A truck driver with a history of long-haul truck driver jobs has won the lottery.

But the very lucky driver has actually won the lottery before.

Radifa Ivanenko won her first lottery back in 1999 when she secured a green card in the Green Card Lottery and was able to move to the United States. Twelve years later, Ivanenko has another big win to celebrate – this time winning a grand total of $2,000,000.00 playing an online lottery-style sweepstakes at FreeLotto.com, a website that offers players six daily games with a chance to win over $11,000,000.00 for free. Ivanenko became a FreeLotto member on June 15, 2011 and loved playing the game.

Ivanenko takes over as FreeLotto’s latest millionaire, succeeding Edward Cohen of Wallingford, Connecticut who won $1,000,000.00 on June 22, 2011. Ivanenko becomes FreeLotto’s 22nd winner of $1,000,000.00 or more, joining the roster of FreeLotto millionaires around the world that includes Raja Khan from Lahore, Pakistan; Alejandro Llano from Mexico City, Mexico; William Herriott from Glasgow, Scotland; and Eric Prevost from Calvados, France.

This jackpot brings the total awarded in FreeLotto’s sweepstakes to over $93 million. When asked how she plans to use the winnings, Ivanenko said she will buy herself a house and a car as well as help her two daughters and four grandchildren. She also said she doesn’t plan to retire just yet and will continue working while her health allows.

4SafeDrivers.com is helping companies clear the records of those they are considering for truck driver jobs.

The website offers nationwide DMV services to both employees and employers.

The transportation industry continues to expand aggressively, so the need remains to ensure drivers that are hired have clean and approved records.

Delivery time for the background check only takes about a day.

“It is no secret that transportation jobs, be it driving a bus or a commercial truck, are relatively plentiful,” notes 4SafeDrivers.com founder and president Jeffrey Kellner. “Yet it is also true that these jobs require rigorous background checks. That is why 4SafeDrivers.com offers so many services just for employers.” The Tribune article notes that transportation jobs are particularly restrictive in their background check processes.

Kellner goes on to note that employers have many reasons for seeking driving records from potential employees. “Not only is there the issue of safety, but also of liability, of insurance cost, and more,” Kellner observes. He also says that 4SafeDrivers.com’s new one-day delivery time is essential. “Given how many people are starting to apply for these transportation jobs, it is vital that employers be able to make informed hiring decisions as quickly as possible.”

Seegrid Corp., maker of un-manned, automated pallet trucks and tow tractors that operate without the need for wire, tape, laser or other automated guided vehicle (AGV) guidance systems, have announced their expansion and creation of additional truck driver jobs.

Recently the company announced the hire of Sana Ali as Applications Engineer. Due to the extraordinary growth Seegrid is experiencing, Ali has been brought on board in order to keep up with customer demand and to support the partnership with Raymond Corporation and Linde Material Handling.
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Oil field giant Halliburton said this week it is recruiting for many truck driver jobs in San Antonio, among other positions.

Halliburton said it it will hire 1500 people for a variety of positions, including administrators, managers, technicians, engineers, chemists, geologists and engineering jobs in San Antonio.

The jobs will pay an average of $70,000 per year.

Halliburton just broke ground on a $50 million base of operations in San Antonio.
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If veterans come home from active duty seeking truck driver jobs, a new initiative by President Obama will help them achieve their goal.

Obama announced executive orders Nov. 7 to give tax credits to employers who hire post-9/11 veterans and wounded warriors, as well as enhanced career counseling and related services for veterans.
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The increase of FedEx seasonal jobs is a good indicator that there will be more truck driver jobs.

FedEx said recently it expects to move more than 17 million shipments – almost double its daily average volume – through its global networks on December 12, the projected busiest day in company history. The 10 percent year-over-year increase will be driven by FedEx SmartPost, a residential shipping service designed for online and catalog retailers, as well as expected increased volume at FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery.
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A website that provides a screening service for those hiring truckers for truck driver jobs is gaining traction with employers.

4SafeDrivers.com has seen a spike in business following new insights into the Texas trucking industry. According to a new report, trucking companies like Sentinel Transportation, which has locations all over the Lone Star State, are seeking to attract new truck drivers by increasing employee salaries and benefits packages. Along with the increase in benefits comes a raising of standards, however, as most trucking companies are now requiring to see Texas driving records for all new employees. Providing Texas driving records to employers is the primary service offered by 4SafeDrivers.com.
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A proposed ban on texting could affect truck driver jobs.

Citing distraction from the use of a mobile phone by the driver of an 18-wheel semi truck as the probable cause of a crash that killed 11 people, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended banning the use of mobile phones by commercial drivers except in emergencies.

“Distracted driving is becoming increasingly prevalent, exacerbating the danger we encounter daily on our roadways,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “It can be especially lethal when the distracted driver is at the wheel of a vehicle that weighs 40 tons and travels at highway speeds.”

On March 26, 2010, at about 5:14 a.m. CDT, near Munfordville, Kentucky, a truck-tractor semitrailer combination unit driven by a 45-year-old male departed the left lane of southbound Interstate 65, crossed a 60-foot-wide median, struck and overrode a cable barrier system, entered the northbound travel lanes, and struck a 15-passenger van, driven by a 41-year-old male and occupied by 11 passengers (eight adults, two small children, and an infant). The truck driver and 10 of the 12 occupants of the van were killed.

Investigators determined that the driver used his mobile phone for calls and text messages a total of 69 times while driving in the 24-hour period prior to the accident. The driver made four calls in the minutes leading up to the crash, making the last call at 5:14 a.m. CDT, coinciding with the time that the truck departed the highway.

The Safety Board also determined that the median barrier system, which had recently been installed following another cross-median fatal accident on the same section of I-65, contributed to the severity of the accident because it was not designed to redirect or contain a vehicle of the accident truck’s size. Because median crossover accidents involving large vehicles are so deadly, the NTSB made recommendations regarding the use of appropriately designed median barriers on roadways with high volumes of commercial vehicles.

At the meeting today, the NTSB issued 15 new safety recommendations to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. The Safety Board also reiterated two previously issued recommendations to the FMCSA.

According to a recent article, the Department of Workforce Services is partnering with the Arkansas Trucking Association and ASU-Newport to provide job seekers with truck driver jobs.

Approximately 300 drivers are needed at four Arkansas companies: Stallion Transportation Group, Tyson Foods, Willis Shaw Express and Maverick USA.

The Director of Driver Training for Maverick told KATV.com, “The lifestyle of a truck driver is very unique to probably any other career in the us because of the amount of responsibility we have. The average professional truck driver makes 160 decisions going down the road and not a lot of people realize that and that’s per mile.” (more…)

A program under scrutiny by many in the trucking industry is being called a boon for truck driver jobs and the severe driver shortage.

While trucking fleets are still in the early stages of learning how to operate under the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, and the extent and depth of the driver shortage is debated, there is at least one group that sees both of these developments as a positive. Truck driver training programs, in particular programs that are certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute(PTDI), are expecting CSA and the driver shortage to be a boon to enrollment. “I see the predicted driver shortage as a positive for truck driver training programs associated with PTDI,” said David Wehman, system program coordinator at Baker College of Flint, one of four programs that have recently been recertified by PTDI. “As companies demand more quality in their entry-level positions and as existing drivers with a high PSP score are weeded out of this industry, training programs that insist on putting a professional driver on the road should see an increase in enrollment,” Wehman added. “And as insurance companies demand quality drivers, companies are demanding more from their drivers as well.”

The other programs to receive the five-year certification are All-State Career, Baltimore; Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania; and Swift Driving Academy, Lewiston, Idaho. With unemployment remaining above 9% nationally, and an economy that is growing much slower than expected resulting in much tighter capacity, the driver shortage may not turn out to be as bad as previously predicted. But CSA is having its effects on drivers as companies tighten driving requirements – and make a push to force out more of the poorer performing operators. The result is a glut of people considering jobs as truck drivers and plenty of companies looking to solidify their ranks with skilled drivers.

“Our truck driving program has always been our backbone,” said Larry Fishman, campus president at All-State Career. “But it’s been interesting how in the last 18 months, employers are banging on our doors. One guy came looking for 70 drivers; it creates a buzz in the student body to see these employers coming in wanting to hire.”

“With Compliance, Safety, Accountability regulations out there and insurance company requirements, it means carriers can’t lessen their criteria. If anything, they will have to be more stringent in whom they hire,” said Randy Zimmerman, coordinator of training at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute. Experts also expect the current unemployment rate to drive people to consider truck driving as a new career.

“With the current economy, trucking is the best option,” said Loary Roberts, academy director at Swift Driving Academy. “There may be other options out there, but our students say they get to travel, see the country, deal with different people, and they earn a good wage.” And, Roberts adds, proper training can aid in driver retention. “All we do is preach safety, for our drivers to be safe when they go out on the road, and I think the better our drivers are trained, the more they will stay with a company,” Roberts said.

But even as training programs see increases in both students and carriers interested in their services, students should be cautious when choosing a center to train at.