What Can YOU Do to Prevent Accidents? Posted by DC Cargo Mall on February 12, 2014

Let's educate ourselves on accident prevention. 
Knowing the cause is half the cure.
The statistics for faulty loading accidents are too high. 

To bring down the number, ensure that your knowledge bank of safety tips, rules, and regulations are up to par. 

Remember, rules constantly change so be sure to keep updated. Having the proper safety equipment with guaranteed quality and longevity can save you from a load shifting, falling, flying, or blowing. DCCargoMall.com hopes to provide you with any powerful straps, hardy chains, sturdy winches, and much much more to be there for you when you take on this mission: keeping yourself, and ultimately, everyone around you, safe.

You Don't Want a Reason to be Caught by the DOT. Then again... Posted by DC Cargo Mall on January 29, 2014

You don't want a reason to be caught by the DOT. Then again, you don't want an oversight of hazardous truck practice.

New York’s comptroller has released a new audit, keeping us informed of the current dangers facing drivers on the road today.

They have stated that the New York state Department of Transportation has not been sufficiently monitoring commercial carriers to see whether they have been at roadside due to violations or due to repairs and/or corrections needed to the vehicle. 

This oversight deems the public at a preventable safety risk.

“Lax oversight of commercial carriers could be putting New York’s motorists in jeopardy,” State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said. “The [New York] Department of Transportation needs to do a better job making sure carriers comply with the law, and most especially those with poor safetyrecords. The state needs to send a strong message that commercial carriers that flout the rules and put people at risk will be penalized.”

The N.Y. DOT is behind the administering of state participation in these necessary roadside inspections of commercial vehicles, carried out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.

The requirements by Federal and State regulations are for Motor Carriers to return inspection reports and repair certifications to the N.Y. DOT within 15 days. The problem though, us that according to DiNapoli’s Auditors discovery, N.Y. DOT has not been monitoring whether carriers that have been cited submit the required certifications on time indicating that violations have been repaired or corrected.

An added point on the report reads that the N.Y. DOT has no tracking system installed to monitor this compliance with the 15-day requirement. In fact, there is a negligence of tracking whether these reports are being received at all.

Additionally, approximately 60% of the cases of repeat out-of-service reviewed, the N.Y. DOT did not use such “enhanced enforcement actions to ensure compliance with the law. Instead, violators in these instances typically received only a traffic citation.” Auditors have noted.

To resolve the predicament, the audit has suggested that the N.Y. DOT put several forms of action into place: 

•    Institute a comprehensive tracking system to monitor carrier compliance with the requirements for certification that vehicles have been repaired.

•     Develop strategies to improve carrier compliance, particularly for those with poor safety histories and out-of-service violations.

•     Impose increasingly severe penalties, such as compliance reviews and formal violation notices, when carriers are found to have continued to operate out-of-service vehicles.

 

The N.Y. DOT generally agreed with DiNapoli’s recommendations and has indicated that steps are being taken to implement them. 

We can't just look to the DOT for safety implementation though, as active safety precautions begin with the driver and his truck.

To avoid safety hazards and not having a reason to report fault are simply to implement prevention by loading with quality tools such as thick enough straps, heavy-duty chains, new materials, and hole-free tarps. All that can be found in high quality and affordability at DCCargoMall.com.

For a copy of the report, including more details of the N.Y. DOT’s response, visit: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/audits/allaudits/093014/12s13.pdf

Become A Truck Stop Maven Posted by DC Cargo Mall on January 02, 2014

Things to consider at every Truck stop visit:

Sanitation levels:  It can really be worth it in the long run to drive a few extra miles to choose a truck stop that is newer and more stringent in their maintenance of enough toilet paper, regularly scrubbed wash rooms, and even a better room fume.

Why is this worth it? You may want to inquire. Well, firstly, everyone knows that germs leads to you getting run down with the latest flu, and that is never cool when you’d rather rake in the bucks and not miss work on the road. Plus, people’s grimy hands touch some of the food and they haven’t washed their hands, so take from the back of the pans at a buffet. You can do your part too and keep your hands washed after every go. Carrying around a tiny hand sanitizer will always delight you whenever the bathroom has run out of soap.

Food Menu: Let’s face it, we all have different tastes.  It’s always good to experience a place and brave their food once, so that you can judge for yourself whether you’ll be back there in the future when your stomach needs a refill.

Your best bet though, is to pack your own food and munch it on the road. That way, choosing healthier options can always be bought in bulk and money, (and weight!) is saved. For example, chocking up on a whole wheat loaf and small tub of peanut butter will last you for at least a week (the PB for a year!) as opposed to spending $5 on a tiny sandwich that will last you for less than one meal for one day. The only one losing weight then is your poor wallet. 

Side point: Convenience stores at truck stops will charge more because they simply fit their description: they are convenient. If you really want to save yourself on spending, go to a discount store nearby and lose the guilt.

Laundry Available: Not all stops have laundry machines, although most of them do. If you won’t need your laundry done at a particular time, you may want to opt for a stop that although missing the laundry aspect, will be offering other extra amenities that you may need at that time, like a barber, better entertainment, or better window washing…

Window washing quality: This window washing thing might sound quite specific or silly. But here’s the deal: You don’t want to waste your precious time on a cleaning, and get less done in more time. That’s why it’s good to take note of which places pour more washing fluid into their buckets of water, and which ones additionally have longer brushes.  You may need to get your windows washed, but the last time you spend on it, the better.

Recreational: This is your TV Room, Game Room, and Wifi options. 

The wifi will always cost you money, but some stops have on sight computers for public usage.

  If you’re a gamer, see all your options and get familiar with the stops that provide your favorites. But be sure not to choose a great gaming stop with no laundry option when you’ve been wearing the same socks for three days in a row.

Choosing between TV rooms depends on whether you like a small, cozier atmosphere, or get easily claustrophobic and would rather an airy space or are more social and want to converse with a bigger crowd.

Safety: Even if your truck is locked securely, be sure your items are too. The more they are safe-locked, the better the chance that it will the stall you for time to discover the culprit red-handed, or better yet, that he will give up at the start from how difficult you have made it to steal from you.

Keep your smallest valuables on you like your cell phone, wallet and keys of course. Keep other small items that you don't need on you, like the gold necklace you just bought your wife, your $200 running shoes, and your quality tools, inside a lock box with fingerprint or coding technology. 

When carrying boxes of expensive equipment like iPods or jewelry in your interior van, double check if you have to: ensure that all your straps, bars, rings, hooks, or whatever is keeping it together is in a true tight-hold. Trust us, you don't want responsibility or blame for someone else stealing someone else's possessions!

 

Last but not least, park yourself next to a curb, whenever possible. That way you have at least one side of you protected against another driver snagging you on his way out.

(Write down your list of favorites and perks for later reference! Everyone's list will be different, so write it based on your own experiences.)

Happy stopping!

Little Tricks and Fixes for Truck Maintenance Posted by DC Cargo Mall on November 25, 2013

• Bet you’ve never heard of this silly sounding piece of sound advice: We know it’s fun to stack up your key with a key-chain full of collectibles, mini truck models, Indian beads, fun quoted plaques, and more. Trust us though, keep it lightweight and simple. The less pressure you put on the key, the less pressure the key will put on your ignition. After years of sticking the same heavier-by-the-month key-chain collection into your ignition, can eventually wear out the tumblers inside and lead to ignition switch failure. It’s an accumulative process, so don’t let the simplicity of this trick fool you. Lightening the load of your key can add years of life to the ignition on your truck, especially with all the bumping on the road, adding weight to that already heavy key-chain.

• Remember: Tires are the only thing between you and the road, and in losing even one, it’s automatic accident. Check to see if your tires need replacing often and replace them in advance to damaged conditions. Waiting longer for repair will hike up the bill at the mechanic. Use a gauge to determine that your tires have the proper pressure. To check that the tread has adequate depth, place a coin inside the groove with the top of the head up. If more than half of the head is visible, it’s time for a tire replacement.

• Choose a mechanic you like and stick to it. When you go to the doctor, you likely keep the same one throughout as he carries a record file of your medical history and already knows your background, being able to make a quicker diagnosis and more accurately base his assumptions off of a larger knowledge bank. Similarly, whenever your truck needs repairs, going to the same guy can save you time in explanations and perhaps even a few bucks (if you’ve established a nice rapport with the guy!)

• To prevent your truck from getting snatched up by greedy thieves, aside from the obvious tips like keeping doors locked, not leaving any spare keys in the car, removing valuables before exiting, and installing alarms, here are some things to know: keep your truck looking tip-top, thieves will actually view a rustic or abandoned vehicle as an easier target. They will assume you may have neglected to lock doors or attend to it closely, and view it as one that will bring payment in straight up cash, and will go for those first.

• The second tip in preventing truck thievery is to put up as many obstacles as possible: even if he can chop through each and every one of them, this might make him hesitate to choose your truck as a target, or even if he does, will stall you for time to catch him even red-handed, coupling with timely police arrival following your numerous alarms. The more of the following that you choose to install, the better: An ignition cut out switch, fuel cut out switch, steering wheel lock, transmission lock, wheel lock/boot, lockable fuel cap and wheel nuts (fuel and wheels are frequently stolen) and a VISIBLE vehicle alarm system to scare him off.

• Last but not least, when loading that truck of yours, ensure that any straps that are even a little lose and tightened and any load locks etc. are in a complete lock hold. Any items that shift during your ride will not only serve as a safety hazard, or earn you points that you don’t want, but will cause abrasion to your truck, and lose out on potentially long-term longevity. Load safe!