Special thanks to 13-year-old Logan Miller in this April Fool's Day edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast, no kidding. Miller is the young man I wrote a little about on Friday, who's been serving sack lunches in appreciation of professional drivers at the I-79 rest area in West Virginia, southbound side just inside the Pennsylvania state line. Logan Miller has partnered on an "Orange Ribbon Campaign" with the folks at Trucks With Room to Spare, and attempt to promote the use of orange ribbons by businesses and individuals offering various measures of direct support to owner-operators and other drivers out there who need it in these times out on the road.

Logan is the son of West Virginia-based owner-operator Jason Miller, who's been trucking through the COVID-19 crisis leased to Mercer Transportation with his International. Hear more about the Orange Ribbon Campaign, and when you can expect Logan lunch to be back available on I-79 in the near future, in this week's podcast.

Special thanks to 13-year-old Logan Miller in this April Fool's Day edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast, no kidding. Miller is the young man I wrote a little about on Friday, who's been serving sack lunches in appreciation of professional drivers at the I-79 rest area in West Virginia, southbound side just inside the Pennsylvania state line. Logan Miller has partnered on an "Orange Ribbon Campaign" with the folks at Trucks With Room to Spare, and attempt to promote the use of orange ribbons by businesses and individuals offering various measures of direct support to owner-operators and other drivers out there who need it in these times out on the road.

Logan is the son of West Virginia-based owner-operator Jason Miller, who's been trucking through the COVID-19 crisis leased to Mercer Transportation with his International. Hear more about the Orange Ribbon Campaign, and when you can expect Logan lunch to be back available on I-79 in the near future, in this week's podcast.

Three examples of a new intensity of appreciation not only of professional drivers amid the COVID-19 crisis, but also from the professionals for those out there on the road with them in support, from fuel desk personnel to sanitary workers and so many more. Interviews: Ingrid Brown on hauling produce in and out of Hunt's Pont. Paul Marhoefer narrates the first two weeks' worth of the virus spread and the hoarding that's come with it.

Three examples of a new intensity of appreciation not only of professional drivers amid the COVID-19 crisis, but also from the professionals for those out there on the road with them in support, from fuel desk personnel to sanitary workers and so many more. Interviews: Ingrid Brown on hauling produce in and out of Hunt's Pont. Paul Marhoefer narrates the first two weeks' worth of the virus spread and the hoarding that's come with it.

Owner-operator Chad Fowler's "Solar Peterbilt" 1996 379 springs from a motivation more owner-operators are acting on with the increasing availability of relatively affordable solar panels, whether like Fowler's of the type built for stationary use or the more flexible variety built for mobile application. A look on his mostly maintenance-free power system (a big step forward from diesel APU-type power, Fowler believes, in that respect) and a message of appreciation from a purchasing and receiving staffer out in Spokane, Wash., a result of the Overdrive collaboration with PRX's Radiotopia podcast network on Over the Road. Hear those episodes via http://overtheroad.fm or at Overdrive's website starting with Episode 1: https://www.overdriveonline.com/over-the-road-episode-1-biggest-tailgate-trucking/

Owner-operator Chad Fowler's "Solar Peterbilt" 1996 379 springs from a motivation more owner-operators are acting on with the increasing availability of relatively affordable solar panels, whether like Fowler's of the type built for stationary use or the more flexible variety built for mobile application. A look on his mostly maintenance-free power system (a big step forward from diesel APU-type power, Fowler believes, in that respect) and a message of appreciation from a purchasing and receiving staffer out in Spokane, Wash., a result of the Overdrive collaboration with PRX's Radiotopia podcast network on Over the Road. Hear those episodes via http://overtheroad.fm or at Overdrive's website starting with Episode 1: https://www.overdriveonline.com/over-the-road-episode-1-biggest-tailgate-trucking/

Speaking to a gathering of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association last week in Charlotte, N.C., while digging in on a view that the ELD mandate is a safety-positive rule, FMCSA Acting Administrator Jim Mullen made it clear he believed the flawed rigidity of the hours rules needed significant modification for drivers, and trumpeted the agency's efforts to promote the true safety-plus image of trucking as we know it. Such efforts could help stem the tide of so-called "nuclear verdicts" sought by ambulance-chasing lawyers from carriers large and small unlucky enough to be involved in most any crash, whether at fault or not. Along the way, Mullen revealed viewpoints on other trucking subjects, including the CSA program, that some owner-operators will at the least find familiar, if not exactly laudatory. His talk, annotated by Overdrive Senior Editor Todd Dills, here.

Speaking to a gathering of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association last week in Charlotte, N.C., while digging in on a view that the ELD mandate is a safety-positive rule, FMCSA Acting Administrator Jim Mullen made it clear he believed the flawed rigidity of the hours rules needed significant modification for drivers, and trumpeted the agency's efforts to promote the true safety-plus image of trucking as we know it. Such efforts could help stem the tide of so-called "nuclear verdicts" sought by ambulance-chasing lawyers from carriers large and small unlucky enough to be involved in most any crash, whether at fault or not. Along the way, Mullen revealed viewpoints on other trucking subjects, including the CSA program, that some owner-operators will at the least find familiar, if not exactly laudatory. His talk, annotated by Overdrive Senior Editor Todd Dills, here.

Let’s hear it for the self-described "door-swinger," everybody. That’d be current reefer hauler and former and still sometime step-decker and flatbedder Rob Goodwin, based up in the Texas panhandle and today running leased to a very small carrier. We'll hear how he got there, following some years running a small fleet with his authority, a run-in with a bad broker that cost him well north of 10 grand, and plenty business recalibration back to a one-truck affair. The last two years, too, he's found what might be the greatest ride-along companion a dog lover could ask for in his Patty the Traveling Road Dog. Also in the podcast: Introducing Overdrive's collaboration with PRX's Radiotopia podcast network -- "Over the Road," debuting Feb. 20. Catch the audio trailer with Long Haul Paul Marhoefer here. Visit http://overtheroad.fm to subscribe.

Let’s hear it for the self-described "door-swinger," everybody. That’d be current reefer hauler and former and still sometime step-decker and flatbedder Rob Goodwin, based up in the Texas panhandle and today running leased to a very small carrier. We'll hear how he got there, following some years running a small fleet with his authority, a run-in with a bad broker that cost him well north of 10 grand, and plenty business recalibration back to a one-truck affair. The last two years, too, he's found what might be the greatest ride-along companion a dog lover could ask for in his Patty the Traveling Road Dog. Also in the podcast: Introducing Overdrive's collaboration with PRX's Radiotopia podcast network -- "Over the Road," debuting Feb. 20. Catch the audio trailer with Long Haul Paul Marhoefer here. Visit http://overtheroad.fm to subscribe.