Throwback Thursday: Volkswagen Schwimmwagen

We recently came across a great "throwback" shipment on the uShip marketplace. If you couldn't guess from sounding out the name alone, this Volkswagen Schwimmwagen was developed as an amphibious vehicle for the German Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during World War II. The Type 166 Schwimmwagen became the most popular vehicle amongst German officers during the war due to its versatility and durability.

Despite the vehicle's sordid past in Germany, we thought this recently shipped vehicle on uShip was so interesting that we wanted to find out more.

On the Marc: Easy Steps to Getting Insurance and Not Overpaying

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that getting into trucking – just like with any new business – is going to cost you some money. Obtaining the right insurance is one of those hard costs you need to anticipate. Operating without commercial truck insurance is not an option. You must provide the appropriate commercial insurance to operate legally in the U.S. and Canada.

When doing any sort of interstate or intrastate commercial hauling, the law requires a minimum $1,000,000 in general liability insurance. About two years ago the federal requirement for cargo insurance was dropped, but that does not mean you don’t need it. Every shipper or broker you haul for will require you to have cargo insurance to cover their load. I have $150,000 in cargo insurance coverage and that will generally cover most freight I carry. When that is not enough coverage, I purchase spot insurance to fill the gap between my coverage and that required by the shipper.

Based on what I experienced going through the process, here are some answers to questions I had along the way. Hope this is helpful:

When do I get my insurance?

Once you’ve completed all the necessary forms and before you are granted your Operating Authority privileges, you will need to have your commercial insurance in place. There will be a processing/waiting period. You won’t be issued your MC number or be able to legally operate without it. So it’s not something you can wait on or let go for a while. It will be checked at scales, and you will need it for setting up carrier packages, especially if you’re an independent owner-operator just breaking into the game.

An Interview with Jonny Fritz: Songwriter, Truck Driver, "Dad Country" Scholar (Part 2)

If you missed Part 1 of our awesome interview with Jonny Fritz, check it out here. In a way, Jonny Fritz is to country music as uShip is to freight: he brings something new to a traditional industry, is a guaranteed source of ideas and innovation in the space— and for lack of a better word, he's just a bit weird (in the way that fine folks usually are, but rarely want to admit). That's a good thing, of course.

Both Fritz's music and his experiences on the road make him a great match with the uShip community that drives this blog— no pun intended. After all, we're music folks here at uShip. Our SXSW party is approaching legendary status. And take a stroll through the office on any given day and you're bound to hear a good number of songs you like, and a few you don't. (Just ask our friend Nick Hermandorfer.)

One thing we can all agree on, however, is Jonny Fritz's new album Dad Country. Stream the album here. It's great. Killer guitar, fiddle, organ, and piano arrangements round out Jonny's one-of-a-kind voice and harmonies throughout the record.

Read on to hear Jonny's tales of the Wild West, phantom big-rig trucks with x-ray high beams, the true gospel of Chevrolet, and a world where motorcycles never stop running.

Freight News Roundup - LNG Fueling Centers, Rest Areas Stay Open and Robot Trucks

Every week, we're bringing the uShip community posts and articles about the transportation industry, transport policy and technology, and recent trucking news.

Biz Buzz: Shell, TA announce plans to develop LNG fueling centers - LandlineMag.com

Shell and Travel Centers of America LLC have agreed to work together on a nation-wide network of liquefied natural-gas (LNG) fueling centers. The agreement includes installation of at least two LNG pumps at up to 100 existing TA and Petro Shopping Centers across America. Shell has begun research to discover the best practices for installing the LNG lanes as well as storage facilities for the LNG.

States eye ways to keep rest stops open - OverdriveOnline.com

States are searching for ways in which to keep rest areas open and are turning to privatized donations for funding. New Hampshire and Louisana have advanced legislation that will permit private sponsorship of their rest areas. Louisiana's House unanimously approved the bill April 18th, while New Jersey, Maryland and Washington legislatures have begun dragging their feet on the bill.

Washington legistators are discussing rest area demonstrations that would allow rest areas to exist in places where state rest areas do not. Private and non-profit groups would provide rest area service at no cost to the state and money received from these projects would be deposited into the state motor vehicle account.

Find out about  the Panama Canal Extension, robot truck platoons and dropping diesel fuel prices after the jump. >>

An Interview with Jonny Fritz: "Dad Country" Songwriter, Former Truck Driver (Part 1)

Jonny Fritz (or the artist formerly known as Jonnny Corndawg) is a country musician our team has grown fond of over the past few weeks. As a songwriter, guitar player, and all-around-cool-dude, Mr. Fritz has an unmistakable wit and zen all his own.

Though Fritz was born in Montana, raised in Virginia, and now calls Nashville home, it only takes a song or two to figure out where he’s really from – and that’s the road. Jonny’s ethos of life on the road pokes fun at country nostalgia almost as much as it revels in it – and even though the kind of truck-driving, motorcycle-riding, country-living consciousness that flows through his songwriting might draw more comparisons to indie-folk, rock, and the outlaws than it does to “country radio” in 2013, it’s country through-and-through.

Fritz has a name for his point of view: he calls it Dad Country, which not-so-coincidentally is the name of his second album that came out last week. Stream the album below. It’s something we knew would resonate with the uShip blog audience we’ve come to know over the years. It doesn’t hurt that he’s hilarious.

uShip VP Rick Wittenbraker and I had an enlightening chat with Jonny while he was out on the road to promote his new album. Check out part one of our interview below, and check back for part two next week.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month: Are You A Distracted Driver?

Are you a Distracted Driver? According to the National Safety Council, one in three Americans should say “yes.” April has been dubbed National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and there are plenty of resources to learn about how to decrease the number of distracted drivers.

Happy Earth Day From the uShip Team

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

At uShip, we believe sustainability is the future of the transport industry. And the future of every industry, for that matter. Efficient, transparent, and cost-conscious solutions to moving freight across the world are a win-win for everyone.

The uShip platform began as a simple idea for reducing waste. Today, uShip enables businesses, consumers, carriers, and logistics professionals to connect with one another in an open platform that saves them time and money. Sustainability is built into the platform:

1. Every year, the uShip marketplace fills millions of cubic feet of cargo space that would otherwise remain empty.
2. Every day, uShip shipments reduce the number of wasteful deadhead miles traveled along thousands of freight lanes, when trucks are left without backhaul cargo on return trips.
3. Through our partnership with TerraPass, uShip customers and transporters have an opportunity to generate direct carbon offsets with every transaction. Between 2006 and 2011, the uShip community offset over 30 million miles in freight transport. (That's equal to 1200 trips around the strange blue orb you see at the top of this post.)

Not to mention, our internal operations are carbon neutral as well.

• Find out more about our green approach to shipping: http://www.uship.com/green/
• Learn more about our carbon offset partners at TerraPass, who lead independently verified carbon offset projects across the US: http://www.terrapass.com/

uShip Marketplace Partner Spotlight: Jaguars, Macks and Bobcats, Oh My!

As we've mentioned before, many shipment listings on uShip come from awesome uShip marketplace partner sites like Proxibid and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. The items purchased on these partner sites range from GRANDE to ENORME:  everything from rare antiques, to cars and boats, heavy equipment (in the case of Ritchie Bros.), and the contents of entire warehouses.

Take a look at what the marketplace partner sites have been shipping in April:

Urgent West, Texas Disaster Relief: uShip Collecting Donations In Downtown Austin

In wake of the West, Texas plant explosion last night, uShip is collecting donations at our office building in Downtown Austin at 205 Brazos Street.

Immediate donations can be dropped off at our building until 7:30 pm today, April 18, and again tomorrow from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.  Click here for directions.

Tomorrow afternoon, uShip's flagship Help on Wheels vehicle will bring the goods directly to the Extraco Events Center in Waco for distribution to those affected by the disaster.

Waco-area charities are requesting the following items:

• Personal hygiene items and toiletries
• Phone chargers
• Pillows
• Baby care items: diapers, baby food, etc.
• Underwear, socks, and other items of clothing
• Bottled water
• Pet food and pet supplies

If you have any questions about donation drop-offs, or need assistance with aid logistics in the Austin or Waco area, contact Meredith at 800-698-7447 x8613 or email meredithc@uship.com.

uShip's Highway to Help program offers free or low-cost shipping services for disaster relief, animal adoption, charitable causes and special events. 

How Fast Does America Drive? A 12-Point Breakdown of American Speed Limit Laws

American speed limits have had a history of increases and decreases over the years. In 2013, maximum speed limits are now set by state governments-- but if you've ever had the misfortune of hearing this Sammy Hagar song, you're probably aware that the Federal Government set max speeds at 55 miles per hour for a number of years.

(That restriction was in place until 1987, when they dismantled the national speed limit. Read more about that below. Unlike the burden of the lethargically slow 55 mph (89 km/h) limit, however, the terrible song will continue to plague us forever. Thanks, AOR-format radio.)

Here's a quick look at how speed limit laws in the United States have changed throughout our history.