Technology Advances Holding Us Back? Posted by DC Cargo Mall on May 12, 2014

As technology advances, so does neglect.

People are relying more and more on gadgets and devices these days that they forget to implement the most basic safety measures that are crucial regardless, such as sufficient sleep, logging truthful information for their own sake, failure to load properly, texting while driving, and staying up to date on constantly changing regulations.

Electronic safety inventions were meant to aid in safety, not take away from it. What was found to have the most effect on driver’s influence for motivation was their score compared to other drivers. 

“Everyone loves some good competition,” Offers Samuel Doleco, a 7 year Trucker from West Virginia. "That's why score cards are crucial, because driver's want to know where they hold in comparison to other drivers. But Samuel is a big fan and defense of the techno world. He shows us several of what he calls ‘new-fangled gadgets’ that line his truck. 

“This device from SmartDrive now has a U-Turn trigger on its recorder. If I miss a turn, this thing can sense an unsafe maneuver and make that conclusion to lead me back onto the proper road. Other vehicles can afford to miss a turn or two, but us truckers can’t. We have a dispatcher, 2 companies, a family, or whatever combination that is dependent on our timely arrival. The dangerous part though, is that if I make a wrong turn and end up on a road that is not capacitated for trucks, I could ram the road or worse yet, be too tall for an upcoming bridge.

“My NexTraq has this Bluetooth trigger unit that works with an app on my phone to block all calls while I’m driving. It’s hard for me to control myself from the delicious sound of someone calling me, or even just the screen lighting up with a phone number. I let this app keep me in check.”

Doleco says his antennae are up for all the newest safety measures that are invented. He is looking forward to the new inventions that are ever changing and bringing safety closer to reality, such as intelligent transportation systems, vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-infrastructure/infrastructure-to-vehicle data.

Some companies don’t invest in high technology for their fleets though. Doleco says he feels lucky to be part of one that does. “My company understands that investing in our safety is investing in themselves. 

You see this safety camera here? If I get into a collision, which is already a less-likely scenario due to all the other safety measures implemented, then this camera can provide proof of my not being at fault. That reduces my insurance dramatically and takes a heck of a monetary load off of the company.”

DCCargoMall.com is lucky to be a part of Doleco’s satisfying trucking career: “My company also invests in loading gear that is top quality only and within the best results for your buck. This allows them to keep us safe inexpensively while still affording us higher salaries than most.”

Owner-Operators: Do they really earn more? Posted by DC Cargo Mall on May 06, 2014

Is owning your own truck really going to save you $$$ in the long run?

Some beg to differ.

For Samuel Slatin, his investment in his own big rig seemed to be the best decision he ever made. The hours were his own to choose from, gas was a meek 87 cents a gallon, and the paycheck came in more often.

Now, he says, things have gone from bad to worse.

Expenses have gone through the roof in more ways than one and giving up is close on his radar.

Tolls are about $100 for truckers, insurance is sky high, gas is 3.99 a gallon, and his truck gets by on only 5.2 miles a gallon.

Any slight traffic infraction could raise his insurance. His health insurance is something he can’t afford and the stress makes for a weaker heart which he now needs regular checkups for, all of which must be out-of-the-pocket, sometimes having to dish out upwards of $100 at a time.

Slatin says he left Europe, hoping for a better income and got his wish, but it was short-lived.

“I almost wish I stayed working for someone else, for a company. Being my own boss comes with all the expenses and responsibility that, at the end of the day, is costing me more!”

He points out that worker’s compensation, social security contributions, unemployment insurance, or high protection levels by safety and health regulation are just a handful of the many things he is missing out on as an owner-operator.

Back in the 1980’s, when truckers made today’s equivalent of $44.83 an hour, most of those 75,000 port truck drivers were unionized.

Now, more than half of the percentage have become independent owner operators. Initially, it was the envy of the industry – someone with his own truck and his own freedom. At this point however, independent truckers have been making an average of $28,000 a year, $7,000 less than employee drivers, who are paid by the hour and receive more comprehensive benefits. Port truckers are sometimes made to wait at the port for just one shipment for almost a day – simply because no one loses out except them, and no incentive is put in place to avoid this.

Slatin shared his musings with us:

“My marriage has been sourly affected, and I had to give up on our home mortgage because it was either that or the truck. And I need my truck to continue working. I’ve declared bankruptcy and I owe debtors. The hardest part of it all is, I am very attached and truly love my truck at this point, but I may have no choice but to sell it. The miles are high though, so it can’t be worth that much on the market by now. The saddest part is, my case is not uncommon.

“With all the expenses piling up, I have no choice but to scratch it down to bare necessities. This includes all the straps, chains, load locks and tools needed to secure my load that need replacement. If I don’t have the correct strong and sturdy securing ropes that my load requires, I could be risking a horrible accident where my load goes airborne and results in injury or worse: fatality. 

I want to thank www.DCCargoMall.com for providing me with all the equipment I need and more, and after they heard my story, have given me the discount I needed to splurge on a gift for my wife. Things are lookin’ up, slowly.”

Top Ten Overheating Prevention Steps for the Trucker Posted by DC Cargo Mall on March 11, 2014

Not only is it worth your truck's time to receive constant inspection for keeping cool, but it's worth your own time and money as well. Don't wait until parts are cracked and leaks are emerging. Catch your truck red handed before it sizzles up beyond repair.

Know if your truck is prone to overheating

Some trucks are more susceptible than others to heat; familiarize yourself with your truck’s vulnerabilities. 

Is it equipped with a less-than-ideally designed head gasket? Is your engine built with other priorities in mind? A larger engine doesn’t necessarily mean more heat resistance. Is there an old warrantee? If so, take that sucker in for a repair.

Monitor Your Gauges

There are multiple ways that your truck will actually inform

you of its current condition so that things like overheating can be caught before the actual overheating takes place. Few people actually check their temperature gauges on a regular basis and it’s a great habit to start.

 

The fuel gauge, speedometer, and tachometer are a norm for daily checks but don’t limit yourself to those gauges alone. Engine Oil pressure readings (found next to your temperature gauge) the battery charge indicator, and even the boost and vacuum gauge are all handy for keeping up-to-date with the needs of your vehicle.

To nip a failing or overheating engine in the bud, ensure that each time during your consistent gauge checks turns up with fairly stable and balanced ranges. Any rapid changes should set off warning bells. In your head that is. Repair alert!

Leaks

The guy in the car next to you motions that you roll down your window. He points to the bottom of your truck – you have a leak. Don’t ignore his warning, he deserves your thanks.

The coolant liquid – whether bright green, orange, red, or pink should not be hanging out outside the perimeters of the cooling system within your truck including the engine, transmission, brake system, transfer case, etc. If it is, you’re prone to running out of this magical liquid, and your cool-down rate is at risk. 

Don’t delay because the later you have it fixed, the more money will have to leak from your wallet. 

The Hood

Sometimes the leak is too small to notice but causes a great amount of damage to your engine. That’s why opening up your truck's insides is the next necessary step.

 

Open up that hood and dig around and check your hoses and lines for possible abrasion. Are your clamps holding snugly enough? Anything that is not up to par in shape can’t hurt to be replaced.

Ensure that your coolant is properly leveled and isn’t fluctuating in level drastically with each consistent check.

Hoses and Belts and Domino Affects

Belts and hoses are rubber, and therefore can crack, fray, leak, or rot. 

Check for these signs of wear, and check especially vigilantly for its level of tension. If the tension is off, the alternator will be forced to work harder than usual to transfer power to the other parts. This extra effort put in causes extra friction, and therefore, extra heat. Much like if you were to work extra hard at the gym and sweated it out, well, for hours.

Extra heat in the engine bay in turn raises the heat of the bay overall, which then elicits a result in the rise of your engine’s temperature. As this goes on, the heating continuously rises, and then 'bam', one day: overheated. An overheated engine leads to pressure building in the cooling system, and therefore put pressure on the hoses. 

If the cause of your rising temperatures is not obvious enough, explore the entire bay until you come across it. Remember though – before you start sniffing around a heated hood, give it some cool-off time.

Coolant-to-Water Balance

Filling up the cooling system with only water or coolant alone are both detrimental to the system. Both, at balanced levels are necessary for proper cooling operation. 50/50 is the general safe way to go, but check out your specific manual, there may be a different percentage befitting your specific system.

Don’t Overload

Overloading your truck with heavy stacks of anything, can never be a good idea. 

Although DCCargoMall.com carries all the right qualityand hefty equipment to keep even the largest loads into place, there are safetylimits and precautions that we suggest you follow if only for the fact that you are saving yourself money on overheating repairs! 

The connection between overloading and overheating? Due to all that extra weight, your engine is having to exert that much more effort to stay afloat, therefore generating more heat. It may be worth it to make that extra trip and split that load into two.

To find out what your truck’s limit is, check out your manufacturer’s weight limits and ratings from the owner manual or on a plate/decal inside the edge of your truck’s door frame.

Towing

Some trucks are tow trucks and others, well; you added a towing system to after buying. This towing addition, whether before or after, does not increase your truck’s load capacity in itself, and you will still need to abide by the loading capacity, as well as calculating the overall load weight put onto your truck, whether it’s on the trailer, roof, or otherwise.

If your towing setup is an addition made on your own, and your loads are frequently heavy-duty, it is highly suggested that you upgrade your radiator, coolant lines, and water pump to aid in dissipating extra heat. This way, whatever heavy load you do carry, (within limits range of course) will at least not be taxing on your cooling system.

Brakes

Various catalysts, such as a temperature fluctuation, a pressure rise or fall, an uneven wear of brake parts, and/or even improper braking techniques, are all ways to cause the already abrasive and high with friction brake calipers and pads to stick to the wheels. This will slow down the vehicle and in turn require extra blasts of energy – and heat – to function properly. The result? Overheating.

If you’re suspecting the dragging brake situation, get to your location if possible, and wait for cool-off time before you go prodding into the system, that is, only if you know what your doing.

Overall

Keep everything under your hood in ship-shape to avoid the overheating monster. 

Some main functions to check first would be your coolant hoses, hose clamps, radiator, engine belt, radiator cap, overflow container, cooling fan, and your engine’s thermostat, among others.

Keep cool and drive on.

A Fiery Trucking Protest - Whose Side Are You On? Posted by DC Cargo Mall on March 06, 2014

The port in Vancouver is confiscating trucker’s permits due to the resort to threats and violence in a combat about labor. 

The Port as well as the Trucking Association representing trucking companies are adamant to elicit a solution for the truckers who have quit working in anger, and resorted to protesting. The protesting included so much as one trucker tossing a heavy rock through the front window of another trucker’struck, who going at 70 mph was lucky to have survived the incident. Cutting break lines was another tactic used by these quitting truckers in the hopes of physically and verbally intimidating fellow truckers that refused to join the strike and opted to continue on working.

A BCTA Representative is disheartened with all the verbal intimidation thrown at the truckers who stuck to their posts. He’s revved up about the drivers that are being stopped and surrounded by people and cars attempting to convince the driver to stop work and join the protest. The working truckers have even received intimidating phone calls from home, warning them to quit.

Upwards of 20 permits of protesters have already been suspended with 20 more expected to be. The permits were not permanently terminated though until after a two weeks’ notice and a chance at disputing the claim with valid-deemed reasoning, which in such a case could allow for reconsideration.

So what were these protesting truckers so harried over?  Their main complaint was in regard to the hours of waiting at the port between loads. Most container truckers get paid by the load (some because they are doing the loading themselves, and buying quality securement items from their own pockets) as opposed to by the time. For them waiting long meant less time for loads and less money. The VCTA – (the Vancouver Container Trucker’s Association) which is part of Unifor (the country’s largest private sector union) has joined the strike. 

Unifor’s area director, Gavin McGarrigle, asserts that the VCTA/uniform represents around 400 members. The BCTA disputed this count stating that VCTA’s membership ran up at closer to 250 members. The UTA counter argues this as well, claiming that approximately 1000 members including employee drivers and owner operators would be a more accurate summation. The BCTA still refutes the cause and valid reasoning for protest with that argument that some drivers that in fact are paid by the hour. But the UTA challenges that these truckers are suffering though regardless – due to the same overhead costs.

The BCTA instituted an 8 point plan in the hopes of halting the protest and urging them back to work. Their strategy includes extending gate hours at terminals and introducing a rate-auditing system. A Ms. Yako has stated that the plan was developed by BCTA members who are trucking companies and therefore can empathize with the concerns of drivers. The Port Metro Vancouver also agreed to it in principle.

But this didn’t pacify the protesting drivers. ‘The plan had no input from us, the actual individual drivers!’ 

A spokesperson for the UTA criticized further that ‘They don’t care about the fact that drivers are losing their trucks, homes, and the money in their pockets.’

Mr. Xotta pointed out that truck activity has declined 20% since this protest, and with the stakes worsening each day, causing a long term reputational risk with customers. The port authority says that this is exponential because about $855 million worth of cargo is locally exported / imported via truck weekly. 

Meanwhile, the port will be lifting a moratorium on full-service operator licenses that was put into place two weeks prior to enable trucking companies to add trucks to their fleets to combat the fact that their fleets were affected by permit suspensions.