Semi driver kidnapped, truck stolen

Police are investigating after a trucker was kidnapped on Highway 301 and driven blindfolded to a location in Baker County. Tuesday around 3:30 a.m. deputies with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office were called to the Baker County Sheriff's Office. When officers arrived they learned the victim, a semi driver, had been at the Pilot truck stop on Highway 301 to get fuel for his semi-truck and snacks from the nearby Chevron station. The victim was scheduled to drop off a load of deli foods to the Publix Supermarket Company.

A gunman pulled the victim by his shirt to over to the semi-truck.  The victim repeatedly asked the men to take his money and leave his truck.  They demanded the keys to his truck and his money.  The suspects then tied the victim's hands and feet and picked him up, placing him in the sleeper cab area of the truck. The men then drove the victim away from the gas station at gunpoint with the Ford Mustang following behind.

Eventually the truck stopped and the men took the victim out of the truck's cab, placing him on the floor of an empty storage building. Once he heard the truck leave, the victim was able to break the ropes tying his feet and rubbed his head on the storage building's floor to remove the shirt still covering his face.

Police are still looking for the three men and the stolen tractor-trailer.  The semi-truck is a black 2000 Freightliner, described as having grey fenders and a sleeper cab.

The woman the victim encountered in the parking lot prior to being kidnapped is described as being a white woman, 19-22 years of age, 100-120 pounds, approximately 5 feet two inches tall, with blonde hair.  She was wearing blue jeans and a white tank top at the time.

The black man who was walking with the female is described as being between the age of 20 and 25, 6' tall, weighed about 160 pounds and was wearing brown pants and a white shirt.

The other two suspects were described as being black males, between the ages of 30 and 35.  One was said to be wearing a grey tank top, was bald or balding and weighed between 140 and 150 pounds.  The other was said to be between 200 and 220 pounds, was approximately 5'10" tall, had short, low hair and was wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt and black Reebok tennis shoes.

If you know anything that may help lead police to the location of the tractor-trailer of the suspects you are asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500.

To remain anonymous you may call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.  You could be eligible to receive a cash reward.

Read more here 

CVSA's Roadcheck 2012 Set for June 5-7, delays in service expected

About 10,000 federal, state, provincial and local truck and bus inspectors will fan out at more than 1,500 locations from June 5-7 across North America for the annual "Roadcheck" inspections on commercial vehicles.

During the 72-hour event, inspectors will conduct comprehensive North American Standard Level I Inspections, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance said Tuesday.

This year's focus will be on vehicle brake systems and preventing driver fatigue by conducting hours-of-service compliance checks, said CVSA, which represents law enforcement personnel who conduct truck safety inspections in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Maryland State Police will host the Roadcheck kickoff event to underscore the importance of comprehensive driver and vehicle safety inspections of trucks and buses and on enforcing safety belt use.

Read more here.

Road condition update for drivers

I-70 Bridge to Detour Drivers During Summer and Next Year

For 12 months starting in November and for several weekends this summer, construction on Interstate 70's Blanchette Bridge over the Missouri River, between St. Louis and St. Charles, Mo., at mile marker 230, will detour westbound I-70 traffic. Due to the construction, commercial motor vehicle drivers are urged to take a detour, using I-270 and Mo. 370 as an alternate route.

Between now and November, smaller weekend projects will close multiple lanes of I-70 near the bridge. These weekends, the the Missouri Department of Transportation says, are a good opportunity for drivers to get used to the detour route. Although the detour adds five miles to the route, it is expected to shave several minutes off of travel time compared to driving through the narrow work zones.

That work is scheduled for the weekends of June 22-24, June 29-July 1 and July 21-23. The dates are subject to change due to weather or supply issues.

The weekend of July 13-25 on the east end of the bridge, two lanes of I-70 will close in each direction as crews build crossover lanes in the median. In early November, the crossover will be put to use as the current westbound bridge is closed.

To learn more about the project, go to www.modot.org/blanchettebridge. Drivers can sign up for MODOT email updates on the bridge project and detours.

Wawa coming to Tampa

Wawa is a convenience store and gasoline station with a twist — food service comes first, gas sales, second. This unique convenience store might soon replace a former Italian chain restaurant in Tampa at 401 N. Dale Mabry Highway. The stores are native to the north but have been making their way south and just broke into Florida. Wawa also has other plans for building stores in Orlando as well as more loations in Tampa. The residents of the community have mixed feelings about rezoning the land, but I think this would be a great thing for truck drivers. Professional drivers already have a difficult time eating decent meals simply because they lack a fully stocked kitchen. The majority of the time drivers just go in a grab something while their refueling. For this reason, these stores can have a huge impact on the lives of drivers. While gassing up they could have the opportunity to buy something more than a Slim Jim, a bag of chips and a large soft drink. Hopefully these type of stores will continue to thrive and potentially improve life on the road.

From their website: Wawa offers a large fresh food selection, including Wawa brands like Built-to-Order® Hoagies which come in four sizes: the Junior, Shorti, Classic, and Two-Footer. We are also proud to offer our award-winning Freshly Brewed Coffee (over 195 million cups sold each year), the Sizzli® hot breakfast sandwich, quality dairy products and Wawa brand juices and teas. All Wawa stores feature a wide selection of ready-to-go salads, and fresh fruits.

Tony the Tiger

Today I want to talk about an article I read about a Siberian-Bengal mix named Tony. Tony the tiger lives at a truck stop in Louisiana and has been an attraction there for passersby for years. The tiger has been there since his owner bottle fed him as a cub and now animal rights groups are trying to remove Tony from his home.  I have many different feelings about this. On the highest level, if the animal is in healthy condition and has an adequate living situation and the owner has him legally, then leave them be.

Should tigers be pets? Probably not. But the guy doesn’t have Tony running around his living room playing with his children calling him safe! He knows the pet is dangerous and treats him with respect. I think people are so quick to jump up and down for pets like this because they don’t see a tiger as a pet one should own at all because you can’t play with it and it can kill you… Well my pet jellyfish sits in that same category.

And for a tiger that has grown up in that environment, what difference does it make to him? He has no idea he lives at a truck stop. And if you move him to a sanctuary, how do you know he won’t miss his owner? As long as he lives in a suitable environment, to me, what difference does it make if people take pictures with him at a truck stop versus a zoo? Apparently “Truck Stop” is a dirty word and automatically means it’s completely unfit for pets. If Tony is healthy, I say let the man keep his cat.

Read the story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/truck-stop-tiger_n_1073640.html