The article was primarily on uShip and how uShip has made a significant impact on the trucking industry.
One statement that stands out is “ uShip, however is more than just a marketplace to customers--- it is a
site dedicated to helping re-shape the transportation industry and give truckers the tools they need to be
successful”. Our concern is that uShip is helping re-shape the transportation industry and we are not
convinced that what they are doing is healthy for the industry or safe for the general public.

UShip does not consider itself a broker, has no broker authority, nor any broker responsibilities to the
public. According to Code of Federal Regulations, the definition of a broker is “Broker means a person who,
for compensation, arranges, or offers to arrange, the transportation of property by an authorized motor
carrier”. Brokerage business appears to be a difficult industry to control, and it will get more difficult as
legal brokers and other Internet Providers start using the same legal loophole to conduct business. Do we
really want uShip to help re-shape the transportation industry in this manner?

An additional way uShip might be helping to re-shape the transportation industry is through their absence
of control over illegal transporters utilizing their site. Through their policies and practices, uShip makes
use of illegal transporters a secondary issue, if an issue at all, in helping shippers choose transporters for
their goods. A lot of legal transporters are trying to inform the public of this problem and post on uShip that
the shipper should verify the operating authority and insurance of the transporter and explaining how to
use FMCSA websites. The public doesn't’t know these things, and uShip, though their lack of control in this
area appears to be encouraging illegal transporters to utilize their website. If nothing else, uShip should be
morally responsible to assist the shipper in this area and to make it difficult for illegal truckers to
proliferate the site.

A significant portion of the news release was about Jim Van and Dee Coston, doing business as I95
Transporter. Due to lack of information required by uShip, and difficulty of obtaining correct information on
a “Service Provider” listed on uShip, it is difficult to determine if I95 Transporter is a legal, licensed, and
insured carrier. Checks on the names in Safer and SafeStat produced no results that could verify that they
have proper operating authority and insurance. Most legal transporters display their Name, DOT#, MC#, and
more, not only on the trucks but on letters, memos, and other correspondence. Possibly, uShip helping to
re-shape the transportation industry means; Hiding or replacing legal operating credentials and proper
insurance with comments like great service, good communication and being great people to work with.

This should not be an economic issue, but an issue of public safety, public education, and protection of the
public from unscrupulous operators. However the article was primarily economic in nature.

Addressing the economics, it costs several thousand dollars per year, per truck, in licenses, permits, fees,
and insurance to operate legally. Operating legally is hard work and to operate legally is getting more
difficult and more expensive every year. It appears it may be getting easier each year to operate illegally,
and it certainly is cheaper. Legal trucking firms are asking for a level playing field.

In trying to fight the problem of illegal truckers already on the highways, legal trucking companies are
finding problems in the safety reporting systems that prevents or makes reporting potential illegal
shipments difficult. Most enforcement units concentrate primarily on the registered transporters, those
with identifying logos on their truck, and those that stop at the scale stations. Enforcement of and
knowledge about the illegal, unmarked pickup trucks and vans on the highways, appears to be very low.
The system for reporting authority violations, both on the State and Federal level, is either non-existent or  
difficult to utilize effectively. It would be beneficial if the systems were set up to enable legal trucking
entities to assist in improving this potentially bad situation. There are thousands of legal truckers that want
the opportunity and capability of assisting in getting the illegal trucks off the highway.

We are convinced REUTERS got the main theme of the article correct;  "uShip, however is more than just a
marketplace to customers--- it is a site dedicated to helping re-shape the transportation industry and give
truckers the tools they need to be successful”. Our concern is that uShip is helping re-shape the
transportation industry and we are not convinced what they are doing is healthy for the industry or safe for
the general public. As more and more truckers go for the easy, cheap way, the Public, State and Federal
Transportation Agencies, and legal Trucking Companies will bear the full economic and safety burden for
the illegal trucks.
STOP ILLEGAL TRUCKING
DISCUSSION TOPIC- REUTER'S NEWS RELEASE ON A SITE DEDICATED TO
HELPING  RE-SHAPE THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

A news release, "Technology-Savvy Truckers Using uShip to Weather Record Rise in Diesel Fuel Prices",
was released on 25 June, 2008.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS159081+25-Jun-2008+PRN20080625