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The Horizon - October 28, 2024

Annual Vehicle Inspection Training


Join Us for the Annual Vehicle Inspection Training!


We are excited to partner with the Motor Carrier Service Division for our Annual Vehicle Inspection Training! This online training will take place on December 4, 2024, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM.

To register, please click the link below to fill out the registration form and then send it to mwilliams@mttrucking.org. Be sure to provide an email for everyone wanting to attend as they will receive a link to join the meeting.



Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and skills!


Belgrade and East Helena Christmas Convoy


Belgrade Event Details:

  • Date: December 6-7, 2024

  • Visit Website for details as they become available


East Helena Event Details:

  • Date: December 14, 2024

  • Starting Location: Wylie Drive

  • Time: 6:00PM to 8:00PM

  • See link for full route


We are excited to invite you to participate in the 1st Annual East Helena Christmas Convoy and the Belgrade Christmas Convoy. The East Helena festivities will kick off at Wylie Drive and both events promises to be great celebrations for our community.


We’re looking for trucks to join the convoy, as well as enthusiastic volunteers to help make this event a success. Whether you can drive a truck or lend a hand with traffic control, your support will make a big difference!


If you are interested in participating in the East Helena convoy, please fill out this form by November 15th. Feel free to spread the word and bring your friends and family along for a festive day at any spot along the route!


'Return to Normal' Economy Means Good News for Trucking

After the freight ups and downs of the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath, economic and industry numbers indicate that the industry is slowly getting “back to normal,” Bob Costello, American Trucking Associations chief economist, told attendees at ATA’s management conference in Nashville.


The growth of the U.S. economy is slowing, with the gross domestic product dropping to closer to the “normal” level of around 2%. The probability of a recession remains low. And, he said, with the slowing of growth that has driven high levels of inflation, the Fed will feel more comfortable dropping interest rates.


“The economy is slowing down, and while that may seem scary, the main drivers of truck freight are going to get no worse and in some cases could get a little bit better,” he said. Read More


Carriers Feel Insurance Premium Pinch as Cargo Theft Climbs

It can be griddles, paint, pharmaceuticals, electronics, cars, vitamins, even sports drinks.


When it comes to cargo theft, thieves can — and do — steal anything. Served up as a crime of opportunity, cargo theft is also a sophisticated, tech-savvy organized crime operation diverting loads and stealing millions of dollars of cargo every year. Often, the cargo disappears without a trace, along with the perpetrators. As more cargo goes missing, insurance premiums for policies to cover the losses start edging higher.


Recovering stolen cargo is possible but rare, noted Jason Odgers, senior vice president for Coral Springs, Fla.-based World Insurance.


“There is some success,” he told Transport Topics, “because whenever these guys steal something, they usually already have some sort of secondary market to go to.”


The old Hollywood tropes of stolen goods “falling off the back of a truck” or armed thugs forcing a driver off the road at gunpoint aren’t the current reality. Instead, insurance officials say cargo thieves are finding new, high-tech ways to steal cargo, learning to capitalize on the increasingly digital ways business is conducted.

For instance, thieves can spoof the phone numbers of legitimate freight forwarders; they can hack into carriers’ internal systems and divert cargo; or tap into job boards and assign new, fake destinations for legitimate loads. Read More


Will's Safety Message

What kinds of injuries result from electrical currents?


There are four main types of injuries:

  1. Electrocution (fatal)

  2. Electric shock

  3. Burn

  4. Fall


These injuries can happen due to either direct or indirect connection to live electricity:


A person has direct contact with exposed energized conductors (frayed cord, active power socket, etc.) or circuit parts. The human here directly provides a new closed circuit for the electricity to flow through.


A person has indirect contact when the electricity arcs – or jumps – from an exposed energized conductor or circuit part (e.g., overhead power lines) through a gas (such as air) to a person who is grounded.


This provides an alternative route to the ground for the electrical current (jumping).


Whether from direct or indirect sources, when electrical current travels through a human body it can interfere with the normal electrical signals between the brain and muscles (e.g., heart may stop beating properly, breathing may stop, or muscles can spasm). Potential injuries include:


Thermal burns from direct contact with an electric arc or flame burns from materials that catch on fire. Contact burns can burn internal tissues while leaving only very small injuries visible on the outside of the skin.


Thermal burns from the heat radiated from an electric arc flash. Again, the internal damage may only leave small injuries visible on the skin.


Eye damage from ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light emitted from the arc flash.


Internal injuries from the pressure wave released from an arc flash. This wave can cause physical injuries, collapse your lungs, or create noise that can damage your hearing.


Falls caused by muscle contractions or a startle reaction that result from an electric shock.


Muscle contractions and sudden muscle / body jerks can cause a person to fall from a ladder, scaffold or aerial bucket. Beyond the possible electrical burn, the fall itself can cause serious or fatal injuries. These can also lead to severe cuts and puncture wounds if the shock occurs while you’re handling power tools with sharp blades or pneumatic pressure (i.e., nail guns, chainsaws, circular saws, etc.).



Stay Safe! 

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