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

Video history of Roadway Express produced for the company's 75th anniversary

Video history of Roadway Express produced for the company's 75th anniversary

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Every fleet has a common goal to significantly minimize roadside service calls

It is well documented that the No. 1 cause of roadside service calls are tires. No wonder, there are 18 tires on a typical line-haul service vehicle, more tires than any other vehicle component. You can have the best vehicle maintenance program on the planet, but once that truck leaves the terminal, a number of tire issues can occur that can lead to a roadside service call.

Tread area punctures are the top cause of air loss. A tire failure depends on the size of the puncturing object, in combination with the specific penetration location. If that nail penetrates through one of the tread grooves, chances are higher the nail will break through the tire casing, causing air loss. Tires do not normally have a sudden air loss when a vehicle picks up a puncturing object; they lose air slowly. It may take a few days to lose enough air pressure where the tire sidewalls begin excessive flexing, which generates additional heat build-up.

The tire footprint becomes longer as the tire pressure is reduced, meaning more rubber on the road—which also leads to increased heat. Heat is a tire’s worst nightmare. When a tire continues to generate excessive heat, the rubber actually begins to chemically break down, which will lead to a tire failure. The fact that someone just checked all 18 tires at the morning vehicle walk-around has no bearing on picking a up a nail five minutes down the road.

Sidewall damage/snags are another cause of tire failure. Right side or curb side trailer tires are especially prone to sidewall issues. Vehicles that turn frequently in city driving have the highest incidence of tire sidewall damage. Driver education can play a major role in reducing trailer tire sidewall damage. Drivers who have been on the road for many years will have fewer trailer tire sidewall damage issues than a new driver.

When a vehicle is pulled over for a roadside inspection, tires are high up on the inspector’s checklist. Inspectors are looking for tires with tread depth below the minimum 4/32-in. for steers and 2/32-in. for drives, trailers and dollies. They also are looking for exposed belts and/or fabric along with flat tires. By definition, a tire is flat when the measured air pressure is 50% or less of the maximum tire pressure molded onto the tire sidewall.

If any of these tire conditions are present, the vehicle is flagged as being “out-of-service.” A roadside service call is the only solution for getting the truck up and running again.

There is no excuse for a fleet to have an inspector flag its vehicle as being out-of-service because of a tire-related issue. These types of tire conditions should have been caught during the daily vehicle walk-around. Drivers must be trained to visually inspect tires, take tread depths and even measure tire pressure. It sounds like it is routine, but it’s not. Working with your tire professional on a tires 101 training class will go a long way to reduce roadside service calls.

Visual tire inspections should include running a hand over the tread and sidewall to look for signs of irregular wear and punctures. If a tire is getting close to the legal tread depth, a tread depth gauge measurement is strongly suggested. Make sure to check that the tread depth gauge measures 0 on a flat. Don’t take a measurement at a treadwear indicator location or on top of one of those stone ejectors located at the bottom of many grooves. If you do, you could be off 2/32-in. or 3/32-in.

Measuring tire pressure using a calibrated pressure gauge is very critical. Air carries the load, and tires with low air pressure will lead to excessive heat and premature tire removals. Tire gauges are simple devices, but will quickly lose accuracy. Even a new stick gauge is only accurate to +/-3 PSI brand new, out of the box.

A serious tire program, which includes comprehensive driver training regarding tires, will go a long way in reducing-tire related roadside service calls.

Learn more at: http://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/reducing-tire-related-roadside-service-calls/

Winter Treads

When much of the country is getting pounded by winter storms and deep snow, our thoughts turn to tires. Some pickup truck owners have separate wardrobes for summer and winter. Nome, Alaska, and Miami residents maybe not so much.

Pickup winter wear can include anything from a fresh wax to do-it-yourself undercoating to lighter lubricating fluids to a block heater to winter diesel fuel. But does your truck's cold-weather wardrobe include winter tires?

Winter tires are designed for cold weather and associated precipitation. Tires rated for mud and snow (M+S) may not qualify as winter tires and often don't excel in either mud or snow. A winter tire's specific compound, tread design — and studs if you want them — is far more suitable and safer on cold roads and the various forms of water you might find on them.

In every road-based comparison in which I've participated, dedicated winter tires were more valuable than the number of driven wheels. However, while winter tires can improve performance, they are no substitute for common sense and can be pushed beyond their limits. They also add expense and create the issue of storage logistics.

The U.S., unlike some countries, does not mandate winter tire use, although some states and cities have laws about the use of studded tires or chains. It's worth noting that some insurance companies offer discounts for using winter tires.

Do you think winter tires should be required for new drivers or general safety, and if so, under what parameters? And if you don't believe in running dedicated winter tires, studs or chains, how do you deal with marginal winter traction? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2017/01/talking-trucks-tuesday-winter-treads.html#more

By G.R. Whale

Cars.com graphic by Paul Dolan; cars.com image by Bruce Smith

A&T Road Service NRC Quickswap & Tag Axle Can Tow HD trucks, buses and mobile homes

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It is outfitted with tools and parts to make minor mechanical repairs, air-line repair, fuel line repairs, add fuel, and can take care of any DEF needs. It is also equipped with extra high-intensity lights for more effective and efficient night work since A&T Road Service is available 24 hours a day.

Visit A&T Road Service at https://www.truckmobilerepair.com/

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As trucks get more complex, so does fleet maintenance

Technicians are turning to new tools and technologies to overcome these challenges and reaping dividends through predictive maintenance and less vehicle downtime. 

The growing complexity of modern trucks is driving changes at maintenance shops and for the workers who have to navigate this increasingly digital world.

“Electronics allow vehicles to have a better conversation with technicians than ever before,” said Kristy LaPage, business manager of the commercial vehicle group at Mitchell 1. “In the transition from mechanical to electronic control systems, there has also been a shift from technicians to diagnosticians. Vehicle electronics are the source of information that can become actionable, so shop solutions are evolving with this change.”

“The digital shop is not only changing inspection and maintenance practices,” said Jeff Sweet, solutions engineer at Decisiv, a provider of a service relationship management (SRM) platform. “Advancements in sensors and monitoring continue to improve fault condition filtering and help prioritize work based on fault severity.”

Photo: Noregon

A solution that simultaneously diagnoses all components is now essential as an intake tool for technicians.

Also constantly under development are the tools technicians need to service advanced electronic systems.

“A solution that simultaneously diagnoses all components is now essential as an intake tool,” stated Tim Bigwood, CEO at Noregon Systems, a provider of JPRO commercial vehicle diagnostic and monitoring solutions. “And those tools have evolved because while previously there were limited fault trees to consider based on symptoms, today’s vehicles are more complex, so the aid of a diagnostic and repair solution is a necessity.”

The increase in electronics on vehicles is allowing for real-time access to the equipment’s operating conditions and fault data, noted Renaldo Adler, industrial principal, asset maintenance, at Trimble Transportation Enterprise.

“Fleets now have access to a vast amount of diagnostic data needed to repair assets faster,” he said. “Inspections can also be improved with the use of electronic diagnostic tools, which analyze the equipment’s condition and any active faults, so maintenance departments are able to be proactive.”
Remote diagnostics

All of the original equipment manufacturers offer systems on their new trucks that provide diagnostic data. These sensor-based and telematics-driven solutions can improve maintenance efficiency and vehicle uptime.

Kenworth dealers, for example, use diagnostic data from TruckTech+ Remote Diagnostics.

“We have found it can cut the time a unit is in our shop by 30%,” said Josh Hayes, branch manager at NorCal Kenworth – San Leandro. “We’ve also found that among trucks with TruckTech+ Remote Diagnostics, we’re seeing about a 15% reduction in the number of trucks that must be towed because remote diagnostics allow us to monitor fault codes and diagnose issues to determine if a truck can be driven into the shop.”

Photo: Mack Trucks

For OEMs, part of the value of remote diagnostics systems is that the vehicle is effectively reporting its own status.

Sanjiv Khurana, general manager of digital vehicle solutions at Daimler Trucks North America, said with the Detroit “virtual technician” system, maintenance managers get real-time alerts and a plan for critical faults. When the truck arrives at the service location, the diagnostic information and fault history allow the technician to get a jump-start on the repair process.

At Peterbilt, SmartLinq remote diagnostics have been integrated with reasoning engine technology to enable more precise diagnostic information, fault code collection, and enhanced analysis by linking cascading faults.

Volvo, Mack, and Navistar also offer their own systems, aimed at reducing downtime and allowing for over-the-air software updates.

“With the increase in electronics on commercial vehicles, fleets have a better understanding of vehicle health,” said Brian Mulshine, director of customer experience for Navistar’s OnCommand Connection.

In short, the value in all of these remote diagnostics systems is that the vehicle is effectively reporting its own status to a maintenance operation.

“The key for truck fleets is to apply electronics to enable a proactive system that adds value and not cost,” said Wally Stegall, technical fellow, director at Morey Corp.

Robert Braswell, executive director of the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), noted that greater vehicle complexity makes preventive maintenance more of a challenge. “Until enough fleet data in the field is gathered, it makes it more difficult to optimize service and inspection schedules for new electronic systems,” he explained. “But increasing complexity can bring with it sensor-based maintenance strategies that can help with self-diagnostics.”

Source: https://www.fleetowner.com/maintenance/trucks-get-more-complex-so-does-fleet-maintenance?NL=FO-02&Issue=FO-02_20190321_FO-02_446&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPENT000004488230&utm_campaign=23847&utm_medium=email&elq2=5bd8750c9eba4791abe0019c109758f6

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