Complete Line Of Grote Lighting and Electrical Products

North Bay Truck Center stocks the entire line of Grote lighting and electrical products to take care of any need our truck customers might have. Whether it is for light duty trucks all the way to class 8 heavy haulers, North Bay Truck Center in Fairfield CA has the inventory and expertise to get the job done effectively and quickly.

See more at http://www.northbaytruckcenter.com

 

EVIR® Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting

Tag, inspect and transmit - it’s that simple

TAG – Data-encoded RFID tags are placed in each inspection zone of a vehicle or asset. In a commercial trucking environment, for example, tags are placed in inspection zones that adhere to DOT compliance requirements for pre- and post-trip inspections. Many school districts place tags at the back of a bus to ensure that drivers perform their end-of-shift check for students.

INSPECT – The individual performing the inspection must physically scan each tag on the vehicle. The tablet device must be within two inches of the point of inspection, which helps to verify that a check was performed and the vehicle is up to operating standards. EVIR acts as an electronic, verifiable log to prove that inspections are being performed accurately and consistently.

TRANSMIT – Defects or vehicle damage can be captured with Zonar's tablet device. Equipped with a 5 mega-pixel camera, drivers can easily transmit photos to give maintenance a heads-up as to what they are seeing. After the tablet is docked inside the vehicle, the inspection data is seamlessly transferred back to Zonar's web-based application, Ground Traffic Control®. Fleet managers and maintenance personnel have immediate access to the inspection data from the field, helping them to prioritize and schedule repairs.

Not just for vehicles

The EVIR system is as flexible as our customers' unique needs. While most commonly used to verify the pre- and post-trip inspection process for fleets across all industries, EVIR use spans to wherever there's a need to verify a process is being followed.

A complete solution provider

Zonar offers a full suite of smart fleet technology solutions that improve safety, decrease downtime of vehicles, reduce fuel costs, coach driver performance, and streamline back-office reporting.

Unparalleled customer service

From onboarding to installation, our U.S.-based Customer Care team makes sure that you’re set up for success. There’s a reason more than 99 percent of our customers that choose to do business with us, stay with us. More than 30 percent of our company is devoted to after-sale support, which means you can always reach a live Zonar employee—24/7/365.

Learn more at: http://zonarsystems.com/solutions/evir-electronic-verified-inspection-reporting/

Brake Safety Week Is Aug. 21-27

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced Aug. 21-27 as the dates for this year’s Brake Safety Week. Brake Safety Week is an annual commercial motor vehicle brake-safety inspection, enforcement and education initiative conducted by law enforcement jurisdictions in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will conduct their usual North American Standard Level I and V Inspections and capture and report brake-related data to CVSA. The results will be released in the fall.

Brake-related violations comprise the largest percentage of all out-of-service vehicle violations cited during roadside inspections, and according to last year’s three-day International Roadcheck data, brake systems and brake adjustment violations accounted for 38.9% of all vehicle out-of-service violations, the most of any category of vehicle violations. To address this, CVSA’s Brake Safety Week seeks to:

• Identify and remove commercial motor vehicles with critical vehicle inspection violation items identified in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria from roadways.
• Conduct inspections and identify and acknowledge commercial motor vehicles that do not have critical vehicle inspection violations by affixing those vehicles with a CVSA decal.
• Encourage proactive vehicle maintenance in advance of the week.
• Highlight the hard work and commitment to safety by inspectors, drivers and motor carriers.
• Remind drivers and motor carriers about the importance of proper brake maintenance and vehicle pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
• Provide an opportunity for outreach and educational brake-safety efforts by inspectors.
• During the brake portion of a vehicle inspection, inspectors will look for missing, non-functioning, loose, contaminated or cracked parts on the brake system, and non-manufactured holes (such as rust holes and holes created by rubbing or friction) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake. They will listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines, and ensure the air system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa). Inspectors will also check for S-cam flip-over and measure pushrod travel. They will check that slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size. They will also inspect required brake-system warning devices, such as ABS malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices. In addition, inspectors will ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer, and inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleed-back system on the trailer.

In addition to reporting total inspections and brake-related out-of-service violations, inspectors will also capture and provide data on brake hose/tubing chafing violations – the focus area for this year’s Brake Safety Week.

“Poorly maintained brake systems can reduce the braking capacity and stopping distance of large trucks and motorcoaches, which poses a serious risk to driver and public safety,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol. “In those split-second emergency situations, the proper functionality of the brake systems on large commercial motor vehicles is crucial.”

View last year’s Brake Safety Week results.

It's a good idea to check your tires before towing

It's a good idea to check your tires before towing

Driving Tips for Wet Roads

Wet pavement contributes to over 1 million crashes each year! Here are AAA's tips if you're caught driving in the rain. www.aaa.com/safety

Tour of the Trailer Parts inventory at North Bay Truck Center

NORTH BAY

Truck Center
Home of

A&T Road Service
1245 Illinois Street
Fairfield, CA 94533707-427-1386

http://www.northbaytruckcenter.com

Drivin' the Big Rig

"Hands On" Owner / Operator Paul Troutner talks about happy employees and happy customers. http://corbysvacaville.com/

What Are the Most Common Causes of Auto Accidents?

What are the most common causes of auto accidents? Safety experts agree that the number-one cause of accidents is human error.

Almost all crashes can be prevented by more careful behavior and responsible conduct and driving habits. In more recent years, this is commonly known as "Distracted Driving" and it takes on many different forms.

The most common mistakes drivers make include drinking and driving; speeding; drag racing other vehicles; driving while fatigued; and distractions involving applying make-up, talking, singing, passenger misconduct or immaturity, eating or drinking, texting, browsing social media sites or other activities involving smart phones. But in many cases, simply not paying attention and being mentally distracted by personal matters can cause drivers to drift out of the lane, run red lights and stop signs or break other basic traffic rules.

These "Distractions" and many others have caused many, many terrible, needless and life-changing accidents that were otherwise avoidable or preventable.

10 ways to improve diesel efficiency - 24-hours | 7-days a week

Some brake violations are easy to understand. Brake adjustment can be confirmed by marking and measuring a push rod. Others can be baffling.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week last fall saw 12% of the 43,565 commercial motor vehicles inspected placed out of service for brake-related violations.

With more than one out of every 10 trucks operating with brake-related violations serious enough to take it off the road, we talked to Kerri Wirachowsky, the director of CVSA’s roadside inspection program, about some of the recurring questions she faces regarding brake violations.

1. How can I be put out of service for one service brake violation? The last time it happened, I was allowed to continue my trip.

The out-of-service criteria for service brakes is broken into two parts. You have service brakes over the entire combination, but there’s a separate section just for the steering axle brakes.

Solve safety, efficiency, and accountability challenges with fleet tracking

Speak with top GPS fleet tracking providers who can help solve your unique business challenges.

How many vehicles do you need to track? *

1-45-910-4950-99100-249250+

Steering axle brake violations are more critical than those on the rest of the combination. If you have a brake on the left and you don’t have a brake on the right, it’s going to pull to the left. So if you have an inoperative brake on the steer axle, that truck is automatically put out of service.

If that same inoperative brake is on the second or third axle of a tractor, that one inoperative brake will not exceed the 20% calculation for the out-of-service criteria. [No more than 20% of the vehicle’s brakes can be defective.] Therefore, that truck will leave with an inoperative brake violation on the tractor, but it is allowed to continue to its destination.

If I also have a brake out of adjustment or a contaminated lining somewhere else in that combination, the inspector is going to use that inoperative brake as one defective brake towards the 20%. Now I have two service brakes that are in violation, and that, too, will place the vehicle out of service.

2. How can I receive multiple violations for the same brake?

Let’s say you’ve got a contaminated lining, and it’s inoperative, and the brake is out of adjustment – it’s bottoming out, and the linings are not contacting the drum.

That will only account for one defective brake. I have three violations, and they’re all going to be documented on the inspection report. But it’s only counted as one defect towards that 20% out-of-service calculation. The driver can go and repair that at his final destination.

If I find another brake that has a violation, now he’s out of service for two defective brakes.

All of those violations get documented, and all of those have to be repaired.

Source; Read more here: https://www.truckinginfo.com/10142523/4-questions-about-brake-violations

4 Questions About Brake Violations

Some brake violations are easy to understand. Brake adjustment can be confirmed by marking and measuring a push rod. Others can be baffling.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week last fall saw 12% of the 43,565 commercial motor vehicles inspected placed out of service for brake-related violations.

With more than one out of every 10 trucks operating with brake-related violations serious enough to take it off the road, we talked to Kerri Wirachowsky, the director of CVSA’s roadside inspection program, about some of the recurring questions she faces regarding brake violations.

1. How can I be put out of service for one service brake violation? The last time it happened, I was allowed to continue my trip.

The out-of-service criteria for service brakes is broken into two parts. You have service brakes over the entire combination, but there’s a separate section just for the steering axle brakes.

Solve safety, efficiency, and accountability challenges with fleet tracking

Speak with top GPS fleet tracking providers who can help solve your unique business challenges.

How many vehicles do you need to track? *

1-45-910-4950-99100-249250+

Steering axle brake violations are more critical than those on the rest of the combination. If you have a brake on the left and you don’t have a brake on the right, it’s going to pull to the left. So if you have an inoperative brake on the steer axle, that truck is automatically put out of service.

If that same inoperative brake is on the second or third axle of a tractor, that one inoperative brake will not exceed the 20% calculation for the out-of-service criteria. [No more than 20% of the vehicle’s brakes can be defective.] Therefore, that truck will leave with an inoperative brake violation on the tractor, but it is allowed to continue to its destination.

If I also have a brake out of adjustment or a contaminated lining somewhere else in that combination, the inspector is going to use that inoperative brake as one defective brake towards the 20%. Now I have two service brakes that are in violation, and that, too, will place the vehicle out of service.

2. How can I receive multiple violations for the same brake?

Let’s say you’ve got a contaminated lining, and it’s inoperative, and the brake is out of adjustment – it’s bottoming out, and the linings are not contacting the drum.

That will only account for one defective brake. I have three violations, and they’re all going to be documented on the inspection report. But it’s only counted as one defect towards that 20% out-of-service calculation. The driver can go and repair that at his final destination.

If I find another brake that has a violation, now he’s out of service for two defective brakes.

All of those violations get documented, and all of those have to be repaired.

Source; Read more here: https://www.truckinginfo.com/10142523/4-questions-about-brake-violations