Trucker tips: Dealing with Steep Inclines Part 2

Great Trucking Tips for dealing with Steep Inclines

These tips were pulled from class drivers.com and are an excellent source of information.

TIPS FOR TACKLING THOSE TOUGH HILLS FOR ANY COTTRELL TRAILER OWNER

* Do a thorough pre-trip inspection, and complete safety-related repairs before rolling. Are the trailer brakes frozen? Will the moisture in the brake lines freeze at higher altitudes? Do the brakes or steering pull? Do the cooling fan thermostat and the windshield defroster work? Are the wipers good?
* Know your route in detail, down to the road surface.
* Know the weather where you are and where you’re going at the time you’ll be there.
* Know your load’s weight and stability.
* Know your truck’s capabilities in relation to your load and the hill. At what rpm does your engine produce peak torque?
* Know how to chain up. How-to manuals make it seem easy, but practice if you’ve never done it.



CLIMBING

* Downshift as needed to keep engine speed at peak torque output.
* Communicate with CB and lights. Use four-way flashers under 40 mph unless otherwise posted.
* Be courteous to other drivers climbing faster with lighter loads.
* Frequently note coolant, oil and transmission temperatures. Ease up, if necessary, to avoid overheating.
* Keep moving. Starting from a dead stop on an upgrade is dangerous and strains equipment.



DESCENDING

* Plan your descent according to your truck’s limitations and capabilities.
* Communicate with CB and lights. Use four-way flashers under 40 mph unless otherwise posted.
* Adjust brakes before starting down. Don’t trust auto-adjusters.
* Never come down a steep grade in high gear. Downshift before starting down.
* Use the transmission and engine brake as much as possible to maintain a safe speed.
* Stop at the first sign of smoking brakes and be ready to grab your fire extinguisher. Very hot brakes could burst into flames upon stopping.
* Notice the weather, traffic and terrain. Have an emergency plan.
* Maintain extremely long stopping distances in traffic.
* Long slopes are deceptive. Make sure you really are at the bottom before grabbing higher gears.

Source of tips:

http://www.classadrivers.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-31594.html

Dan England urges federal adoption of various safety changes

From Fleet Owner Magazine Online

Jul 2011 

Testifying before a Senate subcommittee yesterday, Dan England, chairman & president of C.R. England Inc., and vice chairman of the American Trucking Assns. (ATA) stated that Congress should “raise the bar” for new companies entering trucking by requiring them to successfully complete training and an examination before being permitted to operate.

He also said new entrants should undergo an initial safety audit within six months of commencing operations - not 18 months, which is the current standard.

England also testified that improvements should be made to the federal government’s safety monitoring and measurement system, Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA).


to read the full article click HERE

Truck tips: Dealing with Steep Grades

truck driver safety starts with pre planning!Its unfortunate that it takes an accident to remind us of how dangerous driving can be. I recently read of a truck driver whose brakes failed on a steep incline. Because of this he lost control of the truck and two people were killed. I have listed a few articles with great trucker tips to help prevent accidents.

2 Good Articles with Steep grade tips

http://www.classadrivers.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-31594.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-for-Driving-Truck-in-the-Mountains&id=5747340

Trucking earnings up despite soft economy

From Fleet Owner Magazine

Jul 2011 12:02 PM, By Sean Kilcarr, senior editor 

Overall, carriers are reporting strong gains in revenues and earnings for the second quarter this year, with expectations that this trend should continue despite a softening of the U.S. economy.

“I would characterize the overall second quarter freight environment as a little choppy, but moving in an upward direction [while] pricing continued to be strong,” noted Henry Gerkens, chairman, president & CEO of Landstar System Inc., in the company’s quarterly earnings report.

Despite that “choppiness,” though, Landstar posted net income of $29.6 million on revenues of $675.6 million in the second quarter, compared to net income of $24.4 million on $541.7 million in revenues during the same period last year – contributing to a 27% jump in earnings per share, which Gerkens’ described as “the best second quarter earnings per share [62 cents] in Landstar history.”

He added that “recent trends in June, and thus far in July, indicate continued strength in revenue per load with a relatively stable increase in the number of loads hauled month over prior year month. I expect these trends to continue throughout the third quarter.”

To read the full article click Here
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Mexican Truck Program is Underway

From Fleet Owner

July 2011

=ALERT: U.S., Mexico sign cross-border trucking program

The U.S. and Mexico formalized a cross-border trucking program that will end more than $2 billion of tariffs on exported U.S. goods and open up U.S. roadways to approved Mexican trucks.

According to the Dept. of Transportation, the agreement calls for Mexican trucks to comply with all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and they must utilize electronic monitoring systems to track hours-of-service compliance. DOT will also review driving records and require drug testing of all drivers, to be analyzed by the Dept. of Health and Human Services at approved U.S. labs.

Mexican drivers will also have to prove “their ability to understand the English language and U.S. traffic signs.”

U.S. carriers will receive reciprocal authority to operate in Mexico.
To read the full article click HERE

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Public truck Safety Forum

From Occupational Health and Safety Online

FMCSA Seeks Comments on Plan to Improve Truck, Bus Safety

“It’s vital that our stakeholders—starting with the American motoring public—participate in this dialog to shape the future course of truck and bus safety," said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro.

Jul 2011Image via Wikipedia

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has asked the American public to comment on its draft strategic plan that will serve as a five-year guide to achieving its mission to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large commercial trucks and interstate buses.

“At the Department of Transportation, safety is our number-one priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This strategic plan represents a fresh and bold new view on issues critical to bus and truck safety, and I encourage Americans across the country to provide feedback and help shape the final plan.”

Titled “Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 2011 – 2016 Strategic Plan: Raising the Safety Bar,” the plan is geared to:

• raise the bar to enter the motor carrier industry;
• maintain high safety standards to remain in the industry; and
• remove high-risk carriers, drivers, and service providers from operation.

Comments on the draft strategic plan can be submitted to the Federal Docket Management System at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. FMCSA-2011-0098.

In addition, FMCSA has set up an IdeaScale Community on its main website, www.fmcsa.dot.gov, to comment on the plan. IdeaScale is a Department of Transportation initiative providing an interactive, online, transparent space for people to engage in conversation about draft proposals and vote whether they agree or disagree, which also allows FMCSA to ask clarifying questions to make sure the best comments and ideas are submitted.

to read the full article click HERE 

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Why Trucking Should Adopt Social Media ...

Opinion: Why Trucking Should Adopt Social Media

From Transport Topics

By Dick Hyatt
President
Decisiv Inc.

Social media is transforming the way America does business, and there’s no reason that shouldn’t include trucking. When it comes to traditional trucking products such as vehicles, systems and components, the development life cycle can be fairly long. The time span required from initial concept through design, research and development and testing before production can begin, can be measured in years. Information-management technology, on the other hand, often has a much shorter development life.

What that means for those of us who supply the advanced technologies used to manage trucking companies today is that our objective has to be communicating more effectively with our customers and partners.

Traditionally, we have employed such practices as focus groups to accomplish this task, and while they yielded results, these groups were expensive, time-consuming and static.

Fixed in time, they simply could not address technology issues and customer and partner challenges in an effective and beneficial time frame.

But today, many trucking companies and industry suppliers of all types of technologies are successfully using social media communication channels such as blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to meet almost immediately the challenges and needs of customers and partners.

To read the full article CLICK HERE

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