Posts Tagged ‘Arizona’
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
When I first sat down with Road Scholar driver Joe Ruggerio, I thought it would be a typical interview about the places he liked to visit on the road (Arizona is his favorite by the way) or an accident that he had witnessed. But what he had to say took me by surprise.
One of Joe’s favorite things to do is auto haul, in which he has been given the opportunity of meeting some very famous people along the way.
“I hauled a car for Jay Leno from California to an auction in Arizona. He was selling a couple of cars there. I also hauled Hulk Hogan’s 68 Hemie Road Runner to California to be restored.”
I asked him what it was like meeting the Hulk and Joe responded, “I told him to sit down because he was too tall!”
Hulk Hogan is not the only wrestler Joe has hauled cars for. He’s also hauled several cars for ex-wrestler Ted Vernon.
And as I sat listening to Joe’s stories, they just kept getting better.
“I’ve also hauled two of Elvis’s cars from his mansion to Florida.” (Yes, one of them was Elvis’ well-known pink Cadillac and the other a white one).
“I was nervous about meeting them. I pulled into Graceland and Priscilla Presley came out and asked if I could wait a while because the museum was still open and she wanted it to be closed first. Afterwards, she took me through a tour of the house.”
As Joe explained, everyone he met were really nice people. He did not ask for any autographs…it was all business-related.
Before Joe left, he gave me one more story…his favorite of all.
“I hauled both batmobiles…the original (at a body shop in New York and back to the owner in Virginia) and the new one. I used to watch batman as a kid so that was the best one to pick up. I even got to sit in it. It was cool. Behind the seat you turn a valve and flames shoot out of the back. There were a lot of gadgets in it but I didn’t touch any because I was afraid of being ejected out of the car!”
Tags: Arizona, batmobile, Cadillac, california, Elvis, Florida, Graceland, Hemie Road Runner, Hulk Hogan, Jay Leno, Joe Ruggerio, new york, Priscilla Presley, road scholar transport, Ted Vernon, truck driver, trucking news, Virginia
Posted in Company News, Trucking Industry News | Comments Off
Monday, April 11th, 2011
April 29th will mark World Wish Day, an event started by the Make-A-Wish Foundation last year in memory of Christopher James Greicius.
7-year-old Christopher James Greicius was granted Make-A-Wish’s first wish when he dreamed of becoming a police officer. Christopher who was diagnosed with leukemia, had his wish granted on April 29, 1980 when he flew in a Department of Public Safety helicopter, was sworn in as the first honorary DPS patrolman in Arizona state history, and even had a DPS uniform made especially for him.
Now, for the second year in a roll, Make-A-Wish affiliates from around the world will be granting wishes on the same day it all began, demonstrating how widespread the foundation has grown from just one wish.
36 countries (including Italy, Pakiston, Taiwan, and India) as well as over 100 affiliates will be participating in the event and granting at least one wish throughout the day, hopefully topping last year in which more than 275 wishes were granted. That’s a lot of dreams come true.
The World Wish Day’s website (worldwishday.org) allows access to a live countdown until the event kicks off. Those wishing to participate can donate via the website as well spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail.
You can also show your support towards the Make-A-Wish Foundation by shipping with Road Scholar Transport.
Road Scholar Transport is traveling the nation, spreading awareness with our Make-A-Wish awareness trailer. By transporting your LTL and Truckload freight with Road Scholar, you will be helping us keep spreading awareness while showing your support for a foundation that helps dreams become reality and put a smile on a sick child’s face.
Visit www.roadscholarawareness.org to learn more about Road Scholar’s awareness campaign and get a quote today!
Tags: Arizona, awareness campaign, awareness trucks, Christopher James Greicius, Department of Public Safety, DPS patrolman, facebook, India, Italy, LTL freight, Make a Wish Foundation, Pakistan, road scholar transport, shipping, Taiwan, tl, truckload freight, twitter, World Wish Day
Posted in Awareness Campaign Articles, LTL freight, Services | Comments Off
Monday, April 11th, 2011
Peter Cottontail was hopping back and forth along the dock, worried as a rabbit could be when he heard a voice.
“Who’s there?” he asked.
“It’s me, Peterbilt,” the voice said.
Peter Cottontail turned to find the sound coming from one of Road Scholar Transport’s trucks, which had been delivering a shipment.
Impressed that a truck could talk, Peter Cottontail began to tell Peterbilt what was troubling him.
“You see,” he began, “Easter is a very busy time of year for me. We made more chocolate this year than we ever did before and I don’t know how I am going to deliver it all in one day. Even if I could, the chocolate will melt in my basket by time I make it to every house. Millions of children are counting on me. If I can’t deliver this candy in time, Easter will be ruined!”
“That’s no problem at all,” Peterbilt assured his furry friend. “For I can help you. You see, the company that I drive for offers 24-hour expedited shipping so your chocolate will guaranteed be delivered to children before they wake up.”
“But Easter is on a Sunday!” Peter Cottontail explained.
“No problem. Road Scholar Transport delivers 24/7 so whether it is a weekday or weekend, your candy will be delivered on-time.”
“But what about the children who live in Florida and Arizona, surely the chocolate will melt by time it is delivered,” Peter Cottontail said with fright.
“Whether it is 100 degrees outside or 10 below zero, Road Scholar’s reefers allow you to specify the temperature you desire and closely monitor your chocolate to ensure that it is transported under the right conditions.”
“This is fantastic!” Peter Cottontail exclaimed.
“They just finished unloading my trailer,” Peterbilt said. “If you want, we can load it and I can have it delivered tomorrow.”
Happily, Peter Cottontail loaded all of his candy and chocolate into Peterbilt’s trailer and bounced with joy as he drove off.
“You’ve saved Easter! I’ll have to tell my friend Santa Claus about this one.”
And Peter Cottontail, for the first time in days, rested knowing that his chocolate was in good hands.
Tags: Arizona, candy, chocolate, dock, Easter, expedited shipping, Florida, Peter Cottontail, Peterbilt, reefers, road scholar transport, Santa Claus, shipment, temperature protect, trailer, truck, weekend delivery
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Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
-Make a Wish Foundation was established in 1980 with the purpose of granting wishes to those children with 
life-threatening medical conditions
-The first wish was made by 7-year-old Christopher James Greicius, who wanted to be a police officer. Christopher who was diagnosed with leukemia, had his wish granted on April 29, 1980 when he flew in a Department of Public Safety helicopter, was sworn in as the first honorary DPS patrolman in Arizona state history, and even had a DPS uniform made especially for him
-The first “official” wish granted through the Foundation was made for Frank “Bopsy” Salazar, who wanted to go to Disney World
Visit http://www.wish.org/ to find out everything you need to know about the Make a Wish Foundation.
Here are a few facts provided by the website:
Eligibility
-Must be between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18
years old
-Must be referred
-Must have a life-threatening medical condition acknowledged by a physician
-Must not have received a wish before through Make a Wish or any other organization
Statistics
-Every 40 minutes a wish is granted
-25% of wishes are to visit Disney World, making it the #1 wish
-As of March 2009, the average cost of a wish was $7,362
-In 2009, the Foundation granted more wishes than it did in any previous year; that of 13,465 children
-Over 75% of donations go towards granting a child’s wish
Ways to Get Involved
-Donate
-Monetary
-Treasures
-Frequent Flier Miles
-Shop to Help
-Adopt a Wish
-Volunteer
Road Scholar Transport Awareness Program
As part of its 10 Million Miles to a Cure Awareness Campaign, Road Scholar created a Make-A-Wish trailer in order to help spread awareness for the Foundation. The blue trailer features a young Make-a-Wish participant surrounded by stars showing that when you wish upon a star, dreams really do come true.
Tags: adopt a wish, Arizona, awareness program, awareness truck, cancer, children’s cancer, Christopher James Greicius, Disney World, eligibility, frequent flier miles, leukemia, Make a Wish Foundation, road scholar transport, statistics
Posted in Awareness Campaign Articles | Comments Off
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
You may not be a suspect in a police station, but you might feel like one if an Arizona proposal is passed.
The proposal would require any person picking up certain prescription drugs known to be abused, such as painkillers, in one Arizona city to be fingerprinted and videotaped before purchase. The videotape would then be held for 60 days.
Although an attempt to stop increasing prescription fraud, civil rights activists are fighting the proposal, saying that it is an intrusion on an individual’s right to privacy and would turn pharmacies into police barracks. Pharmacists are against playing the role as a law enforcement official.
According to rawstory.com, others are arguing that “the law would be ineffective because those seeking painkillers illegitimately would go to pharmacies in other cities.”
Regardless of where you are located, Road Scholar can move all of your prescription needs with our van and temperature protect trailers. Better yet, we’ll be making a difference at the same time by transporting with one of our awareness trailers. Visit www.roadscholarawareness.com to learn more.
Tags: Arizona, awareness trucks, criminal, fingerprinted, pharmacists, prescription, proposal, road scholar transport, temperature protect trailer, transport, van, videotaped
Posted in Awareness Campaign Articles | Comments Off
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
2010 went out with a bust after officials uncovered almost 5,000 pounds of marijuana in a tractor trailer which was 
supposed to be transporting tomatoes.
Customs and Border Protection stopped the truck at the Nogales, Arizona port last Thursday for a routine inspection.
According to azcentral.com, a drug detection dog sniffed out the marijuana, which was mixed in with the pallets of tomatoes being unloaded.
How much marijuana was stashed? Try 210 bales (or 4,984 pounds) which equates to $4.2 million worth (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/03/20110103arizona-pot-seizure-5000-pounds.html).
Myfoxphoenix.com notes that officials believe the drugs were being smuggled across the border by a 48-year-old Mexican citizen who was then arrested.
Want to know who is transporting your freight at all times? You can.
At www.roadscholar.com, you can verify a driver by going to www.roadscholar.com/verification.php. It’s that easy. All Road Scholar drivers receive routine background checks and with satellite tracking, you can be assured that nothing will be smuggled from you. You stay informed and we stay accountable.
Tags: Arizona, bales, Customs and Border Protection, drugs, freight, marijuana, Mexican, Nogales, road scholar transport, routine background check, satellite tracking, smuggling, tomatoes, truckload, verify a driver
Posted in Services, Trucking Industry News | Comments Off
Thursday, December 30th, 2010
A PetSmart Store in Greeley, Colorado had no idea that the truck driver delivering their freight would be armed and 
dangerous just minutes afterwards.
Scott Walker was employed as a driver for Michael Most Trucking in Phoenix, Arizona. But as of Tuesday, Walker went from “behind the wheel” to “behind prison bars.”
According to www.denverpost.com, Walker left the PetSmart store around 10:11 Tuesday morning and drove his truck to another street eight minutes away, abandoning the vehicle. Luckily, the truck was equipped with a tracking device, similar to the satellite tracking that all of Road Scholar Transport’s tractor trailers contain, allowing for the trucking company to quickly identify where their truck was and alert the police.
One witness remarks noticing the semi truck’s door being open (which Road Scholar also has the ability to identify every time a door is opened or closed), only to realize that Walker had exited the truck, waving a gun at cars and pedestrians around him.
Walker proceeded to force people to turn their vehicles over to him, and when that didn’t work, he entered a house where he temporarily held a man, Max Morgan, hostage, telling him that he needed “to be flown away from the home in a helicopter.”
According to the article, Morgan called the police and Walker escaped in a Comcast truck he had confiscated, firing at and missing a police officer in the process, only to crash into a steel fence nearby.
Walker surrendered and is being held on $2 million dollars bail, being charged with “11 felony counts, including attempted first-degree murder of a police officer; two counts of burglary, six counts of felony menacing, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery” (http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16967284).
Another good reason why Road Scholar Transport background checks all of its drivers!
Tags: Arizona, armed robbery, background check, bail, burglary, Colorado, Comcast, delivery, driver, felony mincing, first-degree murder, Greeley, gun, hostage, Max Morgan, Michael most Trucking, PetSmart, Phoenix, police, road scholar transport, satellite tracking, Scott Walker, semi truck, tractor-trailer
Posted in Services, Trucking Industry News | Comments Off
Tuesday, December 28th, 2010
Diesel prices are creeping higher and higher, ranging from costs of $3.15 a gallon in some states to $3.60 in others. 
Although these prices are the highest they have been in two years, compare that with diesel rates back in October of 2008 when they reached almost $5-per-gallon.
According to truckinginfo.com, the average diesel fuel price of $3.294 is an impact of higher crude oil prices, which are at $91 per barrel and are predicted to increase to $100 per barrel next year (http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=72539).
The following are the current average diesel prices in each state provided by http://www.etrucker.com/apps/promiles/fuelprices.asp.
Fuel Prices Averages For Tuesday, December 28, 2010
| State |
Tax Rate
4th qtr. |
Fuel Prices
As of
12/28/2010 |
Ex-Tax Fuel Price
As of
12/28/2010 |
Difference
From
12/27/2010 |
Fuel Price
As of
12/27/2010 |
| Alabama |
0.19 |
3.23 |
3.04 |
0.01 |
3.22 |
| Arkansas |
0.225 |
3.269 |
3.044 |
0.025 |
3.244 |
| Arizona |
0.26 |
3.329 |
3.069 |
0.008 |
3.321 |
| California |
0.373 |
3.492 |
3.119 |
0.006 |
3.486 |
| Colorado |
0.205 |
3.254 |
3.049 |
-0.004 |
3.258 |
| Connecticut |
0.396 |
3.603 |
3.207 |
0.692 |
2.911 |
| Delaware |
0.22 |
3.322 |
3.102 |
0.023 |
3.299 |
| Florida |
0.3167 |
3.391 |
3.0743 |
0.023 |
3.368 |
| Georgia |
0.158 |
3.26 |
3.102 |
0.025 |
3.235 |
| Iowa |
0.225 |
3.27 |
3.045 |
0.007 |
3.263 |
| Idaho |
0.25 |
3.447 |
3.197 |
0 |
3.447 |
| Illinois |
0.35 |
3.405 |
3.055 |
-0.001 |
3.406 |
| Indiana |
0.16 |
3.216 |
3.056 |
0.008 |
3.208 |
| Kansas |
0.26 |
3.252 |
2.992 |
0.013 |
3.239 |
| Kentucky |
0.212 |
3.281 |
3.069 |
0.009 |
3.272 |
| Louisiana |
0.2 |
3.219 |
3.019 |
0.015 |
3.204 |
| Massachusetts |
0.21 |
3.391 |
3.181 |
-0.018 |
3.409 |
| Maryland |
0.2425 |
3.366 |
3.1235 |
0.001 |
3.365 |
| Maine |
0.307 |
3.441 |
3.134 |
-0.003 |
3.444 |
| Michigan |
0.304 |
3.32 |
3.016 |
0.001 |
3.319 |
| Minnesota |
0.275 |
3.384 |
3.109 |
0.005 |
3.379 |
| Missouri |
0.17 |
3.154 |
2.984 |
-0.001 |
3.155 |
| Mississippi |
0.18 |
3.188 |
3.008 |
0.016 |
3.172 |
| Montana |
0.2775 |
3.347 |
3.0695 |
-0.005 |
3.352 |
| North Carolina |
0.319 |
3.274 |
2.955 |
0.008 |
3.266 |
| North Dakota |
0.23 |
3.395 |
3.165 |
0.052 |
3.343 |
| Nebraska |
0.271 |
3.296 |
3.025 |
0.026 |
3.27 |
| New Hampshire |
0.18 |
3.319 |
3.139 |
0.003 |
3.316 |
| New Jersey |
0.175 |
3.231 |
3.056 |
-0.014 |
3.245 |
| New Mexico |
0.21 |
3.289 |
3.079 |
0.024 |
3.265 |
| Nevada |
0.27 |
3.375 |
3.105 |
0.01 |
3.365 |
| New York |
0.3855 |
3.532 |
3.1465 |
-0.021 |
3.553 |
| Ohio |
0.28 |
3.327 |
3.047 |
0.003 |
3.324 |
| Oklahoma |
0.13 |
3.155 |
3.025 |
0.003 |
3.152 |
| Oregon |
0 |
3.13 |
3.13 |
0.011 |
3.119 |
| Pennsylvania |
0.381 |
3.432 |
3.051 |
-0.032 |
3.464 |
| Rhode Island |
0.32 |
3.509 |
3.189 |
0 |
3.509 |
| South Carolina |
0.16 |
3.15 |
2.99 |
0.015 |
3.135 |
| South Dakota |
0.22 |
3.289 |
3.069 |
0.012 |
3.277 |
| Tennessee |
0.17 |
3.222 |
3.052 |
0.017 |
3.205 |
| Texas |
0.2 |
3.213 |
3.013 |
0.008 |
3.205 |
| Utah |
0.245 |
3.382 |
3.137 |
0.008 |
3.374 |
| Virginia |
0.175 |
3.217 |
3.042 |
0.014 |
3.203 |
| Vermont |
0.29 |
3.429 |
3.139 |
0 |
3.429 |
| Washington |
0.375 |
3.527 |
3.152 |
0.019 |
3.508 |
| Wisconsin |
0.329 |
3.358 |
3.029 |
-0.002 |
3.36 |
| West Virginia |
0.322 |
3.364 |
3.042 |
-0.019 |
3.383 |
| Wyoming |
0.14 |
3.263 |
3.123 |
0.012 |
3.251 |
Tags: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, barrel, california, Colorado, Connecticut, crude oil, Delaware, diesel fuel, Florida, gallon, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, new jersey, New Mexico, new york, north carolina, North Dakota, October, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, pennsylvania, Rhode Island, road scholar transport, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, west virginia, Wisconsin, wyoming
Posted in Trucking Industry News | Comments Off
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
You’ll notice new signs the next time you’re traveling down Interstate 8.
These signs were posted back in June by the federal government, but they weren’t there to indicate slippery conditions or deer crossing, rather they were meant to make drivers aware of the criminal acts and violence that has been increasing in Arizona due to drug and smuggling activity, an article in TruckFlix stated.
Although criminal activity has increased, it hasn’t been common on the highway yet. Truck drivers, however, are still told to watch their surroundings and be careful. Drivers are especially encouraged to “try to avoid access roads and other areas south of I-8 near the Sonoran Desert National Monument,” where acts have been occurring more frequently and to call the police if they notice any suspicious activity (http://www.truckflix.com/news_article.php?newsid=7054).
Some drivers are afraid to stop at all on I-8 due to the violence and have even considered buying a weapon for protection.
Road Scholar Transport does not have to worry about our cargo or tractor trailers being stolen due to criminal acts. With security features such as navalock, electronic door monitoring, and cargo cam, your freight is safe from burglary. And with aerial tracking, Qualcomm, Skybitz, and covert, assisted GPS cargo tracking, criminals will think twice before stealing one of our trucks.
Visit www.roadscholar.com for more information on Road Scholar’s services.
Tags: Arizona, cargo, criminal, Desert, driver, drug, freight, highway, I-8, Interstate, road, scholar, sign, smuggling, Sonoran, transport, truck, violence
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