Welcome to the WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Newsletter presented by TriumphPay. In this issue: Truck Stop Serial Killer sentenced and more.
Truck stop true crime
TDOC inmate photo
Hell on 18 wheels — Former long-haul trucker Bruce Mendenhall was sentenced to 65 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on Monday for the 2007 murder of Carma Purpura, a mother of two that he met at a truckstop. She was one of two victims he is convicted of killing, and he is suspected of nine more murders.
Mendenhall was initially captured all the way back in July 2007 at the TA truck stop on Interstate 24 in Nashville, Tennessee. Detective Sgt. Pat Postiglionet caught the killer after reviewing security footage while investigating the June 2007 death of Sara Hulbert.
When investigators inspected Mendenhall’s rig, they found, “More than 300 items including a rifle, several weapons cartridges, knives, black tape, handcuffs, a nightstick, latex gloves, sex toys and condoms.” Upon testing the items, they found that they were covered in DNA of five women, including Purpura. Unfortunately, the cops were a day late: Purpura had been murdered the day before at a Flying J in Indianapolis.
Monday’s conviction wasn’t Mendenhall’s first. In 2018 he was found guilty of shooting truck stop prostitute Samantha Winters. She was found dead in a trashcan with a bullet in her head at a truck stop in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Mendenhall may be off the roads, but according to Frank Figliuzzi’s book “Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers,” he’s just one of many. Figluuzzi has compiled a list of over 850 murders believed to be linked to long-haul truckers.
New York Post reports, “The FBI launched its Highway Serial Killings Initiative in 2009 after analysts noticed a pattern of murdered women — most living transient lifestyles involving drug abuse and prostitution — who had been killed and dumped along the Interstate 40 corridor in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, according to its website.”
Does this mean you should fear drivers? Hell no. There are over 500,000 long-haul truckers in the U.S. A couple dozen serial killers since the 1970s is still an incredibly small population of the driver pool.
Bad driver
While truck stop serial killers are specifically targeting victims, the other type of driver you have to watch out for is the drugged-out negligent trucker. Lincoln Smith was sentenced to 48 years in prison for crashing into a parked van on Interstate 5 in Oregon that killed seven farmworkers.
CNN reports, “Testifying at trial, Smith said the effects of drugs he took the night before the crash had worn off and he nodded off at the wheel.” Methamphetamine, fentanyl and morphine were found in his blood. Despite that, jurors acquitted him on drug charges. In February, he was convicted on seven counts of second-degree manslaughter and three counts of assault, as well as reckless driving.
Meme of the week
WTT Friday
Will SHIPS Act make shipping building great again?; hauling the world’s largest train set – Friday on WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, I’m catching up with Dredging Contractors of America’s William Doyle to talk about the SHIPS Act; making shipbuilding great again; and the impact of port fees and tariffs.
We just moved the world’s largest trainset from EnterTRAINment Junction in Cincinnati to Chattanooga, Tennessee, with the help of Elizabeth’s Moving & Storage. We’ll meet Frank Youmans to learn all about the logistics behind this high-touch, white-glove move that took more than 20 trailers.
Plus, all the latest headlines, trends and viral weirdness since our last show.
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Now on demand
American Truckers United exposes labor dumping in trucking; will Trump fix it?
Cargo thefts surge 49%; driver training under Trump; up close with NASA crawler
Registration now open for May Freight Fraud Symposium in Dallas
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Freight fraud has reached a crisis level, and it impacts everyone in the industry. It’s time for us to come together to address this critical problem and share best practices on how to mitigate it.
Join us on May 14 in Dallas at the Freight Fraud Symposium, where transportation executives, freight leaders and technology buyers will come together to discuss the issues we all face, share lessons learned, and get insights on the latest technology to help us tackle this problem.Space is limited, so register now to save your spot!
The rest of the noise
Trump pauses tariffs on autos from Canada, Mexico
This Fox News Clip Showing What The Price Of A Truck Will Be After Tariffs Is Going Viral
Tariff impacts on diesel prices will likely hit New England first
Trump says US plans tax breaks, investment in shipbuilding
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Don’t be a stranger,
Dooner
