California BIT Inspection Program Explained. www.calbit.com
9/27/19
Parts for Trucks - North Bay Truck Center
North Bay Truck Center has an extensive Parts Department. We carry most parts for Series 5-8 Class Commercial Trucks. If we don't carry it, we are equipped and able to manufacture it for our customers. If you would like more information on pricing, please contact us.
Some of the parts we carry are:
• International Truck Parts
• Retail Truck Parts
• Starters and Brakes
• Lights
• Suspension Parts
• Electrical Parts
• Air Conditioning and Heating Parts
Give us a call at 707-427-1386 with any parts requests or needs.
9/24/19
The Bandag Retreading Process
The excellence of Bandag retreads is a direct result of Bandag’s sophisticated and highly standardised Retreading Process. State-of-the-art technology builds accuracy and efficiency into every step. Our patented Bandag process is geared towards restoring the original performance level of your tyres while ensuring consistency and reliability, each and every time.
9/21/19
5 Tire Tips For A Safer Work Truck
Tires withstand severe environments throughout their life on a work truck. Holding up to heavy loads and traveling on a multitude of surfaces are common for work truck tires. Most of us give the tires on our work truck little thought until they are in need of replacement. While this strategy may have worked for you in the past, neglecting to regularly check the condition of your tires will eventually catch up to you and leave you stranded on the side of the road. If your truck is down, your work is down. Utilize these tips to keep your work truck off the shoulder.
1. Tread Depth
Check tread depth often utilizing the penny test (a minimum of 2/32” of tread left on the tire). Most make the mistake of checking one spot on each tire, to ensure even wear check at least three spots on each tire.
2. Tire Pressure
Keep a tire pressure gauge in each work truck and check the pressure regularly. Keep the tire pressure within the vehicle’s recommended PSI range.
3. Cracks, Checks & More
Check for cracks, punctures, tears, bulges, bumps or tread separation. If you come across any exposed strands of metal or fabric, take the truck out of the field and have the tire(s) replaced as soon as possible.
4. Alignment
Keep proper alignment of your work truck tires. If they are improperly aligned it will result in premature wear and tear on the tires.
5. Overloading
Don’t overload! Your work truck (and tires) are only rated to handle so much weight. Overloading can create a recipe for disaster on not just your tires but your entire vehicle.
Source: https://www.knapheide.com/news/blog/2018/05/5-tire-tips-for-a-safer-work-truck
9/18/19
Winter Maintenance and Towing Tips for Fleets
Preparing for winter: is your fleet ready?
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, more than 70 percent of roads in the U.S. are located in regions that typically receive more than five inches of annual snowfall. With many commercial fleets using these snow-prone routes on a regular basis, preparing vehicles and drivers for winter conditions is a task most companies need to address.
9/15/19
5 Steps To Buying A Big Rig
1. Shop Around.
Truck dealers can only advertise in their own region. A truck dealership in Ohio is not allowed to advertise in California. But dealerships are allowed to sell trucks to customers in other regions if the customer contacts them. As you travel, grab some truck papers from different regions of the country and consider contacting dealers that are far from you. If you already know what make of truck you want, call around to dealers around the country.
2. Compare Apples to Apples.
If you are going to be ordering a new truck, ask for a price quote along with the specifications- this will be about 10 pages long. Compare the spec sheets from different dealers line for line. You may find that a salesman who gives you a lower price quote also skimped out on some of the options without mentioning that to you. If you find that a salesman's quote has inferior specs, tell them which ones you want changed and have them resend the specs and quote. ALWAYS read through the specs line by line- don't trust anything verbal. You may have to pay a chunk of change to receive the faxes from all these dealers, but at least you'll know you're comparing prices, not options.
3. Prioritize
If you are shopping for a used truck, it's unlikely that you will be able to find two trucks that are exactly alike. You won't be able to compare apples to apples like you would if you were buying a new truck. Make a list of the specifications that are most important to you. What make and model are you looking for? How old and roughly how many miles? What engine do you want? What transmission? What rears? Once you nail down those requirements, you may have to compromise on some of the options. Power windows, gauge packages, color. Most options can be changed if they are not to your liking. The things that matter most are the things that are permanent, but you will want to consider the less important options once you have narrowed it down to a few trucks.
4. Get a loan from your own bank.
If you have the dealership set up financing, they are likely to add "points" to your interest rate. There is nothing unethical about this- you are, after all, using their resources to secure financing and they should be compensated for the work their employees do. But you need to decide if you are willing to pay the difference over the life of the loan. The bank may give you a 10% interest rate, but the dealer sets it up for 12% and will pocket the difference with each payment you make. Generally, the dealer will not disclose this information. However, you need to be aware that you may be able to secure a lower interest rate on your own. Consider- a difference of 3% will save you hundreds of dollars each month. It's worth it to do the extra legwork on your own.
5. Make sure you can afford the truck.
There are a lot of owner-operator contracts out there. There are many more mediocre owner-operator contracts than there are lucrative ones. Before you take on the risks involved with owning a truck, make sure you have a contract that can pay for it. Will you be pouring every dime you make back into the truck? Calculate the costs of fuel and maintenance and taxes. If you are a company driver, spend a few months putting your records on paper. Look at the bottom line- what will you have left after all your expenses? If you are not yet a driver, you will want to spend a couple of years driving a truck as a company driver before you decide to buy a truck on your own. Don't buy the lie that owner-operators with rates twice as high as company drivers are making twice as much. They may not even be making the same amount once you figure in all the expenses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzanne_Roquemore
9/12/19
Cummins History: 1931 Coast-to-Coast with Clessie Cummins
Determined to top a coast-to-coast record held by GM's gas engine, Clessie Cummins set out with a diesel-powered cargo truck on a route from New York City to Los Angeles in August 1931.
9/09/19
7 Tips for Sharing the Road with Semi-trucks
Driving near large trucks
Did you know 75 percent of commercial vehicle accidents are caused by drivers in passenger cars? While actions like distracted driving certainly play a role in some of these cases, there are likely multiple occasions that happen simply because drivers don’t understand how to safely maneuver around large vehicles.
Though sharing the road with semis is a daily task, not all motorists understand the limitations of a semi — mainly wide turning radiuses, slow stopping times and large blind spots. To help educate the general public on safe driving techniques, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) started a highway safety program called Share the Road. Using some of the ATA tips and our own, we’ve compiled a list of driving habits that will help make the road a safer place.
Seven tips for motorists sharing roads with semis
Roadway safety is the responsibility of all drivers, but you can take certain steps to ensure you’re doing your part. When driving near or around a semi-truck, be sure to:
- Drive defensively
Operating a vehicle probably comes second nature to you. But, no matter how comfortable or skilled you are behind the wheel, it’s important to remain alert at all times — especially around large trucks. Semis are bigger in size and weight, making them slower to react to avoid collisions. Pay attention to vehicle locations, traffic flow, vehicle signals and weather so you can anticipate problems and have plenty of time to safely change course if necessary.
- Keep a safe distance
Driving close to a semi puts you at greater risk for being hurt by sudden stops, tire blowouts or roll overs caused by strong wind. So, whether you’re behind, in front or beside a large truck, leave plenty of space for merging, swerving and maneuvering. It’s best practice to keep at least a four-second following distance between you and the trailer in case of a sudden stop.
- Avoid blind spots
The right side of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is the largest blind spot for a truck driver — sometimes blocking their view for three or more lanes. Other areas of concern include directly in front of the cab, behind the trailer and certain zones along the driver’s side. Avoid spending time in these zones to ensure the driver can see you.
- Pass quickly
Passenger vehicles typically travel faster than semis, so it’s not unusual to pass a lot of trucks along your route. Practice safe passing by driving closer to the shoulder rather than the truck, and speeding up instead of lingering.
- Don’t cut a large truck off
Semis have much longer stopping distances — up to two football fields when traveling 65 mph. To prevent a rear-end collision, make sure you can see the entire front end of the truck before merging in front of it.
- Dim the bright lights
When traveling near or past a semi, make sure your bright headlights are dimmed. Bright lights reflecting off large truck mirrors can cause two seconds or more of temporary blindness when traveling at 55 mph. The general rule of thumb is to lower your bright lights when you’re one block (or closer) behind a semi.
- Always signal
As mentioned, trucks require more time to react to motorists stopping, turning or merging lanes. Because of this, it’s important to signal the driver at least three seconds or more before upcoming changes. This timing allows the truck driver to slow down or move over.
9/06/19
Avoiding brake-related CSA citations
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s CSA violations should be an unnecessary problem, especially since they can lead to costly delays, and unexpected downtime may cause fleets to lose customers not only because of delays.
9/03/19
A&T Road Service - We'll Get You Back on the Road!
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.
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. A&T Road Service, a subsidiary of North Bay Truck Center.
Our fleet incudes a 2014 Kenworth (Shown in video) with a 500 hp Cummins and 18-speed gearbox is outfitted with an NRC Quickswap detachable tow unit with a tag axle for extra capacity. This allows the truck to be a wrecker and also a transfer vehicle, so with the unit disconnected, it will tow mobile home units, trailers of all kinds and with the wrecker unit attached is capable of lifting up to 20,000 lb steer axles for heavy duty truck towing. This unit can easily to HD trucks, buses, mobile homes.
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.We will go just about anywhere for anything, at anytime. We have a wide normal service area and have been known to go beyond those boundaries by request. See our Service Area.
Below is a bullet point list of services by A&T Road Service.
New: In-House TOWING
Fully Equipped Mobile Repair Units
Tire Replacement
Load Adjustments
Welding
Fuel Delivery
Lock-Outs
Vehicle Storage
Hydraulics
DOT & BIT Inspections
Crane Inspections
Glass Replacement
Vehicle Rentals
Liftgate Repairs and Service
Tens of Thousands of Parts In Stock
North Bay Truck Center is centrally located in Fairfield CA to service all of Solano County along with much of the San Francisco/Oakland bay area and Sacramento. A&T Road Service is available by calling 800-434-1205,
You can also visit our website at http://www.NorthBayTruckCenter.com
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