Fleet Safety and Driver Monitoring

Driver behavior contributes to over 90 percent of the crashes that kill tens of thousands of people and cost billions of dollars annually. Improving fleet safety involves more than simple driver monitoring and reactive policy measures—it requires a proactive solution to verbally coach drivers in real-time to develop safer driving habits.

ORBCOMM technology is squarely focused on the driver, and offers the only real-time fleet safety solution that detects unsafe driver behavior and offers verbal coaching before a crash or fineable offense occurs.

Improve Fleet Safety with Verbal Driver Coaching

• In-cab Verbal Coaching: Send automated in-cab verbal alerts in real-time when drivers are speeding or driving aggressively.
• Speed-by-Street™: Send automated verbal alerts when drivers exceed the speed limit on any given road segment.
• Lane Departure & Collision Avoidance: Alert drivers in real-time if they drift outside their lane or get too close to other vehicles.

Keep Drivers Safe and in View

• Seat Belt Use Alerts: Ensure drivers are wearing a seat belt by sending alerts to drivers and managers.
• Crash & Roll Over Detection: Receive instant notification via phone, text or e-mail when a vehicle has been in a crash.
• Road Hazard Awareness: Allow drivers to communicate with each other regarding hazardous areas including debris, construction and severe weather conditions.
• Emergency Call/Panic Button: Call for help via hands-free cell network communication with a single push of a button.
• Signal Jamming Detection: Help prevent hijacking by detecting the use of GPS and GSM jammers. Track stolen vehicles via GPS.

Monitor Drivers for Enhanced Fleet Performance

• Automated Exception Alerts: Receive instant notifications via text, e-mail or phone call when a driver commits a serious violation.
• Driver/Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR): Create fully customizable vehicle inspection checklists for operators to complete electronically.
• Driver/Fleet Scoring: Automate driver/fleet scorecards to identify safe drivers and those in need of additional training.
• Work Alone Timer: Allow drivers to set up timers warning management if they do not return to the vehicle within a given time frame.
• Vehicle Inspection Alerts: Send timed checklist alerts to remind drivers of pre/post-trip instructions and inspection requirements.

Source: https://www.orbcomm.com/en/industries/transportation-and-distribution/fleet-safety-and-driver-monitoring

Safety Tools Truck Drivers Need to Have

Truck drivers perform an important but dangerous work. Safety then should always be a top priority whether on the road or loading and unloading the boxes and crates they're required to deliver. The task proves to be more tiresome particularly if the driver works alone with no companion to help in the loading and unloading aspect.

In the U.S., trucks are among the vehicles that often get involved in road accidents. In 2000 alone, the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that more than 450,000 big trucks encountered accidents.

Currently, there are approximately 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S. handling different types and sizes of trucks. These people should have undergone the necessary CDL or commercial driver's license training that is one of the important qualifications considered by companies when hiring truck drivers.

Trucks need to have the right safety tools that will allow them to fix problems during their travel and navigation devices to guide them when locating their destination. For those who transport huge boxes, they also need to have the proper equipment such as levers for loading and unloading purposes.

GPS navigation device - This is a very important tool that helps drivers locate the place they're going to. With its small monitor, drivers will be able to view a map of their area of destination. There are also units that have voice features and tell drivers the streets they can take.

Vehicle backup camera - As it's hard to monitor a truck's blind spots, having a backup camera is very helpful. This is normally attached on the top part of the license plate and is connected to a monitor positioned on the dashboard or sun visor. With this tool, a driver can easily check what's behind the truck while backing up or moving along the highways before changing lanes or making turns. It's an affordable device that's a must today for all types of vehicles.

Jack and tire iron - You never know when you'll get a flat tire or your tires experience low pressure the reason why having a jack in your truck is very important. The CDL training course will teach you the right way of changing tires so this should not be a problem in case you encounter flat tires during your travel.

Tire chains - Also known as snow chains, these devices are meant to provide traction when you're driving through snow and ice. These are fitted in the drive wheels of the vehicle and are required by transportation authorities during snowy conditions. Usually, they are sold in pairs. When these are in place, you have also to reduce your speed to ensure the safety of your vehicle.

Other than these devices, a truck driver traveling on long hauls should also bring along water, food and extra clothing. There are times when you need to travel through desert areas or places wherein there are no restaurants along the highways so it's always best to be ready.

Getting your CDL training should provide you with the appropriate knowledge on truck driving safety and the tools you need to have while traveling. So never ignore its value for it will benefit you for the long term.

By Kalyan Kumar 

For great information on CDL training, visit Truck-School.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kalyan_Kumar

North Bay Truck Center - Home of A&T Road Service

North Bay Truck Center
Home of A&T Road Service
1245 Illinois Street
Fairfield, CA 94533

A&T "Mobile" Heavy Duty Truck and Trailer Road Service is a 24-hour, 7-days a week roadside mobile truck repair service for light and medium-duty to heavy duty commercial trucks and trailers. At A&T "Mobile" Truck Road Service we like to think of ourselves as the "Ambulance Service for Trucks." If your truck is broken down, we will come to you and perform the necessary triage to get you back on the road. Now includes towing, load adjustments, and more. Not only do we provide 24 Hour Emergency service, we could come out and do light mechanical work on site to our customer's fleet and avoid the truck having to come in the shop.

Find us at: https://www.truckmobilerepair.com/

NBTC to the rescue

I have a new Winnebago on a Ford F53 chassis. A front shock went bad with less than 5K miles. After weeks of wrangling with Ford they agreed to fix it under warranty. But the nearest Ford dealer that can fix motorhomes is two hours away. I spoke with Jim and Mike at NTBC and they contacted Ford on my behalf. After many conversations and gnashing of teeth Ford agreed to pay NBTC to do the warranty work. NBTC went above and beyond to help me and get my motorhome fixed with a very short runway before a trip. This is not the first time I have been to NBTC and it certainly won't be the last. If you have any chassis work that needs to be done I highly recommend NTBC. They will work hard for you, fix things right the first time and are very professional. I cannot say enough good things about NBTC !!!

Rich S.

Vacaville, CA

See more reports at: Customer Lobby

Motorhome Servicing at North Bay Truck Center

North Bay Truck Center is becoming the go-to place for motor home chassis work. That is because if you take the shell off of a motor home--take the body off of it--let’s say, for example, a diesel pusher. It’s really a bus chassis. It’s really built by the truck and bus chassis manufacturers. Many that built the motor home chassis also built big trucks, and Freightliner is an example. For us, if we’re under the motor home or we’re looking into the engine compartment, we’re really looking at the same picture as we are if we’re looking on a Class 6, 7 or 8 truck. We are well versed on the platforms of engines that they use. Primarily, they use Cummins or Caterpillar engines on some of the older ones. For the diesel pushers, we’re very well versed on those engines. We have the computer software to plug into them. We’re familiar with the Allison transmissions that are most all of them use. The braking systems on a lot of them are air brakes, similar to that of a Class 6 through 8 truck. They also have suspension components that are shared. They use air ride suspension on the front axle a lot of times, which is found on the newest class 6 through 8 trucks. We’re very familiar with the chassis of the diesel pushers. North Bay is also going to be able to look up maintenance schedules on those as well. Motor homes generally will come with all manuals in a big binder referring to your refrigerator, your heating system, air conditioning. If your vehicle is new, you should have the Cummins manual for the engine and in the case of the Freightliner chassis, a Freightliner chassis manual with maintenance intervals for that chassis as well as the engine. Again, we can help look those things up if you don’t have the manuals available. On the diesel pushers, we have a facility large enough to bring the biggest unit into the shop. Even a 45-foot 3-axle diesel pusher can fit inside our shop and be kept under cover. If it does require to be outside for a time, we have surveillance cameras outside our shop and you can rest assured that our facility is locked down and that the cameras are working 24/7. We're also very familiar with the smaller coaches that are built on a gasoline or light-duty diesel chassis such as Ford or Chevrolet or GMC, or even the Sprinter chassis. Again, these are truck chassis or cutaway van chassis that we work on every day. We service almost anything related to the truck chassis part of the motor home, including, axle bearings, tires, the rear differential, transmission, steering components, including the air conditioning on the chassis. We do not work on the roof mounted air, but we can help direct you to who can help with that, and other internal aspects of the motor home. Everything to do with what makes it go down the road and stop, we can take care of for you.  Tires on motor homes can easily develop flat spots from sitting too long, and the air and UV rays deteriorate tires over time whether they are being used or not. We can help with tires because we sell tires for all trucks and buses and can balance and install them so that your coach rides smooth again and is perfectly safe in your travels. North Bay recently purchased six Mohawk pedestal lifts that will allow us to lift the largest diesel pusher up in the air outside of our facility to facilitate faster and more efficient repairs. Our goal is to get you back on the road on your travels very quickly, and insure that the repairs are done right. You can count on us with your motor home.

Tires, Tires and Tires at NBTC

We have many sizes of tires in stock, whether it be new or used. If not in stock, most of our tires are available daily – Steer Tires, Drive Tires, Trailer Tires. Our truck tires are manufactured by some of the best names in the business; such as Continental, Goodyear, General Tire, Michelin, RoadLux, Triangle, Bandag, and many more.

Truck Tire Blowouts

This is a video that teaches drivers how to deal with a steer tire blowout

VMAC launches new interactive vehicle application list

 

 VMAC announced the launch of a new interactive vehicle application list for dealers and customers on VMACAIR.com.


This latest list features several improvements over the previous application list, including the integration of a searchable application database. Users can now search and filter by VMAC system, vehicle model year, chassis, engine, and manufacturer to find the available vehicle integrated air compressors, multi-power systems, and Throttle Commander controls.

“VMAC is committed to being the responsive leader in mobile compressed air innovation. This spirit of innovation has resulted in the development of new online tools that help create an exceptional user experience from the start,” said Mike Pettigrew, VMAC marketing manager. “The search and filter functions on the vehicle application list enhance the online experience for our dealers and customers, allowing them to promptly find the compatible VMAC systems for their vehicle.”

In addition to the search and filter functions on the new VMAC application database, the application list also includes drop-down fields and the ability to sort results by model year, make, engine, system type, chassis, VMAC part number, max CFM and max psi. Further features include easy-to-access links to applicable system manuals and tech bulletins. VMAC dealers will find that once logged into the VMAC website, the application list will also show estimated install times for each system.

The VMAC application list has been designed to be responsive, which means it can automatically resize itself for proper viewing on mobile devices, including phones and tablets. Those who prefer to review the list on paper will be pleased to know it has been formatted to be printable with the push of a button.

“With this new interactive vehicle application list, our customers and dealers will be able to access the most accurate and current information within a matter of seconds,” Pettigrew explained. “This new tool is just the start of VMAC’s commitment to innovation online, which will continue to ensure our dealers and customers have the best online experience in the industry.”

To see the new application list, visit www.vmacair.com/application-lists.

Not too high, not too low: The importance of keeping your truck tire inflation levels just right

 

A fleet manager’s job is focused on the little things. A tenth of an MPG here, an extended maintenance cycle there—across a fleet, these seemingly small points can add up to significant profits. The same goes for truck tire inflation: a few PSI in the right direction can go a long way, while a few PSI in the wrong direction is potentially disastrous. Tires are one of the most expensive components of the truck, and so the importance of keeping them in the ideal shape should come as no surprise, especially considering the substantial weight that air is supporting.

“Under-inflation is the biggest issue in the industry,” says Sharon Cowart, product marketing director for Michelin Americas Truck Tires. “It is the number one cause of premature tire removal.

Learn more at: http://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/importance-keeping-truck-tire-inflation-levels-just-right/

Michelin Auto Inflate Automatic Tire Inflation

Increase fuel economy, extend tire life, reduce road service calls and downtime—all automatically. Maintaining optimal tire pressure is necessary given today's high cost of doing business. Optimal pressure management is nearly impossible to achieve manually due to many complex factors, including leaky valve stems, natural leakage, extreme temperatures, driving between climates, heated shops, gauge inaccuracy and human error. MICHELIN Auto Inflate solves the complicated problem of tire pressure management.