Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: TODAY’S PURPOSE

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: TODAY’S PURPOSE:   “Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”           Ma r k Twa i n Today’s To Do List • Be the best husb...

TODAY’S PURPOSE

 

“Give every day the chance to become the most

beautiful day of your life.”          Ma r k Twa i n

Today’s To Do List

• Be the best husband I can be

• Be the best dad I can be

• Get up early and see the sunrise

• Get outside. (walk, run, bike, hike, fly fish)

• Meditate

• Yoga

• Exercise-lift weights

• Chores (yard work, jobs around the house)

• Errands (post office, grocery store, gas up the car)

• Work (client meetings, depositions, court hearings, trials,

preparation time, write-research legal motions and briefs)

• Pickleball

• Eat dinner with Ann

• Read

• Walk the dog

• Stretch

• Sleep

My daily goal is to complete each of these things to the best

of my ability. That is a full “today’s purpose.” Come to think

of it, that is a full life’s purpose, isn’t it? When you break it down

into little chunks and identify the things you need to do, suddenly it

brings clarity to the bigger picture. What makes you happy, gives you

purpose, and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning can

be the basis of your habits and routines. What is on my list is just as

telling as what is not on it. I do not see, watch TV, or check Instagram.

These things may be temporary distractions and bring momentary

pleasure, and at times, this type of entertainment may be needed.

However, in the grand scheme of things these activities are just

distractions, not your purpose for the day, or your life. Stay focused

on what truly matters. You need a “life’s purpose,” to feel useful,

needed, and productive. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. Some

folks may be better at finding their life’s purpose. For others, on the

surface it may appear that they’ve got everything figured out, but in

reality, they are struggling with the same question. “What is my life’s

purpose?” may be the wrong question to be asking yourself. What if

instead each morning, you asked, “what is my purpose today?” Or

each night you could ask, “what is my purpose tomorrow?” Rather

than struggling aimlessly about life’s big purpose, you can choose to

focus on a question you can answer. What am I uniquely good at?

What is on my path today? You must look in the mirror and start

with these types of questions.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: A Boeing 737 Max Disaster Every 24 Days? The Alarm...

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: A Boeing 737 Max Disaster Every 24 Days? The Alarm...:   A recent guest essay by Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of FreightWaves, published in The New York Times o n April 24, 2026, has renewed a...

A Boeing 737 Max Disaster Every 24 Days? The Alarming Reality of Truck Crash Deaths in America

 

A recent guest essay by Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of FreightWaves, published in The New York Times on April 24, 2026, has renewed attention on a troubling question: Why do thousands of people continue to die in truck-related crashes every year? This article summarizes and discusses themes raised.

Every day, millions of Americans share the road with commercial trucks. These vehicles play a critical role in delivering the goods that keep our economy moving. But according to recent industry and government data, the trucking system may be becoming less safe—and the consequences can be devastating.

More Than 5,000 Lives Lost Each Year

Large truck crashes kill thousands of people annually in the United States. In 2023 alone, more than 5,400 people died in crashes involving large commercial trucks.

While air travel accidents often generate national headlines and immediate calls for reform, deadly truck crashes have become so common that many barely make the news. Yet the human cost is enormous. Families lose loved ones, survivors suffer life-changing injuries, and communities are left asking whether these tragedies could have been prevented.

The Boeing 737 Max crisis claimed 346 lives across two crashes. The US reaches that same death toll on its interstates every 24 days — a 737 Max-scale catastrophe each month.

Concerns About Driver Training and Licensing

Safety advocates have increasingly raised concerns about how some commercial truck drivers are trained and licensed.

In recent years, critics have argued that efforts to expand the trucking workforce have sometimes come at the expense of safety. Some training programs have been accused of providing minimal behind-the-wheel experience before issuing certifications, leaving inexperienced drivers responsible for operating vehicles that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.

Commercial truck drivers must make split-second decisions in challenging conditions. Proper training, experience, and communication skills are essential to protecting everyone on the road.

Regulatory Oversight Under Scrutiny

Another concern involves the level of oversight within the trucking industry.

Federal regulators are responsible for ensuring that trucking companies, drivers, and training schools comply with safety standards. However, as the trucking industry has expanded dramatically over the past decade, critics argue that regulatory resources have not kept pace.

Some industry observers point to a growing gap between the number of carriers operating nationwide and the government's ability to inspect, audit, and monitor them effectively.

Unsafe Trucks Remain on the Road

Driver qualifications are only part of the equation.

Government data has indicated that a significant percentage of commercial trucks inspected each year have safety violations serious enough to render them unfit for operation. Mechanical defects, maintenance failures, and inadequate inspections can all contribute to catastrophic crashes.

When a fully loaded tractor-trailer experiences brake problems, tire failures, or steering issues, the results can be catastrophic for nearby motorists.

The Real Cost of Cheap Freight

The modern economy depends on fast and affordable shipping. Consumers have come to expect quick deliveries and low transportation costs.

But some experts argue that years of pressure to move freight more cheaply have created incentives that can undermine safety. When trucking companies operate on razor-thin margins, there may be increased pressure to cut costs on maintenance, training, or safety programs.

The question facing policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders is whether the drive for efficiency has come at too high a cost.

What This Means for Drivers and Families

Most trucking companies and professional drivers work hard to operate safely. However, when safety standards are ignored, the consequences can be severe.

Truck crashes often cause catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and wrongful death. Because commercial trucking involves multiple parties—including drivers, trucking companies, maintenance providers, brokers, and insurers—investigating these cases can be complex.

Understanding what happened requires a careful review of driver qualifications, training records, vehicle maintenance histories, electronic data, and company safety practices, and, often, identifying the many parties involved in the shipping chain.

Moving Toward Safer Roads

Many safety advocates are calling for stronger oversight of commercial driver training programs, improved enforcement of existing regulations, and greater accountability throughout the trucking industry.

While trucks will always be an essential part of America's transportation network, safety must remain the priority. Every driver, passenger, cyclist, and pedestrian deserves confidence that the commercial vehicles sharing the road are operated by qualified drivers in properly maintained equipment.

Preventing the next tragic truck crash starts with recognizing that these incidents are not always unavoidable accidents. In many cases, they are the result of decisions, policies, and safety failures that can—and should—be addressed before lives are lost.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash, contact Jaime Jackson Law on 717-519-7254 or through our website.

The original article “Truckers Kill More than 5,000 Pepler a Year. Regulators Are at Fault” by Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of FreightWaves, published in The New York Times on April 24, 2026, can be accessed here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/opinion/trucking-safety.html

 

 

 

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: The Last Time

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: The Last Time:                                                                         “You don’t beat the reaper by living longer, you beat the reaper by ...

The Last Time

                                                         

“You don’t beat the reaper by living longer, you beat

the reaper by living well and living fully.”

                                        R a n d y Pau s c h

What if you lived your life like this morning was the last

time you woke up? What if today was the last time you saw

a sunrise, heard the rain fall, admired the moon and stars in the

sky, listened to the birds, walked in the woods, sat in traffic, kissed

your spouse, or had dinner with your family? Imagine looking at

everyday life like that, like it was the last day, the last time. Make

no mistake, someday (hopefully a long way off) it will be the last

time. You have an expiration date, you just do not know when. Life

will go on without you. Everything is transient. But while you are

here, you should live life fully. I don’t mean going sky diving or cliff

jumping. I mean finding joy and beauty in ordinary everyday things.

Appreciating what you have. Be grateful. By thinking “this might

be the last time,” you shine a new light on the way you see things.

This change in perspective allows you to fully embrace life-no longer

taking things for granted.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: YOU ARE ONLY HERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: YOU ARE ONLY HERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE:                                                               “You are only here for a little while, and your bodies belong to yourself and ...

YOU ARE ONLY HERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE

                                                 

“You are only here for a little while, and your

bodies belong to yourself and no one else.”

                        P e n n J i l l e t t e

You could die of brain cancer.

Your boat could capsize, and you drown.

You could get run over by a truck.

Fast death or slow death you are going to die. In the grand scheme

of things, you are only here for a little while. Everything is

temporary. Someone else will be living in your house. Your car will

be crushed for scrap metal. Your bodies placed in the ground or

cremated. What carries on is the lives you have touched while you

are here. Your kids, grandkids, complete strangers you will never

meet, that random person that was put on your path today that

you decided to hit pause and help. The ripple effect. You help this

person who helps that person and so on down the line. Be wary of

the negative ripple effect. You harm this person who goes on to harm

that person. You are only here for a little while so you should strive

to help improve the lives of everyone you meet.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: NINE LIVES

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: NINE LIVES:                                                                    “Your second life begins when you realize you only have one.”            ...

NINE LIVES

                                                     

“Your second life begins when you realize you only have one.”

                                    R a p h a e l l e G i o r d a n o

They say cats have nine lives. But what about you? How many do

you have? I am sure you can think of more than one time you

narrowly cheated death. I know I can think of a few; falling part way

off a cliff; nearly drowning in a pool at the feet of a lifeguard not

paying attention, rolling an SUV, flipping a boat in a raging, freezing

river, a tractor trailer coming the wrong way on the Pennsylvania

Turnpike, getting sucked under in a river in some kind of whirlpool.

No doubt you can think of many of your own narrow misses barely

escaping disaster. Then you hear about stories of someone sitting in

their living room watching TV and a runaway car plows through

their house killing them as they sit on their couch, or lightning

strikes a tree falling on a child’s bedroom. Why? Think about that

for a while. Really stop and ponder on it. Come up with your own

answer for you.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: A Million Dollars

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: A Million Dollars:                                                                              What if when you were born, you came out of the womb with a pot...

A Million Dollars

                                                             

What if when you were born, you came out of the womb with a

pot of gold worth a million dollars. Each year some of those

gold coins, worth $12,500, will be taken away from you. After 80

years your gold would be gone and you would have $0, you would

be dead. Make no mistake, you will die someday. Some of us sooner

or later than others, but are you doing things that may hasten your

demise, having more of your million dollars taken away year after

year? Are you enhancing your million dollars with less taken away

from you each year, lengthening your longevity? When you are

“young” and still have $500, $600- or $700 thousand-dollars’ worth

of shiny gold coins left in your “pot,” in other words, bodies. Getting

to zero may seem like a long way off, but when you get down to $100-

$200 thousand you start to realize how little you have left, like that

last lick of ice cream at the end of summer vacation when you were

a kid. You may start scrimping too late. The point is you should start

scrimping, preserving and enhancing what you have now. Would

you rather have $12,500 taken from you or $7,500? You would be

upset if instead of handing over $12,500 this year you would have

to hand over $25,000. Yet, that is what you constantly do when you

are not exercising, eating poorly, drinking too much to excess, not

sleeping enough or well. Frittering away time working at a job you do

not like. Wallowing in misery. Going through the motions in a rut.

You willingly hand over more of your money until you wake up one day 

and say, “holy crap, I don’t have much left.” What if you started

preserving and enhancing now? You may not be able to control the

fact that you will die someday, it is inevitable, but you can control

the journey and what you do with the “money,” i.e. bodies and time

you have been given, or been allowed to use while you are here. Not

only should you strive to keep what you have for as long as you can,

but you need to keep it shiny too. You must work at it. Exercise. Eat

well. Sleep. You cannot keep your million-dollar pot of gold forever,

it will be taken from you, but you need not give it away voluntarily

sooner than you must, or tarnish it, you can keep it shiny and strive

to hang on to it as long as you can.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Bloom

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Bloom:                                                                         “Whatever seed you are, bloom.”                               At t i...

Bloom

                                                         

“Whatever seed you are, bloom.”

                        At t i c u s

“Sometimes when you are in a dark place,

you think you have been buried, but actually

you have been planted.”

                        C h r i s t i n e C a i n e

“Bloom where you are planted.”

                        Ly n M c C a r t n e y

Why waste precious time trying to be someone you are not, or

being someone, you may think the outside world wants you

to be? You are not defined by who other people think you are or what

the outside world thinks you should be. There is no one else like

you. You are not a uniform part made for a uniform system despite

constant outside pressures to mold you into replacement parts in

a cookie-cutter world. You are quite unique and that is quite good

enough. You have your own individual talents and skills. You bring

your own personal attributes to the table each time you show up. Let

them shine. You must water your own seed and blossom into what

you truly are and must be. Find your own path. Stand up, endure the

rain, and face the sun. Groom. Cultivate. Bloom. Grow. Blossom.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Water Your Own Lawn

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Water Your Own Lawn:                                                                         “If the grass is greener somewhere else. Start watering your own law...

Water Your Own Lawn

                                                         

“If the grass is greener somewhere else.

Start watering your own lawn.”

                                    Mi c h a e l B e c k w i t h

You are rarely satisfied with your own situation. You always

think others have it better. You perceive other people to have

it better, or something they have is better than it really is. It rarely

is. You think things are better in another situation, but when you

get there, they are not. “Things” are hardly ever as great as what

you perceive them to be, nor are they as bad as you had feared. It

seems to be in your nature to want something different than what

you already have. You are always tempted and envious of what other

people have, or more correctly what you think they have. This goes

back to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and eating

the “forbidden” fruit. You should focus on nurturing and improving

what you already have. Envy is poison. Instead of lusting after what

you think other people have, work on your own house. Water your

own lawn. Eat healthier. Work out. Work hard at your craft. Practice

to get better. Be grateful for what you do have. Your expectations are

rarely what reality is.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: PULL YOUR WEEDS

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: PULL YOUR WEEDS:   “On an exhausted field, only weeds grow.”                         H e n r y k S i e n k i e w i c z “Problems” do not get any easier with...

PULL YOUR WEEDS

 

“On an exhausted field, only weeds grow.”

                    He n r y k S i e n k i e w i c z

“Problems” do not get any easier with time. They only fester, grow

and get uglier. Confront reality. If you pay attention to your

lawn and pull weeds before they grow and spread your lawn will stay

beautiful. Ignore a weed, it grows, spreads, overruns, consumes and

takes over what was your beautiful lawn. Pull your weeds. You can

spray roundup on your weeds, and the weeds will wither and go away

for a while, but the weeds will be back, and, in the process, you killed

off some of your beautiful lawn. Avoid poisoning yourself. Water

your lawn and pull your weeds before your weeds are overgrown and

consume you. You must remove unwanted and unpleasant things

from your life. If something is still bothering you after 24 hours, deal

with it within 48 hours. Be done with it and move on.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: The Grass is Always Greener Beneath Your Feet

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: The Grass is Always Greener Beneath Your Feet:                                                                    “Practicing gratitude is a very powerful tool to shift your attention on ...

The Grass is Always Greener Beneath Your Feet

                                                     

“Practicing gratitude is a very powerful tool to

shift your attention on the things you don’t have to

the things you do have and this alone will make you

feel better.”

                No e l i a A a n u l d s

If only I had this, or if only I had that. Ambition can be a good

thing. Desire can be a good thing. Ambition and desire can lead

you to where you want to go, assuming you know where you want

to go and that is where you want to be. These things can also be a

distraction or an illusion. I will be happy if ..., I will be satisfied if ...

This conditional happiness can be a trap. Not to be confused with

legitimate goals. The key is to love the process. Love the journey.

Be happy in the present on your current path. If you are always

chasing rainbows or walking towards horizons you will never get to,

you will lose sight of the beauty you are standing in the middle of.

The grass is always greener where you water it. The grass is always

greener beneath your feet. You just need to pay attention and notice.

You are surrounded with beauty. The only place where the grass

may be greener is in nature. It is like wanting what you cannot have, 

that forbidden fruit, it is because you can’t have it that you want it.

You do not really need it. You already got it. It is not about wanting

what you cannot have but rather wanting what you already got and

being thankful and grateful for what you do have. Avoid comparing

yourself to others or looking for greener pastures elsewhere. Chasing

the more can be rewarding if you love the chase, but not if you are

only doing the chasing because you want the more, the greener grass

may be right beneath your feet, you just need to see it; or learn to

appreciate it.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Perfect Drift

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Perfect Drift:   “They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that’s not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles f...

Perfect Drift

 

“They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream,

but that’s not quite it. What happens is that you

begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand

scheme of things, and suddenly they’re not such a big

deal anymore.”  

                             J o h n G i e r a c h

The water is too high.

The water is too low.

The water is too dirty.

The water is too clear.

The water is too fast.

The water is too slow.

You are full of excuses putting off just getting started and getting

going. You wait until the conditions are “perfect” to get started.

The “conditions” will never be perfect. Just get started and magical

things will happen. Often you need help from a friend or even a

total stranger to get set up and get going. At times you set off solo.

You prepare and plan beforehand. You are ready. You put your toes

in the water and step in timidly, or you put your boat in the water

and start paddling furiously. Either way you are off. Sometimes you

fail. Your line gets tangled, you snag a tree, you get stuck on the

bottom- and your-line snaps. No worries, get set back up and go

back at it. You got snagged again. Oops, I got a tangled mess. No

worries, keep going. Other times, first cast, boom it worked, perfect

cast, perfect drift, bam, set, reel it in, in the net. Wow, this seems

easy. Other times you execute perfection each time, and nothing.

Over and over again, nothing. But you plod on. Keep at it. The day

will come to you. Most of the time it is a roller coaster of emotion.

You have many tangled messes and failures, but each time you keep

getting back in the water. Sometimes you execute perfectly, hit it,

are close to getting your prize in the net and snap it is all gone in an

instant. So close. You had it, but now it is gone. No worries, just start

over. Other times, you are hot, win after win, success after success.

These are the times you must stay humble and grateful, because it

will never last, never does. Everything is temporary. You will find

yourself stuck on the bottom again. No matter what, just keep going

Do your best. Pound your craft. Successes and failures will come and

go; that’s life, but make no mistake, your true friends will be there to

celebrate with you and to pick you back up, when you need it most.

The perfect drift.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Perfect Drift

Jaime Jackson Safety Blog: Perfect Drift: It's here! Perfect Drift i s the sequel and continuation of Sh*t I wish I Learned in College. Perfect Drift  is a sharp, practical colle...

Perfect Drift

It's here! Perfect Drift is the sequel and continuation of Sh*t I wish I Learned in College.

Perfect Drift is a sharp, practical collection of short reads that bring you back to what actually matters. 

 Perfect Drift strips away the noise and delivers simple principles for living with more focus, calm, discipline, gratitude, and joy. No fluff. No pretending life is easy. Just a clear way to keep moving forward when conditions are messy, motivation is gone, and your mind is full of excuses.

Inside you will find grounded reminders and mental resets on topics like:

• Getting started before conditions feel perfect
• Building routines and consistency that compound over time
• Eliminating non essentials and creating space to think
• Handling setbacks, fear, doubt, and hard days without quitting
• Choosing perspective, controlling what you can, and letting go of the rest
• Finding real wealth in health, relationships, freedom, and peace of mind

If you feel overextended, distracted, or stuck chasing the next shiny thing, this book is a quiet shove back toward your own best life. The kind built one good decision at a time, then repeated, until the drift comes again.

You can get your copy of Perfect Drift here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTN8VB51

ORDINARY MOMENTS

                                         

“There are no ordinary moments.”

            Dan Millman

The ordinary is the extraordinary. It is in those moments of calm,

peaceful, blissful moments where we just slow down and enjoy the

moment. Routine. Especially when we take things for granted. The 

“regular” days or drudgery should be what we enjoy the most. We

tend to trip up when we look at something and say this is easy. I have

done this before so I will not put forth my usual effort or prepare like

we know we should. It is in these “ordinary” moments where we let our

guard down, where we get off track or disaster strikes. You think the

hard part is over or yet to come. Think again. It is all important. It all

counts. You may feel “ordinary” and that may be good because we are

calm, cool and collected. But that is not an excuse to be unprepared

or take things for granted. Everything is wondrous. We should marvel

at it and above all, always do our best.

You can get the International bestseller The Shi*t I Wished I learned in College here:

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5FMWDGW

NOW

                                         

“Change your life today. Don’t gamble on

the future, act now, without delay.”

                        Simone de Beauvoir

Love the now. Be present. Love the process, embrace the work. It is

not the result it is the effort you put in to get the result. Do your best

and do it again, but love the process, it’s like working out, enjoy doing

it, and remember that feeling in all our endeavors. Love what it is.

Want nothing to be different. Accept what has happened and what will

happen. There is a name for this, its “amor fati” – “love of one’s fate.”

We accept life and all our experiences. The highs and the lows, what

is and what will be. The ordinary and the seemingly extraordinary,

it’s all awesome. Limit our desires, accept what we have. If we want

more, we will never have enough. If we love what we have, we will

always have enough. Take the good, the bad and the ugly, or painful,

embrace it and be the better person for the struggle and always do

your best no matter what happens. Anything worthwhile always takes

effort and love the effort.

You can get the International bestseller The Shi*t I Wished I learned in College here:

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5FMWDGW