Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Trust Your Gut And Instincts
I don't know how it happened, but I recently found a set of trailer dolly legs which caught my eye.
During pre-trip inspection, I noticed obvious recent repair work (brand new Grade 8 fasteners) on the dollies.
But...note the dolly leg diagonal supports...on one side of each leg only.
It all seemed sturdy enough, but I figured that the trailer manufacturer puts diagonal bracing on each side of each dolly leg for a reason.
I'm pretty dumb, and I don't know much about trailers, but I somehow notice when things just don't look right.
I decided this situation deserved further investigation.
I took some pictures and contacted my supervisor and suggested that the repair shop should be contacted to find out what was going on here.
-Did this trailer somehow get out of the shop (and back into service) before repairs were completed?
-Is the repair shop calling this job "DONE?"
-Will these dolly legs pass DOT inspection?
-Is the trailer "good to go" as is? (I had my doubts)
Turns out that the trailer got put back into service before the job was completed correctly. Two more braces needed to be attached.
I tagged the trailer Out-of-Service, and possible disaster was avoided.
The prudent driver should trust his gut and instincts.
Check other people's work. Trust but verify.
If something strikes the driver as somehow odd, the driver should do a double take and look things over more closely.
Don't ignore your gut.
It's trying to tell you something.
I was most likely wrong about the first trailer missing its forward facing supports.
Although the first trailer had provisions for forward bracing, I think this is because the repair shop scrounged an old set of dolly legs and retrofitted them to the first trailer.
I am now fairly certain the first trailer originally never had forward bracing on its dolly legs.
I apologize for slagging on the repair shop and for presenting wrong information.
During pre-trip inspection, I noticed obvious recent repair work (brand new Grade 8 fasteners) on the dollies.
But...note the dolly leg diagonal supports...on one side of each leg only.
It all seemed sturdy enough, but I figured that the trailer manufacturer puts diagonal bracing on each side of each dolly leg for a reason.
I'm pretty dumb, and I don't know much about trailers, but I somehow notice when things just don't look right.
I decided this situation deserved further investigation.
I took some pictures and contacted my supervisor and suggested that the repair shop should be contacted to find out what was going on here.
-Did this trailer somehow get out of the shop (and back into service) before repairs were completed?
-Is the repair shop calling this job "DONE?"
-Will these dolly legs pass DOT inspection?
-Is the trailer "good to go" as is? (I had my doubts)
Turns out that the trailer got put back into service before the job was completed correctly. Two more braces needed to be attached.
I tagged the trailer Out-of-Service, and possible disaster was avoided.
__________
Moral Of The Story
The prudent driver should trust his gut and instincts.
Check other people's work. Trust but verify.
If something strikes the driver as somehow odd, the driver should do a double take and look things over more closely.
Don't ignore your gut.
It's trying to tell you something.
__________
UPDATE
In the interest of honesty and fair-play, I think I owe you all some additional information on this matter.
The repair shop told my supervisor the dolly legs were fine.
I was skeptical, and I told my supervisor (in no uncertain terms) that I thought the shop was trying to play us for fools.
The repair shop told my supervisor the dolly legs were fine.
I was skeptical, and I told my supervisor (in no uncertain terms) that I thought the shop was trying to play us for fools.
Earlier this week I was doing a pre-trip inspection on a trailer of the same make and vintage as the one in question in this story.
I noticed almost immediately that it also did not have forward-facing diagonal dolly leg bracing. The dolly legs on this second trailer looked to be original equipment and had no provisions for forward bracing as did the first trailer.
Although the first trailer had provisions for forward bracing, I think this is because the repair shop scrounged an old set of dolly legs and retrofitted them to the first trailer.
I am now fairly certain the first trailer originally never had forward bracing on its dolly legs.
I apologize for slagging on the repair shop and for presenting wrong information.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
Did You Know?
Let's say your truck battery or your reefer battery is dead, and help isn't on the way.
Ain't nobody got time for that.
You gotta go.
As long as one or the other is good, you can jump start your truck's battery with your reefer unit battery (and vice versa), by connecting only the positive terminals of the reefer and truck batteries.
Many trucks have jumper connection posts outside the battery box, making the connection easier.
There is no need to connect the negative terminals when the trailer and tractor are connected at the fifth wheel/king pin, as this connection creates a shared ground!
How awesome is that?
Of course, you'll have to have a set of jumper cables handy also.
Duh...
Being a prudent driver, you'll need to get your charging system checked out by a professional when you get a chance, but this little trick will get you down the road and keep your cold stuff cold.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Like A Boss...
The best save ever, and a good lesson learned to file back in the old memory bank.
Tornadic winds from left to right, and the trailer starts going over.
I gotta believe the natural tendency would be to cut the wheel hard left into the wind, but doing so would have taken the rig all the way over.
Far better to take the rig through a fence and into a field than to lay it over.
Yes...the trucking angels were looking over this driver and he was extremely lucky, but well done to him anyway!
Be THIS guy!
Be THIS guy!
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Follow Your Nose
Brake linings.
Bearing hub oil.
Battery acid.
Anti freeze/coolant.
Motor oil.
Electrical/wiring.
Rubber/tires/belts/hoses.
Exhaust.
Fuel.
All of these things...
When they fail, get too hot, leak/spill, or otherwise generally are about to cause you a major problem...THEY WILL TELL YOU.
Usually.
Do you know and understand how these things smell....and what it could mean...when they leak/spill/over-heat?
And if you DO know, are you willing to DO something about it?
Or will you ignore your senses and pretend you didn't smell what you smelled?
Knowledge is worthless if it isn't followed by action.
Bearing hub oil.
Battery acid.
Anti freeze/coolant.
Motor oil.
Electrical/wiring.
Rubber/tires/belts/hoses.
Exhaust.
Fuel.
__________
All of these things...
When they fail, get too hot, leak/spill, or otherwise generally are about to cause you a major problem...THEY WILL TELL YOU.
Usually.
Do you know and understand how these things smell....and what it could mean...when they leak/spill/over-heat?
And if you DO know, are you willing to DO something about it?
Or will you ignore your senses and pretend you didn't smell what you smelled?
Knowledge is worthless if it isn't followed by action.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Thought For The Day: Play Dumb, or Play It Smart
Plausible deniablity.
You know what's right.
You know what's wrong.
You know what to do.
Will you do it?
Or will you ignore it?
Pretend it didn't happen?
Justify your inaction?
Leave it for the next guy?
Who will know?
Nobody else will know the truth.
Nobody can prove otherwise, right?
You know.
You know what's right.
You know what's wrong.
You know what to do.
Will you do it?
Or will you ignore it?
Pretend it didn't happen?
Justify your inaction?
Leave it for the next guy?
Who will know?
Nobody else will know the truth.
Nobody can prove otherwise, right?
You know.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Thought For The Day
With trucking, good day is often a rarity and is something to be savored.
A good day most often doesn't happen by accident.
Do all you can to make a good day happen, which requires effort, planning, and forethought.
A good day most often doesn't happen by accident.
Do all you can to make a good day happen, which requires effort, planning, and forethought.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
You Can Learn A Lot From A Dummy
A very interesting video...
He is in the left lane (he says his left lane exit was coming up).
He is on the phone (he says on a hands free device).
Almost three seconds elapse after the first car cuts him off and brake-checks him with apparently no reaction from the truck driver.
It appears the truck driver takes little to no defensive action besides getting off the throttle and the jake brake automatically comes on before the second car cuts him off and disappears under his hood.
This incident was avoidable, in my opinion. The truck driver should have sensed the stupidity unfolding in front of him once the first car cut him off. At that time he should have backed off the throttle and braked...avoiding this entire mess.
I am of the opinion that he was distracted by his phone conversation, and was not concentrating on his driving experience and what was happening around him.
Almost three seconds elapse after the first car cuts him off and brake-checks him with apparently no reaction from the truck driver.
It appears the truck driver takes little to no defensive action besides getting off the throttle and the jake brake automatically comes on before the second car cuts him off and disappears under his hood.
This incident was avoidable, in my opinion. The truck driver should have sensed the stupidity unfolding in front of him once the first car cut him off. At that time he should have backed off the throttle and braked...avoiding this entire mess.
I am of the opinion that he was distracted by his phone conversation, and was not concentrating on his driving experience and what was happening around him.
Friday, January 16, 2015
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