What Does A Jake Brake Do? A jake brake changes the timing of the engine and turns it into a power absorber by opening the exhaust valve at the end of the compression stroke. You start to use the motor to retard the speed of the truck. When to Use Your Jake Brake You can [...]
It's not news that distracted driving is dangerous. Distracted driving is anything that takes attention away from driving while driving. In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in the US. Jurisdictions all across Canada and the US have prohibitions on distracted driving. When it comes to distracted driving texting is the worst culprit. Law enforcement has zeroed in on the use of handheld devices. Heavy penalties are in place for truck drivers and motorists who are caught using their hand-held device while operating a CMV. Fines of up to $2750 in the US and $1000 in Canada for distracted driving.
ELD Mandate In December of this year, the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate will come into full effect in the US. Canada will follow suit in 2018 with a proposal expected in the spring of this year. Since 80% of freight goes southbound the ELD mandate is in effect for all of us this year. Len [...]
Slide Your Fifth Wheel Generally speaking, once you set your fifth wheel you don’t need to move it again. But sometimes you need to take weight off your drives - when you can’t slide your trailer tandems any further up. When you slide your fifth wheel you're only moving weight between your drive axles to [...]
The relationship between dispatchers and drivers is . . . complicated to say the least. For lack of a better term, it’s like a game of give and take. Except it’s not a game – there should be no winners or losers, and you definitely shouldn’t get a participation award just for showing up. Working [...]
CSA Score Important to Trucking Companies Trucking companies CSA scores are important. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) created the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) to collect and track data on transportation companies compliance and safety. It's essentially a database of interactions with carriers and drivers. It allows the FMCSA to identify and track companies [...]
Multi-Vehicle Pileups It's hard to imagine what a 70 vehicle pileup looks like if you haven't been involved in one. But it happened in December near Baltimore, MD. Or even an 18 vehicle pileup just north of Orangeville, ON. Multi-vehicle pileups are headlines that get noticed because they usually involve multiple fatalities and even more [...]
How you, as a professional truck driver, responds at the scene of an accident can have a major impact on the outcome of any claims that may follow. Knowing what to do, and more importantly, what not to do at the scene of an accident is something all truck drivers should know before an accident [...]
Cold & Flu Season is Here It's that time again - cold and flu season. Catching a cold or flu (influenza) while on the road sucks, big time. Trucking isn't exactly a job where you traditionally call in sick to work. In most instances, drivers push through a common cold or mild flu. Drivers need [...]
Truck Drivers Aren't About to be Replaced by Robots Autonomous truck technology is advancing quickly. More accurately, autonomous vehicle tech is advancing quickly. The technology will have a positive impact on the trucking industry. And no, this does not mean truck drivers will be replaced by technology. Reactions to Freightliner's demonstration of their Inspiration truck [...]
