Are You Ready for Some Football???
God knows I am. I have watched enough Little League baseball, WNBA (ok, I don’t really watch that, but if I see it when I’m flipping through the channels…. that’s still too much), drag racing, golf, tennis and reality cooking shows to last me…. until next summer. But now it is TIME! Break out the football!!!! For those of you who don’t know, I am a premier football handicapper, although these days it’s done on a strictly recreational basis. Without further ado, I bring you my fearless 2007 NFL predictions. Note: in last year’s preseason 2006 edition, I correctly predicted the Colts would break their playoff jinx, and bring home the bacon.
AFC East AFC North AFC South AFC West
New England 12-4 Baltimore 11-5 Indianapolis 12-4 San Diego 11-5
New York Jets 9-7 Pittsburgh 10-6 Jacksonville 9-7 Denver 11-5
Miami 8-8 Cincinnati 9-7 Houston 7-9 Kansas City 6-10
Buffalo 5-11 Cleveland 6-10 Tennessee 6-10 Oakland 6-10
New England appears to be the class of the AFC (and the league for that matter), at least to hear the talking heads tell it. About a month ago, I was ready to go with Indianpolis, mostly on the Ric Flair basis (To Be The Man, You Have to Beat The Man). However, the Colts had their All-Pro left tackle Tarik Glenn unexpectedly retire, plus they lost one of their starting defensive tackles for the year as well. I believe these losses do, in fact, put New England in the driver’s seat. San Diego will take a significant step backwards. Norv Turner?? Coach Norv Turner??? Oh, my, why don’t you ask some of my Redskins friends what they think of Norv Turner. I know we used to love the guy in Philadelphia, because we knew we never had to worry about the Skins. Baltimore will also be in the hunt. Nevertheless, I pick New England to be in Glendale in February.
NFC East NFC North NFC South NFC West
Philadelphia 11-5 Minnesota 10-6 New Orleans 11-5 Seattle 11-5
Dallas 9-7 Chicago 9-7 Tampa Bay 8-8 St. Louis 10-6
Washington 6-10 Green Bay 8-8 Carolina 8-8 San Fran 8-8
New York 3-13 Detroit 5-11 Atlanta 5-11 Arizona 6-10
For those of you who don’t know, I’m from the Philadelphia area, and I bleed Eagles green. As much as I want to pick them this year, after having watched them closely in the preseason, the defense will not be good enough. Again. So, who’s left? I think New Orleans will come back to the pack a little, generally after a magic season, things tend to bounce the wrong way. Chicago will fall hard… you can’t win consistently in the NFL when your quarterback can’t hang onto the ball. I will take Seattle. They were close last year, losing in OT in Chicago, and that was a year where everything went wrong for them. I except them to rebound and beat the Eagles in the championship game. Who’s the champion? Call it: Seattle 24, New England 17. You heard it hear first!
Road Rage Incident
From News 13 in Central Florida, August 19, 2007: “A tip from a driver led to the arrest of a truck driver accused in a road rage incident in Volusia County. Troopers got a call Saturday that a semi driver had forced a car off Interstate 4 between DeLand and Daytona Beach. The caller said the semi drove recklessly to get in front of a car and then slammed on his brakes. The driver got out of the truck and approached the car, but the driver was able to drive off. Troopers caught the truck on Interstate 95 north of Daytona Beach and arrested the driver, Juan Garcia of New York. Florida Highway Patrol wanted to remind drivers that they can call *FHP if they witness any type of crime on the road.”
This article probably only tells half the story. Who knows what the four-wheeler did to set this guy off? That doesn’t change the fact that the truck driver got sent to jail. The moral of the story is: “Don’t engage in road rage hijinks”. Sometimes that’s tough, I know, speaking as a recovering road-rager. You’re minding your own business, and some clown starts riding your bumper, swerving past you, giving you the finger. Your first instinct is, ”!%#$%%# jerk, who the ^%@# does he think he is?” And pretty quick, you’re returning the one-finger salute. After all, nobody is going to give me the finger! John Wayne wouldn’t let somebody give him the finger.
It’s bad idea to engage in this type of behavior because pretty soon, he’ll be doing idiot things like slamming on the brakes ahead of you, or riding your bumper, or worse. And, if you are able to convince the jerk to pull over so you can discuss it, all those options are bad, too. 1) you get your ass kicked. Never a plus. 2) this guy is hopped up on meth or something, and he pulls a knife or gun. Going from bad to worse. 3) You kick his ass. While satisfying, this jerk is probably further down on the socio-economic foodchain than you are, and is likely to sue you, sic the cops on you, or both.
The question remains: ‘What would Chuck Norris do?” He wouldn’t even acknowledge the fool’s existence. So next time some idiot who doesn’t know how to drive pushes your buttons, relax and be like Chuck Norris.
Truck Driver Sentenced to 4 Years For Crash
Robert Spencer of Michigan, was sentenced to 4 years in jail for causing a crash which killed 5 people in 2006. Last year, Spencer lost control of his truck near Fort Wayne, IN, and collided with a van carrying college students, killing five of them. Spencer admitted that he had driven over the hours of service limits.
All it takes is a split second for your life to change. This guy had probably pushed himself beyond the hours limits repeatedly, with no consequences, until this last time. If you’re tired, pull over. No load or job is worth hurting other people, or going to jail.
Do you need a Security Plan?
If you are a carrier or shipper of placardable amounts of hazardous materials, you need, among numerous other requirements, a security plan. This is a written document where you outline how risky you believe your HazMat operation is, and the measures you have in place to prevent terrorists from stealing or sabotaging your HazMat. The security plan regulations came about, naturally, following the 9-11 attacks. DOT loves issuing security plan fines. You might think DOT would take a cooperative approach, and assist industry in developing these plans, and otherwise help them without punitive fines. Well, if you think that, you’ve thought wrong. Security plan fines are big and plentiful. $10,000 or $20,000 is not unusual.
A shipper or carrier can not only be fined for not having a plan, they can be fined if their plan is not comprehensive enough in the judgement of the DOT inspector. You can even be fined if you have a plan, but are not following your own plan. For example, if you have a plan which says that all visitors will be required to sign in and wear name tags, and no one asks the DOT inspector to sign in or wear a name tag….. you could be fined. Sound ridiculous? It has happened. If you transport or ship HazMat via trucks, you should inquire as to the regulations, and make sure you are in compliance with 49 CFR 100-199.
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Eric Arnold is a Former Enforcement Agent with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and a leading expert on USDOT compliance for small businesses. Do you have a question for Eric Arnold? Email him at eric@arnoldsafety.com.
Arnold Safety simplifies D.O.T. Compliance for commercial vehicle operators. Get Eric Arnold’s USDOT Compliance Guide, DVD, & Regulations at ArnoldSafety.Com.
Learn more about Arnold Safety compliance consulting services at ArnoldSafety.Com.
Drivers who fail drug tests
When you are drug testing your drivers, occasionally a driver will fail the test, also known as testing positive. While this may seem like common-sense to some, if a driver tests positive, you must remove him from duty. Immediately. No ifs, ands, or buts. That means getting on the two-way radio, cellphone, or whatever, and shutting him down right then and there. You will have to get another driver to go get his truck. Do not even let the positive driver ride in a commerical motor vehicle after testing positive.
After a driver fails a drug test, if you want to use that driver again, he must go through the Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) process. This is a somewhat complex procedure where the driver must be evaluated by an addiction specialist, go through treatment, be evaluated again, and then come back to duty with a follow-up testing schedule. You must adhere to the SAP guidelines exactly, as DOT has little patience for motor carriers that allow a driver to fail a test on Monday, but is back on the road Tuesday after passing a test.
Furthermore, DOT has absolutely no patience for motor carriers who use drivers who have tested positive. The fines for using a positive driver, or not following the SAP procedures are generally several thousand dollars. If a driver tests positive, it is a big deal. Take it seriously, ask questions.
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Arnold Safety simplifies D.O.T. Compliance for commercial vehicle operators. Get Eric Arnold’s USDOT Compliance Guide, DVD, & Regulations at ArnoldSafety.Com.
Learn more about Arnold Safety compliance consulting services at ArnoldSafety.Com.
