Truck Trend

Deaths in truck crashes jumped 13% as feds continued to ignore recommended safety steps

By Michael J. Moody 20 hours ago

More than 5,600 people were killed last year in crashes involving large trucks, a 13% increase over 2020 and the largest number in almost four decades, according to preliminary figures released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

The 5,601 deaths from crashes involving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds was the most since the 5,613 recorded in 1985, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Last year, 4,965 fatalities were recorded.

“What more is needed to take safety seriously?” said Dawn King, board president of the Truck Safety Coalition, an advocacy group comprised of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and Parents Against Tired Truckers.

It came as federal transportation officials, with some prodding from Congress, finally moved ahead on long-sought improvements to improve truck safety and reduce crashes.

President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law would require automated braking systems for trucks heavier than

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This Bagged 2022 Ford Maverick XL Is A Modern Callback To Mini Truckin’

By Michael J. Moody 21 hours ago

When Kenneth McCay saw the Maverick and placed his order, the intent was always to turn it into the mini-truck you see before you. “I put 70 miles on it before driving straight to my buddy’s shop,” McCay told us. He also had an airbag suspension setup in mind, “Airbags are the way to go,” he explained when we asked if he thought about doing coilovers instead of the air suspension; “I never considered any other route.” At first, the Maverick rode on larger wheels, but, “I got tired of my buddies making fun of it not laying out, so I had to go with smaller wheels and tires,” McCay added.

The 2022 Maverick XL rides on a custom made Chassis Tech air suspension system and raised strut towers. This was handled by NTX All Terrain, which also handled the wheel and

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Diesel fuel prices trend downward but truck drivers are still feeling the pain at the pump | KLRT

By Michael J. Moody 2 days ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas saw a record high again for regular gas on Thursday at $4.12 a gallon, but diesel prices are seeing a slow decline.

The price of diesel fuel is down an average of 7 cents per gallon in one day. The last record high Arkansas had for diesel gas was on May 11th at $5.30 per gallon. 

As of Thursday, the average price is $5.26.

Even with the prices trending downward, truck driver and owner of Road Legendz trucking, Jeremy Washington isn’t optimistic about the prices. 

Washington is fairly new to the trucking business. He started his own company in 2019.

From then to now, he’s seen a major change in the business, causing hassles, in particular, at the pump.

He says in 2020 he could do a trip from Memphis to

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California Developed Stick-On License Plate Wraps That Are Less Ugly

By Michael J. Moody 2 days ago

The slick front end of an electric vehicle or a supercar is perfect for achieving efficiency, performance, and style, but often enough modern car design presents a nightmare scenario for anyone who lives in a state with front-mounted license plates—tacked-on eyesores many drivers opt to avoid, facing fines and penalties to keep the look of their ride clean of government-mandated tags. But some California residents no longer have to worry, as the State is now allowing sticker plate alternatives that don’t require drilling into your car’s bumper.

All the way back in 2014, the State of California passed a bill that sought alternatives to the traditional screw-on front license plates that often require mounting points that end up damaging the vehicle’s bumper, securing the metal plate with metal screws into the bodywork. None of that damage is necessary, and one of the most promising alternatives proposed under the State bill

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