Twister Throws Truck off Kilter Posted by DC Cargo Mall on 8:18 AM

A rough count of at least 91 people were found lifeless, following this Monday's disaster. The twister spun roofs off of homes, schools crushed to slithers, trees yanked off of their sockets, debris and tossed about haphazard piles of vehicles lay stranded; some, even miles away from their previous location.

MSNBC reports this siting of a toppled truck up on the highway near Shawnee, OK. The truck lay on its side, its former contents in a spilled mess sprawling the ground below. The truck appears to be on the verge of still tipping over the bridge, not quite balancing in its already fallen position. Reports show this truck catastrophe is only a raindrop in the sea of disarray that the deadly twister has caused.

Natural disasters is one of the unpreventable causes of trucker fatalities, but every precaution must be taken to sometimes NOT brave the weather conditions, or if slightly weather -permitting, to at least ensure safe securement of loads with proper strap count and double checking the vehicles functions before heading out.

On DCCargoMall.com, Rules and Regulations are discussed in length, and now more than ever would be an opportune time for brushing up on the basics.

In the wake of the Oklahoma Tornado tragedy, DCcargomall extends its heartfelt and prayerful wishes to all those affected.

-Rachel Samuels for DCCargoMall

Tales of A Rusty Track Posted by DC Cargo Mall on 11:00 AM

 

       "The tracks that lined my interior van were getting rusty,” notes Joe L., a private truck owner in New Orleans.

Joe says he’s been in the trucking industry for more than a decade, but he is quite fed up with having to change his trucks ‘diaper’ as he likes to call it.

“I like to keep my truck a clean and shiny ride, and a healthy breathing environment.” Because of his proper upkeep, Joe complains that the rust and other easily damaged loading items he purchases require constant refurbishing or replacing.

His logistic tracks, for one, must be changed as soon as the rust begins crawling its way in. “My son Lucifer is a great helper and loves to be my loading partner, but he’s allergic to the bacteria that grows on these tracks and hooks, and I sometimes have to find a replacement helper so that he can stay home and sneeze!” Joe laughs. “But this is actually no joke!”

“Just the other day”, Joe told us, “I had to let my son off the hook, no pun intended, and let him rest off his allergies, while I did the lugging myself. At one point, I just really needed some help, couldn’t do it m’self, so I called my friend Abe who lives down the block, to lend me the hand that I so desperately needed.”

Joe adds that unfortunately, Abe’s usual capabilities were compromised, when he scraped his seemingly invincible huge arm across the sharp ends of his logistic track. “Abe needed stitches. My truck basically became an ambulance for the day, and I lost some business, and kinda’ lost some trust from my old friend too.”

Left on his own, with a huge truck to load, a friend in the hospital, and a son confined to his house with the sniffles, Joe was at a loss. “I was completely exhausted and just wanted to crawl into my sleeper and catch some shut-eye.”

In his sleeper though, more problems arose.  His handy trailer-hook ratchet straps that were now useless as they did not connect to the Logistic Track that covered the walls, were strewn across the floor haphazardly. Rust and dust and mold and every other microscopic creepy crawler had found a home in his sleeper. “I almost decided to sleep outdoors that night, if I could sleep at all, that is.”

“That’s when I came across Dccargomall. My son had been browsing the internet back at home, and had found a lovely site full of solutions to my saga.”

He was shocked at what he’d been missing all these years. “I could have saved myself a lot of trouble, but it’s never too late…” he adds. 

Joe hungrily selected a  zinc-plated logistic track that was rust resistant, a D ring that would connect his formerly useless strap to his new E-Track, an actual E Track Ratchet strap with spring E fittings for when he just wanted a quick click, and E Track Ratchet strap with spring E fittings that snugly covered the sharp edges of his tracks. 

“I’m excited to have my Lucifer back on the team, and Abe was excited about the new plastic end-fittings. He decided to give me another chance when I guaranteed him a safe experience with his new phobic no-scratch policy.”

Joe keeps coming back to get more. But it isn’t because his old parts need constant replacements. He now browses just for fun, and is enthusiastic about adding any measures he possibly can to ensure safe and secure loading in a host of innovative ways.

“I couldn’t recommend this site enough.  I think of it as the Doctor for my truck. If I want the security that I am guaranteeing to my trusty load helpers and if I want my load secured in the best possible fashion, to ensure no spillage, breakage, or uneven loading caused road accidents, then dccargomall.com is the go-to for me. Thank you.”

You’re very welcome, Joe L.

The Tragedies of Proper Load Securement Neglect Posted by DC Cargo Mall on 8:33 AM

            Thomas RIP: A Truck Saga

A truck is rolled over onto its side, its dismembered contents look like they are writhing in pain.

The driver, Thomas A., was on his way to his hometown in Indiana, heading back from Minnesota, where he had just picked up a collection of ATV’s he had found for a bargain on EBay.

He was in good spirits earlier that day, excited to surprise his family and their neighbors with his new find.

The ATV’s were crammed up into the back of the truck, and Thomas was no stranger to proper packing. However, his truck was freshly bought just 2 days prior, and he hadn’t had the time to install the logistic tracks to connect his securing E-Track straps onto. His ATV’s didn’t look like they were going to get tossed around, not with all that cramming, anyway.

He was quite proud of the calculated setup he’d formed into the interior and noted to his driving partner Pete that they would have to put off the strap and track method for later.

“He reasoned that his 8 years of truck driving and loading expertise allowed for him to trick his way out of standard load securement methods. The logistic straps were in a box right there in the corner of his sleeper, but I didn’t argue ‘cause I trusted his judgment and the drive was not going to be too long.” Pete encountered.

But Pete said this from the hospital bed only days after he’d just awakened from a head-trauma induced coma. He couldn’t remember much, but the image of his friendship with Thomas was sharp in his mind. Asking for his friend caused quite a frenzy in the nursing department, when each nurse argued for the other to be chosen to report the tragic news.

His friend had not survived the tumble of unevenly distributed cargo, and the shriveled remains of what were once sparkling ATV’s were rendered useless after the fatal crash as well.

Thomas never made it home.

Improper loading for cargo securement and overweight freight is the cause for a hefty number of truck accidents annually. These fatal crashes remind us that the huge tragedy of a life taken or damaged in seconds can be avoided simply by adherence to proper packing methods.

Federal Law and common sense both agree to a strict requirement in following these simple solutions.

Simply ensure that logistic tracks, vertically, horizontally, or both- depending on your cargo, are firmly installed onto the walls of your interior or cargo van.

The holes aligned in these tracks are there for your choice of ratchet strapping to click in, screw on, or weld onto, wrapping your precious cargo in the safe hug that is necessary to prevent any cracked eggs, flattened ATV’s and most importantly, the loss of you, or a loved one’s life.

A real expert knows that prevention is always the best medicine.

Most Amazing Stupid Truck Driver Ever - Only in New York Posted by DC Cargo Mall on 3:58 PM

FMCSA Grants Petition Killing Alabama Steel Coil Transport Training and Certification Posted by DC Cargo Mall on 8:54 AM

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a petition submitted by the American Trucking Associations asking the agency to determine if Alabama's Metal Coil Securement Act is preempted by federal law. The ruling means the state can no longer impose the law's requirements on interstate movements, effective April 4.
In a Federal Register notice issued Tuesday, the agency said the law imposes certification requirements on Interstate drivers that are not required under FMCSA regulations and are more stringent than those imposed by federal law.
The law, adopted in 2009, prohibits a motor carrier from transporting metal coils in a movement that originates or terminates in Alabama unless the driver is certified in load securement. The law, as originally enacted, also required the driver to carry a copy of the certification in the vehicle and produce it upon demand. Maximum penalties for violating these requirements include fines of between $5,000 and $10,000, jail time and/or a court order prohibiting the driver from operating a CMV in the state.
On June 26, 2009, FMCSA sent a letter to then-Alabama Gov. Bob Riley stating that the law appeared to be incompatible with the requirements of FMCSA's Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. FMCSA also drew attention to two federal laws authorizing preemption of state legislation and indicated that they might be applicable. The agency urged state officials to work with FMCSA officials to resolve any conflict between state and federal law.
Gov. Riley responded by explaining that the law was adopted in response to a number of accidents in Birmingham, Ala., involving metal coils falling off trailers along Interstate routes. He took the position that federal law did not preempt Alabama’s metal coil load securement certification requirements.
On Dec. 22, 2010, ATA petitioned FMCSA for a determination that Alabama's metal coil load securement certification requirements and penalties create an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce and are preempted under federal law. ATA contended that Alabama's requirement that drivers obtain certification in metal coil load securement is more stringent than and incompatible with federal metal coil safety regulations.
In 2011 Alabama issued regulations offering drivers three options to become certified in load securement: obtain a Metal Coil Certificate by taking and passing the  “Securing Metal Coils Course'' available for $25 and on the web site, www.metalcoiltraining.com, obtain a commercial driver's license endorsement that allows the driver to haul metal coils in the state, or obtain a Metal Coil Certificate from a motor carrier authorized by the Alabama Department of Public Safety to issue the certificate, which would require the carrier's safety compliance officer to submit a notarized affidavit that they have personal knowledge that the carrier requires every driver to be trained in the requirements of hauling metal coils.
Later in 2011, Alabama amended the Act, rescinding the requirement that drivers carry copies of their metal coil load securement certification in their vehicles. It continued to require drivers to obtain certification, but drivers are no longer were required to produce the certification upon demand.
FMCSA published a notice in the Federal Register on Nov. 23, 2011, seeking comment on whether the Act is preempted by Federal law. The five comments opposing preemption included one each from an individual driver, a motor carrier, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Alabama Trucking Association and the Alabama Department of Public Safety. The eight comments supporting the preemption petition included four from motor carriers, and one each from an owner-operator, ATA, an Alabama aluminum coil producer and the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association.

Cargo securement tips to lower CSA scores Posted by DC Cargo Mall on 7:37 AM

By Jack Roberts

By Jack Roberts

A freshly-minted driver who recently had graduated from a CDL school came by to chat with his instructors and let them know how things were going. He’d just gotten hired by a big fleet, and the instructor asked him how he liked his job so far. “I love it,” the driver replied. “I only work about 15 minutes a day, tying down my load. The rest of the time, I just drive.”

The driver’s attitude was instructive. Cargo securementdemands repetitive attention to detail, patience and consistency – traits that are rare among all humans, but for truck drivers, extremely critical to safety. Properly securing a load always has been vital for a successful fleet operation – and in today’s Compliance Safety Accountability environment, even more so.

Dan Doran, president of Cincinnati-based Ace Doran Hauling and Rigging, says that while his fleet hasn’t seen an increase in inspections or violations since CSA was implemented, his shop and drivers did prepare beforehand to limit their exposure on the road.

“We educated our contractors as to the importance of inspecting their tools when it comes to chains and straps and blocking components,” Doran says. “It used to be that if it was a strong chain with hooks on both ends, it was good enough to go. Now straps are being looked at as the inspector goes by them on the road or as they go through a scale to see if they can find a reason to pull them over and go over the truck a little more closely.”

Good load securement is critical, and not only because law enforcement is keeping a closer watch. Customers entrust a fleet to transport its products safely and have them arrive in good condition. Add potential litigation resulting from property damage or injury into the mix, and the stakes are raised even higher. And since proper load securement takes time, it also affects a fleet’s bottom line – even before the load is under way.

 “Tarping a secured load can take up to two hours for a driver and sometimes more, depending upon the weather,” says Roland Lockard, operations manager with UltraTarp. Often, drivers don’t get paid additional money for tarping secured loads for shippers and receivers, Lockard says.

CSA’s microscope

Under CSA, violations for improperly secured cargonegatively impact both a fleet and a driver. If a citation is issued, it now is entered into the fleet’s Vehicle Maintenance BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category). Admittedly, there are several violations for which a driver is not responsible – including aspects of the law that assigns responsibility to either the shipper or the fleet – but if the ticketing officer determines that the infraction is one the driver could have rectified, a separate violation will be entered into that driver’s personal database.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made additional changes in December after four months of study. It did away with the Cargo-Related BASIC and replaced it with the Hazmat BASIC, moving improper securement violations into the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC.

The severity weights of many securement violations was reduced then, too.

As law enforcement attention on cargo securement increases, all fleets are reviewing their securement procedures. As a carrier with a large flatbed operation, Maverick finds itself under a more intense spotlight than fleets hauling box trailers.

“We’re definitely seeing more flatbed inspections as CSA kicks in,” Newell says. “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing – it’s to be expected.” That’s why Maverick monitors its drivers and how their CSA scores are faring within its fleet. “Both (fleet and driver) scores are important,” he says.

Under CSA, cargo securement includes a wide array of inspection points and potential violations. Beyond simple unsecured loads, failing to flag a load properly or marking hazardous materials improperly can result in a violation. Similarly, a driver transporting hazardous materials can expect to be ticketed for failing to have improper emergency information on hand when it is requested.

Flatbed operations bear the brunt of cargo-related CSA concerns simply because of the visibility of their loads and securement devices, but reefer and van operations don’t have it any easier. CSA also specifies that cargo inside a van trailer must be secured against movement in all four directions. As with a flatbed operation, if the driver fails to secure the load with straps or load bars across the back of a load that does not reach the back doors, he will end up with a ticket.

“Drivers bear the brunt unless it is a sealed load and the driver is doing a drop and hook,” says Bob Dissinger, director of U.S. sales for Kinedyne. If the trailer is loaded but not sealed, the driver should open the trailer doors on the trailer and check to see it is secured properly, Dissinger says. On flatbeds, he should check all cargo securement devices to ensure the proper amount and tightening, he says.

Keeping up to date

Continuing education is the most important factor in fending off CSA hits. “You really need to monitor and keep up to date on cargo securement rules and regulations,” Dissenger says. These laws change regularly at federal, state and local levels.

Dissenger says fleets also must conduct regular safety training for drivers and anyone else loading and securing a trailer. “At Kinedyne, we tell our customers to be aware that not all safety-related securement products are the same,” he says. A lower price tag often translates into lower product quality, consistency and life expectancy, he says.

Newell directs Maverick’s cargo securement training programs and describes them as extensive and intensive, relying heavily on a systematic approach to education and procedures. Basic orientation last five days, and if the driver will be working in Maverick’s flatbed division, load securement consists of another week on hands-on exercises at the company’s training facility – and if they’re hauling glass, another week on top of that.

Maverick’s training also is ongoing. The fleet films its own in-house safety videos – some as short as 15-second reminders of proper safety procedures – that are beamed out to trucks on the road for drivers to watch at their convenience.

“It’s been very beneficial for us,” Newell says. “I think our drivers like the fact that they have that information handy if they need it.”

 More research

Maverick’s commitment to load securement goes even deeper. “Everything that we haul is closely examined before it ever gets loaded onto a trailer,” Newell says. This starts early in the sales process: When a Maverick salesman closes a deal, one of the check-off boxes on his list is to contact the company’s safety department and initiate a process for assessing proper load securement.

“We start with the basics and look at the securement of the load and make sure we can handle it with our existing equipment and systems,” Newell says. “If not, we come up with alternatives to make it safe.”

Maverick’s sales team works closely with the safety department, including the driver training aspect. If the customer has a new unfamiliar load, Newell’s team will obtain pictures of it – or even send someone to the customer’s location to inspect the load firsthand and figure out how to transport it safely.

“Load securement is more important than ever because everyone – fleets and drivers – are focused on their CSA scores,” Newell says. “You have to try to control it.”

Tractor-trailer damages bridge in Snyder Posted by DC Cargo Mall on 8:39 AM

The U.S. Highway 180 overpass at U.S. Highway 84 in Snyder was damaged Tuesday by a truck carrying an oversize load, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

No one was injured in the wreck, in which an 18-wheeler carrying a rock crusher attempted to pass underneath the bridge, said Senior Trooper Sparky Dean, DPS spokesman, in a statement.
Dean said the truck, which is registered to Price Construction in Big Spring, was traveling west on U.S. 84 when it hit the bridge at about 4:30 p.m.

The truck, which is permitted to travel at 14 feet in height, attempted to pass beneath a bridge marked at a height of 14 feet 5 inches.

The DPS' commercial vehicle enforcement team will measure the truck's load to see whether it fit the permit's specifications, he said. The bridge also will be measured.
Dean said traffic is being diverted on both roads.

"This bridge is currently closed and will remain closed until repairs are completed," said Darah Waldrip, Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman, adding that TxDOT personnel will assess the damage today.

In late September, an 18-wheeler struck and damaged the concrete pillars of a U.S. 84 bridge where it crosses Interstate 20 just east of Roscoe. TxDOT has scheduled the bridge for replacement.