Arlington, VA — Six fatal incidents involving customer truck drivers in the past three years have prompted the Mine Safety and Health Administration to issue a safety alert.

by Suzette Smith

The Mercury provides its readers with interesting and useful news & culture reporting every single day. If you appreciate that, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. If you read something you like, something you don't like but are glad to know about, and/or something you can't find anywhere else consider a one-time tip. It all goes in the same pot and it all goes to the editorial team. Thanks for your support!

Good Morning, Portland! We're still "turning and turning in the widening gyre" over here, and we may be for quite some time.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Last night's round of election results arrived without any notable changes in the Portland City Council races. News editor Courtney Vaughn writes: "With Keith Wilson securing the mayor’s seat the day prior, results in City Council districts largely held firm."

• While the national election results have been [understatement incoming] pretty distressing, local races are lined with silver. The Columbian reports Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has maintained her lead over far-right, perennial challenger Joe Kent. The Oregonian has a good breakdown of the race and history of Gluesenkamp Perez's hard-fought win.

• PCC Automotive Service Technology Program instructor Jay Kuykendall has been named this year's Educator of the Year by the North American Council of Automotive Teachers, Portland Tribune reports. "Kuykendall oversees the auto shop lab and teaches engine performance classes, along with elective courses like Subaru U, electrified vehicles and light-duty diesel."

• Beloved local coffee chain Jim and Patty's Coffee announced earlier this week that it will close its remaining two locations, in Beaverton and in Portland, on November 11. "Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your support..." owner Patty Roberts wrote. "Now I will need to find a job. If anyone has any ideas for an old lady who has been off the job market for over 40 years, let me know!" ???? For more backstory, check out this Mercury piece about the struggling coffee shops from October.

• There was once a time in Portland when one could easily—well, depending on connection issues—rent a cheery little blue and white hybrid car to drive. The little smart cars were great for unforgiving rain showers and surprisingly solid in the snow. Car2Go merged with Reachnow in 2018, then tanked in 2019. In 2021, Free2Move announced it would drop a "fleet of 200 Jeep Renegades" for Portland consumers to rent, but the cumbersome cars departed once more in 2023. This week MSN reposted that story from 2023, so some people have been letting us know about it. Sorry about MSN, and this all happened last year. Still fun to revisit this tweet:

so let me get this straight

car2go joins sharenow, while reachnow becomes reachnow pic.twitter.com/gJi7R6YZ8e

— Cabel Sasser (@cabel) March 4, 2019

• Politicians are politicians, but I find Sen. Jeff Merkley's vibe calming:

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Senator Jeff Merkley (@senjeffmerkley)

• Every week, the Mercury gives out free tickets to local shows and this week we've got sweet tix for Reverend Horton Heat, Des Demonas, Karina Rykman and moooore—check'm out and win with our Free Ticket Thursday giveaway!

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• I can't immediately find who said this, but I think it's a valid concern: As we watch the transition back to a Trump administration presidency, the cabinet appointments are probably going to feel like being repeatedly punched in the face. President-elect Donald Trump named Florida strategist Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff on Thursday. Wiles has run his political operation for nearly four years, making her one of the few people to survive at his side for any length of time. What's Wiles deal? Nepo baby. Ronald Reagan campaign staffer. Wiles has been credited with putting Rick Scott in Florida's governor’s office. Associated Press has a nice, long profile on her this morning. Is she going to tear the tampon machine out of the White House bathroom again? We're watching.

• A Biden administration initiative known as “Keeping Families Together” was struck down by a Texas-based US District judge yesterday; Judge J. Campbell Barker argued that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority with its attempt to lessen barriers to citizenship for undocumented immigrants married to US citizens.

• Soccer fans did violence again, but this time it might be motivated by cultural and political friction. NPR reports that "leading political figures in the Netherlands have condemned the violence that followed a match between a Dutch team Ajax and Tel Aviv's Maccabi. According to NPR, "Dutch police said 62 people have been arrested following several clashes." Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema described local men seeking out Israeli fans on scooters. Dutch police chief Peter Holla said fans of Tel Aviv Maccabi had "set a Palestinian flag on fire in the city and attacked a taxi." Dutch authorities have banned demonstrations through the weekend.

• Happy Martian New Year... soon! In Scientific American Phil Plait writes: "Why would anyone pick November 12 as New Year’s Day for Mars? And why does our official reckoning of Martian time set the eons-old Red Planet only in its 38th year? The answer involves a combination of natural cycles and the human need to impose order via somewhat arbitrary timekeeping—pretty much like on Earth."

• And now we part—wishing a fine weekend to my naysayers and hatchet men in the fight against violence.

Frances Hall, former co-owner of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking, has been sentenced for her role in a scheme to avoid $9 million in workers’ compensation premiums.

The 2024 festive period could be a tricky one for retailers as shoppers hunt down the best deals amidst an ongoing cost of living crisis and focus the majority of their bargain hunting on the Black Friday weekend.

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA) served as the lead sponsor for the CyberTruck Challenge. This year marked the third year that NMFTA had served in this sponsorship role.

A Ukrainian truck driver was killed in Germany because of his words about Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bild wrote. "During a fight on a parking lot in front of a sawmill in Oberroth [in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg], three truck drivers apparently killed a colleague of theirs on Saturday evening at around 8:15 p.m. They were arguing about Russia's role in the conflict in Ukraine,” the newspaper said. The Ukrainian citizen was 34 years old. The men were drinking alcoholic beverages at the time when the incident occurred. The police detained three of his colleagues, each of whom is suspected of the murder. One of them is a citizen of Uzbekistan, two others are from Eastern European countries.

Truck route GPS apps are powerful tools that help commercial truck drivers plan and navigate their routes effectively. Unlike traditional GPS apps, truck route GPS apps take into account the specific requirements of commercial vehicles, such as weight restrictions, low bridges, and truck-friendly parking. These apps provide accurate turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates, and advanced route optimization algorithms to ensure that truck drivers reach their destinations efficiently and safely.

Insufficient sleep can decrease a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver’s level of alertness, which may increase the risk of a crash, yet little is known about effective ways to minimize that risk, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine presents a research roadmap to address gaps and uncertainties in estimating the impacts of proposed changes in truck size and weight limits -- the regulations that set the maximum weights, lengths, and numbers of trailers allowed for trucks on U.S. highways.

The transport of food and health/sanitary items such as cleaning supplies and paper towels have placed significant strains on the supply chain. Food distributors have to scrutinize significant preventative measures needed to ensure the health and safety of customers, drivers, and everyone that is in contact with goods that are transported and delivered.

This week's Fun Friday includes a Nutella and Betches book club partnership, Nerds at the Big Game, Pillsbury partnering on candles, a Cheez-It college tailgating food truck, and Haribo's float debut at Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

Your vehicles are a projection of your brand into the market.

Darrell Jones found himself in quite a pickle back in 1986. At the time, Jones was working for close friend and mentor Louie Garner at Garner’s contracting business.

Stuart’s Plumbing has been a family business for more than 28 years. The company was established in 1990 by the late Stuart Baldick Jr. But after 10 years of owning the franchise, he decided to branch out and establish his own brand.

Maloney Plumbing was founded by William “Duke” Maloney and his wife, Mary Maloney, in May 1964 after the couple gave up farming in Idaho to move to Phoenix.

When Brooklyn, New York, native Yuda Best turned 28, he moved to Miami and opened his own plumbing business. Now, two years later, Oasis Plumbing going strong.

“Don’t call the average Joe, call NixCo.”

After returning from Vietnam, Paul A. Campione Jr., a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, came home to his wife and worked many odd jobs until he got into the plumbing industry.

U.S. Navy Veteran Brian Beltz got his start in the trades during his service as an interior communications electrician stationed on the destroyer, the USS John Hancock.

David Sparling started working for his father’s plumbing company in 1979. By the time Sparling took over the small family business, known as Sparling Plumbing, he decided he needed to start fresh. So he folded Sparling Plumbing and founded Safari Plumbing in 2006.

As a third generation plumber, Eric Carter has been around the plumbing industry his entire life.

Founded in 1961, Herman’s Plumbing has the distinction of being a thriving third-generation family-run business. 

Growing up around the plumbing industry and watching their father, Bob Ray as he worked endless hours diligently growing his business, made the opportunity to purchase Atlas Plumbing for brother and sister, Rod and Sunshine Ray even more special. 

Ricci Hancock helps manage and run his father’s plumbing, heating and AC full service and repair business.

Named after a local mountain and using the colors of the state’s only four year university, Aspen Mountain Plumbing’s trucks remind all the locals of home. 

A third generation plumber, Mitch Kenney started out working at his father’s company in Colorado, then branched out and tried a couple different entrepreneurial opportunities. 

Being an avid surfer in a community that revolves around the beach and ocean, Josh Martin, president and owner, knew “Seaside Plumbing” would be the perfect name for his company.

“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”

That’s the slogan of Pataskala, Ohio-based Crawford Mechanical Services (CMS). 

People join the trades for many reasons, family business, a desire for little to no school debt, etc. 

At age 62, Paul Cleary has been in the trades for 44 years. He went to vocational school in Connecticut and then joined the union after high school. 

Patrick Jorge Besinga, president/CEO of Works Plumbing, and his wife, Margaret Besinga, vice president/COO, grew up in the Philippines, and both hold a college degree in business and marketing. 

This month, CEC Facilities Group celebrates 12 years in business. 

After working together at a national plumbing franchise, Jeff Morgan and Bob Miller knew there had to be a better way to treat plumbers. So, in 1997, they decided to leave and start their own company, and Morgan Miller Plumbing was born.

Known as “The Temperature Experts,” Shelby Township, Michigan-based Koz Heating & Cooling was founded just eight years ago — the culmination of Michael Kosmalski’s dream to one day own his own HVAC company.

“The right call any time of year” is the perfect slogan for Asheville, North Carolina-based Four Seasons Plumbing. The company was founded in 2006 by husband and wife team, Max Rose and Rachel Rose, thanks to a monetary gift from Max Rose’s grandmother.

Southern Trust Home Services began life on a farm. An electrician by trade, Ted Puzio founded his contracting business in 1995 while raising his two teenage sons. Then named TP Electric, Puzio and his sons renovated and flipped farmhouses before building a two-story facility to both live in and use as a workshop.

What do logging and plumbing have in common? Jon Hatch for one. After a friend told him about a plumbing apprenticeship opening 15 years ago, Jon Hatch made the jump to the plumbing industry. 

For the past 15 years, Steve Baker had a plan to start his own plumbing company. Last year, that dream was finally achieved with the opening of Gideon Plumbing in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada.

After working for a plumbing company who wouldn’t give him a day off, Levi Torres and his wife, Cassi Torres, decided to start their own plumbing business in 2012. The couple wanted a company that supported its employees and served every customer with professionalism and respect, and High 5 Plumbing was born.

After learning the trades during two tours in the Navy Seabees, Guy M. Cooper Sr. decided to start his own business — Guy M. Cooper Plumbing & Heating was founded in 1930. While the mechanical contracting firm has a long, storied history of providing high quality work and high quality jobs for all its employees, the third-generation owners Gary Cooper and Glenn Cooper decided it was time for a rebrand in 2021.

Edwards Plumbing & Heating, a third-generation contracting business, was founded back in 1948 by Charles W Edwards. Charles Edwards, a pipefitter by trade prior to WWII, became a Navy Seabee, building runways in the pacific.

It’s not often that a 27-year-old decides to start his own contracting company, but in the case of Ryan Osterkamp, that’s exactly what happened.

The OSHA standard on powered industrial trucks is one of the top 10 most frequently penalized OSHA standards for FY 2022.

As technology plays an ever-greater role in the shipping and logistics industry, bad actors have found new ways to infiltrate every part of a freight company. Here’s how trucking companies can protect themselves against cybercrime.

Truck driving ergonomics is an often overlooked part of vehicle safety. Employee comfort and musculoskeletal health deserve attention, too.

From SKU proliferation to employee safety and retention, experts highlight how lift truck solutions are working to transform beverage warehousing.

This year, electric technology dominates the 2024 new truck releases. There’s also quite a bit of innovation happening in hydrogen fuel cells.

For beverage distributors, handling the influx of SKUs has prompted carts and hand truck manufacturers to take a proactive approach so that delivery personnel can tackle the growing challenge.

Tire and automotive technology supplier Continental Tire introduced the ContiConnect LITE.

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc. announced the development of a new craft beer truck with Summit Truck Body.