Each year during the CVSA Roadcheck event, tens of thousands of inspections are conducted. Roadcheck 2013 (June 4th – 6th) will be no different from past years. On average, about three times as many inspections are done each day during Roadcheck than are done on any other day. Now is the time to make sure your drivers and vehicles are operating safely.

Top 10 ways to keep off the DOT’s radar:

1. Make sure you keep your truck and equipment clean and in a professional manner.
2. Have your Company Name and USDOT number on the left and right side of the vehicle.
3. Keep all the vehicle/trailer lamps in good working condition.
4. Train your drivers on the roadside inspection procedures.
5. Train your drivers how to answer DOT related questions that may arise during a roadside inspection.
6. Ensure your drivers are using the proper load securement methods for the type of commodity you are transporting.
7. Use only qualified drivers that meet the full requirements of 49 CFR 391.11.
8. Ensure drivers are inspecting the vehicle everyday prior to starting their shift including the trailer breakaway brake system.
9. Ensure the truck and trailer both have a current periodic (annual) inspection.
10. And the #10 Tip to staying off the DOT Radar is – Contact The DOT Inspector LLC and have us help you become compliant so you can avoid the day to day hassle that can be caused by DOT Enforcement.

The parent company of Sweetbay, Delhaize Group, is looking to sell the supermarket chain, according to a published report. The Belgium-based has hired Lazard Ltd. to sell Sweetbay as well as its Harvey’s grocery chain, according to a report by Reuters although Chief executive officer Pierre-Olivier Beckers declined to comment on whether advisers had been appointed to conduct a sale.

Sweetbay is part of a collection of grocery brands owned by Delhaize that operates 3,400 stores in 11 countries. In the United States, that includes 1,500 stores under the brands Food Lion, Harvey’s, Bottom Dollar, Reid’s and Hannaford.

There were 105 Sweetbay stores in Florida at the end of 2012. In January, Delhaize said it would close 33 “underperforming” locations as part of a broader reorganization plan aimed at improving the company’s results in the United States.

In Florida, Sweetbay faces competition from much larger rivals. Publix operates 1,066 stores in five states, and Walmart has taken large shares of the grocery market, while Target has also expanded to offer fresh groceries. Personally, I like Sweetbay because I always feel like I save more money. But I’m probably just as lazy as most and end up visiting the one that’s simply closer to my house.

The Sweetbay brand has been around only since the mid-2000s, when the parent company started dropping the name Kash N’ Karry (a good move if you ask me), finishing the transition in August 2007. Hopefully if it is sold, they will continue to operate and keep prices under slight control at other supermarkets. Only time will tell.

A new investigation has opened questioning state officials on the length of the yellow light, more specifically, at intersections that have a red light camera. WTSP 10 News uncovered a systematic statewide scam to shorten yellow lights, in some areas doubling the amount of tickets issued to drivers for running red lights. I live right next to a red light camera intersection in downtown Tampa, and right after the camera went up, I felt like the yellow light was shorter. Not extremely shorter, but since I go through that intersection multiple times a day, I felt a difference. Turns out I wasn’t imaging things.

Regulations once required yellow-light times to be determined by either the posted speed limit or the 85th percentile of a driver’s actual speed – whichever was greater. Those three words were crossed out a year after red-light cameras law went into effect. Communities then shortened their yellow light times, sometimes by only fractions of a second, but those fractions of a second make a big difference (according to a story by AOL).

The fact that red light cameras make the state money in tickets is fine with me, but the notion that the state would jeopardize the public’s safety to shorten the yellow light in attempt to make even more, doesn’t sit well with me. The purpose of a red light camera is to keep people from running red lights and punishing those who do. I know if I am able to stop when a light turns yellow, I’m 100% going to stop if I know there’s a camera at that intersection. And I believe I am in the majority. But the idea is, if you’re driving safely and unable to safely stop when you see the light turn yellow, you should easily roll through the intersection without changing your speed while making it safely to the other side before the light is red. Now that the state is shortening yellow lights, your option becomes, either slam on your brakes and risk being rear-ended or roll through the intersection and risk a hefty fine.

All in all, the investigation is not only disturbing, but should be rectified immediately. Street lights exist to control the chaos of the world while driving across town – not to make the state some extra cash.