning combined heat and humidity could make some areas feel like 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). New Orleans officials opened seven places where people could get a meal and sit in air conditioning. The city was also using 70 transit buses as cooling sites, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. Karen Evans charged electronic devices at a New Orleans gym where four tall fans stirred the air. Her home in the city was not damaged, but she was struggling without power. “The great challenge is living a life in a sweltering place without air conditioning,” she said. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Soaking rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida prompted the evacuations of thousands of people Wednesday after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The storm soaked much of western and central Pennsylvania after high water drove some from their homes in Maryland and Virginia. The storm killed a teenager, two people were not accounted for and a tornado was believed to have touched down along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Ida caused countless school and business closures in Pennsylvania. About 150 roadways maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were closed and many smaller roadways also were impassable. Some 18,000 customers were without power, including some 12,000 in central Pennsylvania. Some areas near Johnstown, whose history includes several deadly floods, saw 5 inches or more of rain by midafternoon, an inundation that triggered an evacuation order for those downstream from the Wilmore dam. Cambria County emergency management director and 911 center head Art Martynuska said the water level at the Wilmore dam reached a height that required evacuation. Nearby Hinckston Run Dam was also being monitored but appeared stable by late afternoon, he said, by which time water levels at Wilmore dam were receding. “If that trend continues we’ll be allowing folks to return back to their residences shortly, hopefully by this evening,” Martynuska said. Both dams were considered high-hazard dams that are likely to kill someone were they to fail. Evacuees were taken to a nearby high school with help from the Red Cross, National Guard, local transit authority and school transportation services, he said. The 1889 Johnstown flood killed 2,200 people, a disaster blamed on poor maintenance on the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River. It sent a 36-foot wall of water roaring into a populated area at 40 mph. The National Weather Service had predicted flooding from what remained of Hurricane Ida, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended from the Appalachians into Massachusetts. Flash flooding knocked about 20 homes off their foundations and washed several trailers away in Virginia’s mountainous western corner, where about 50 people were rescued and hundreds were evacuated. News outlets reported that one person was unaccounted for in the small mountain community of Hurley. Water had almost reached the ceilings of basement units when crews arrived at an apartment complex in Rockville, Maryland, on Wednesday. A 19-year-old was found dead, another person was missing and about 200 people from 60 apartments near Rock Creek were displaced, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said Wednesday. “In many years I have not seen circumstances like this,” Goldstein said. Tropical Storm Larry was strengthening and moving quickly westward after forming off the coast of Africa earlier Wednesday. Forecasters predicted it would rapidly intensify in a manner similar to Ida, becoming a major hurricane with top wind speeds of 120 mph by Saturday. Kate remained a tropical depression and was expected to weaken without threatening land.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A day after an explosive wildfire emptied a resort city at the southern tip of Lake Tahoe, a huge firefighting force braced for strong winds Tuesday as some residents in neighboring Nevada were ordered to evacuate. Area roadways are also closed due to blazes. Affected roads include US Highway 50 and state roads 88 and 89. Current highway conditions in California can be found at the California Transportation Department by clicking here. The city of South Lake Tahoe, usually bustling with summer tourists, was eerily empty and the air thick and hazy with smoke from the Caldor Fire, one of two major fires burning in the same area. On Monday, roughly 22,000 residents jammed the city’s main artery for hours after they were ordered to leave as the fire advanced, chewing up drought-stricken vegetation. The National Weather Service warned that weather conditions through Wednesday would include low humidity, dry fuel and wind gusts up to 30 mph (48 kph). “That’s definitely not going to help the firefighting efforts,” said Courtney Coats, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. The fire was 3 miles (5 kilometers) outside of South Lake Tahoe, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Battalion Chief Henry Herrera told KGO-TV. South Lake Tahoe city officials said only a handful of residents defied Monday’s evacuation order. But nearly everyone worried Tuesday about what the fire would do next. “It just kind of sucks waiting. I mean, I know it’s close down that way,” said Russ Crupi, gesturing south from his home in the Heavenly Valley Estates mobile home park, which he and his wife manage for a living. He had arranged sprinklers and tractors around the neighborhood. “I’m worried about what’ll be here when people come back. People want to come back to their houses and that’s what I’m going to try to do,” he said. Pushed by strong winds, the Caldor Fire crossed two major highways and burned mountain cabins as it swept down slopes into the Tahoe Basin. Thick smoke prevented air firefighting operations periodically last week. But since then, nearly two dozen helicopters and three air tankers dumped thousands of gallons of water and retardant on the fire, fire spokesman Dominic Polito said Tuesday. The Lake Tahoe area is usually a year-round recreational paradise offering beaches, water sports, hiking, ski resorts and golfing. South Lake Tahoe bustles with outdoor activities while just across the state border in Stateline, Nevada tourists can gamble at major casinos. But on Tuesday, only a few dozen tourists remained on the casino floor of the Montbleu Resort, Casino and Spa. The state board that controls gaming said that casino regulators were monitoring operations at the four largest gambling properties in the city. Hotels are housing evacuees, fire crews and other emergency personnel. In all, Harrah’s, Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino, the Hard Rock and Montbleu Resort have more than 2,200 hotel rooms. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak urged residents to be prepared, saying there was no timeline for when evacuations might be ordered. At a news conference in Carson City, he noted that ash was falling on him even though the fire was about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away. “I’m standing here and I’m getting all ash particulates on my jacket, even,” the governor said. “This is serious, folks.” Hours later, residents in parts of Douglas County under an evacuation warning were ordered to leave, although casinos were excluded. At the Douglas County Community & Senior Center in Gardnerville, people had their temperature checked before entering a gymnasium of cots set up by the Red Cross. Outside, evacuees who had stayed in tents sorted through ramen noodles and plastic bags of clothes and keepsakes. South Lake Tahoe resident Lorie Major was at the grocery store when she got the alert on her phone. “I had to tell myself: ‘OK, Lorie: Get it together. It’s time to go,’” she said. She put on headphones, turned on the Grateful Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain” and walked home to an empty apartment complex already vacated by neighbors. She and her mini Australian shepherd, Koda, took a 20-mile (32-kilometer) taxi ride from her South Lake Tahoe apartment to a hotel in Minden, Nevada. A firefighter injured while battling the Caldor Fire last weekend was expected to be hospitalized for a month after undergoing skin grafting surgery. Richard Gerety III of Patterson, California suffered third-degree burns over 20% of his body, the Modesto Bee reported. Despite the very active fire year, there have not been many injuries or deaths among firefighters or residents. More than 15,000 firefighters were battling dozens of California blazes, with help from out of state crews. Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive, scientists say. The threat of fire is so widespread that the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday that all national forests in California would be closed until Sept. 17. Crews are battling the Dixie, the second-largest wildfire in state history at 1,260 square miles (3,267 square kilometers). The weeks-old fire was burning about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of the Lake Tahoe-area blaze and prompting new evacuation orders and warnings this week. The Caldor Fire has scorched nearly 312 square miles (808 square kilometers) since breaking out Aug. 14. It was 18% contained. More than 600 structures have been destroyed, and at least 33,000 more were threatened. The last two wildfires that ripped through populated areas near Tahoe were the Angora Fire that destroyed more than 200 homes in 2007 and the Gondola Fire in 2002 that ignited near a chairlift at Heavenly Mountain Resort. At the evacuation center in Gardnerville, Joe Gillespie said he, his girlfriend and her son left their home in Meyers south of South Lake Tahoe on Sunday, bringing clothes, picture frames and collectibles like Hot Wheels toys from the 1960s that Gillespie’s mother gave him. Gillespie, a mechanic at Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort, said that unlike the northern shore of Lake Tahoe, which is dotted with mansions and second homes, the area currently under threat houses blue-collar workers who make their living at the casinos and ski resorts that make the area so popular. The Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort is beloved for its unpretentious and comparatively affordable winter prices. It turns 75 this year, he said. “It sounds like we won’t be opening because of the fire,” he said.  

NEW ORLEANS — All interstate systems in Louisiana are back open after being closed due to the effects of Hurricane Ida, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced Tuesday afternoon. “DOTD crews have worked around the clock to get all of Louisiana’s interstates reopened, and I’m extremely grateful to them for their tireless work,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson. “But we still urge motorists to keep the interstates clear for emergency responders, as undue traveling could potentially burden emergency services. Check with your parish before returning because essentials like food, water and gas can be hard to come by and local, state and federal responders have already begun the recovery process. Let’s all work together to recover from this storm.” Many other state roadways remain impacted by the storm and DOTD crews from around the state are working to clear them, officials said. The DOTD advises checking 511la.org before traveling, and check with parish officials before returning to impacted areas.