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
uShip DISCUSSION TOPIC- REUTER'S NEWS RELEASE ON A SITE (uShip) 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
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