Protect Your Investment. Winterize your Rig

It's that time of year, yet again - time to winterize your rig. And while the below is by no means a comprehensive list, it is a good way to start your winterization plan.

One of the few things typically taken care of for you is your fuel blend. You already know that your truck can be harder to start in winter, and to combat this, fuels are blended with 1D and 2D types of diesel for faster ignition. In spite of that, you'll still want to check the cetane number (CN). The higher the better in winter, as it's a measure of how quickly the fuel ignites. That said, let's get to the list you do have to worry about:

Hoses, radiator and belts - In the warm months, rubber and plastic might work perfectly well, but cold weather will test all of these components. Before it gets cold, check for small cracks, rub marks or bulges that can lead to a failure down the line. It may not happen today, but parts will fail at the least convenient moment, and keep you from making money. Change them if they look even the slightest bit suspicious.

Anti-freeze - Have your anti-freeze tested before the winter sets in. You need it to be at the best possible freeze point for the entire season. If you don't remember the last time you had it changed, it's probably time.

Batteries - When was the last time you had your batteries tested? If your batteries are between 4 and 6 years old, you need to consider replacing them before the season even begins. If they're younger than that, you still need to have them tested - under load.

Engine components - Check to see what type of equipment you have to make your rig start easier in the colder climates. If you have a block heater, intake pre-heats or glow plugs; make sure they are functioning correctly before you really need them.

Anti-gelling additives - As the name implies, this keeps your fuel from gelling in the cold temperatures. Use them.

Fuel/water separator - keeping water out of your fuel is always a good idea, but even more critical in the winter when it can freeze a fuel line. If you don't have one, get a fuel water separator for your rig. Minimize the amount of condensation that can collect by fuelling late in the day, if possible.

Air Dryers - Your break systems are designed to use dry air. In freezing temperatures, water/fluids can create an ice blockage and prevent your breaks from functioning. Air dryers help prevent that from happening. The air dryer sits between compressor and the wet tank, and should have the filter changed before the winter begins. Don't forget to drain your reservoirs periodically, as well.

Heating - When you check the in-cab heat systems, or open the valve - in some older trucks; change your in-cab filter, as well. You wouldn't believe what gets stuck in those filters over time. This contributes to slow cabin air, and can make it less comfortable for you in the colder climates.

Wiring - Like your battery, wiring is critically important to monitor. Rubbing, and exposure are two things that are tough on your wiring. Check all the areas you can for damage. Anywhere wiring touches another component is where you need to heavily scrutinize.

Sometimes you can do all of the above and still run into trouble on the road. You need prepare for this, as well. Keep extra blankets, water, food and survival supplies in your truck at all times. It takes up some precious room, but when you need it, it's well worth the space.

Keep rolling. Keep safe.

Are You Really Prepared For The Economic Upturn?

It’s coming to a trucking business near you. You’ve felt it creeping up on you for any number of months, but now it seems like it’s right in your face. The economic upturn is going to make your life a wreck if you’re not prepared.

So what’s the big deal about the economic upturn in the trucking industry? Remember those days when you had to cut back, and scrape for loads? Remember all the maintenance you had to let go until you could afford it, or the equipment you didn’t buy because it didn’t make sense at the time? You lost money then, and now you’ll lose more money if you’re not prepared to take advantage of the opportunities available.

What’s going to hold you back? Unless you kept and maintained all of your equipment and drivers from 2010, you’re probably going to be lacking the resources to tackle all the loads you can. The good news is that you’re not the only one. The bad news is that you’ve got some catching up to do. Fortunately, everyone else is in the middle of getting caught up, as well. The longer you put it off, the less revenue you’re going to be bringing in later.

Perform maintenance

Where to start? Maintenance and updates are always the beginning. Bring your existing equipment up to spec, and update how you track your maintenance, your drivers and loads. Without proper maintenance, your fleet dies a lingering, costly death. Some states won’t even let you across their border without certain equipment, so there’s real incentive to make that maintenance happen.

Without proper tracking of your field assets, you have no way to determine where your potentially blossoming profits are spent. Additionally, before you can even consider new equipment, you have to have a way to make sure your existing equipment is being used in the most efficient manner possible. Adding equipment doesn’t justadd capacity, it adds maintenance and man hours.

Update your equipment

The industry, and electronics have improved dramatically since 2010. Electronic logging makes tracking HOS easier, as well as determining when your drivers need to rest. Other computer and phone applications make it easier to find the cheapest diesel in an area, certified CAT scales and rest stops on the road. Look into these if you’re not using them. Additionally, look for an expense tracking software suite. You need to be able to drill down to any expense, anywhere in your fleet.

Thanksgiving Special!

Welcome to East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales Newsletter It's the time of year for giving thanks to those we appreciate. Our Customers. To all of our customers we will offer FREE shipping on all orders over $200.00 placed between Thur, Nov 27th - Sunday, Nov 30th. (Excludes ODF items and clearance items.) Simply sit back, log on to Parts.ECTTS.Com and get your shopping done without having to brave the weather, or the crowds. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Perfect Turkey? If you're fixing turkey this thanksgiving (and who isn't?), you're probably expecting a moist, juicy bird. While everyone hopes their bird will turn out that way, what if there was a way to make it happen every time? This is going to seem strange, at first, but you'll get the idea of why it's necessary. First, after you have removed the giblets, and rinsed the bird, place the turkey in the roasting pan upside down (breast meat down). Second, do not stuff the bird. Place ¼ cup of butter inside the bird, and place the remaining ¼ cup of butter in the pan with 1 cup of water. Now cover the bird, and cook for 3 hours and 3o minutes (13lb bird), at 350 degrees F. In the last 30-to 45 minutes you need to turn the bird over to cook without the cover, until brown, if you want the breast skin brown and crispy. After the turkey is done (Thigh meat is 180 degrees F) , You can use the remaining juices to make gravy, or work into the dressing, according to your tastes. Some variations of this recipe call for using apple juice, instead of water. Others call for cooking the bird in an oven bag, and using a blend of olive oil and butter. One thing all the cooks have to say about this method is that this produces a moist, juicy bird - every time. Enough said. On the Road Thanksgiving So, you're going to be on the road this thanksgiving. That means you're going to be passing by truck stops, and you're going to need to know where some great grub can be found. Problem solved. Here are some of the truck stops that have great food figured out. Dysart's Truck Stop and Restaurant - Bangor, ME Berky's Restaurant at Lee Hi Travel Plaza - Lexington, VA R Place Restaurant - Morris, IL Iowa 80 Truck Stop - Walcott, IA Johnson's Corner - Johnstown, CO Billy Bob's Texas Truck Stop - Fort Worth, TX Omar's Hi-Way Chef Restaurant - Tucson, AZ Needless to say, this is only a small sampling. We've tried to compile a list that goes across the continent, but if you know of others you'd recommend, certainly e-mail us, and we'll try to get those out there during the holiday season, as well.

Fifth Wheel Maintenance

OK, so how many of you are thinking about your fifth wheel right now? Probably not many, right? Well like everything else on your truck, it needs maintenance. Which means you also probably need a checklist to do it right. Everyone loves a checklist, and we've got you covered. 1)      First, you're going to need to clean the gunk off that fifth wheel. Some folks go so far as to steam clean it; others simply scrape and clean it with a brush and solvent. You should know that it is recommended that you steam clean not only the top plate, but the jaws and legs, as well. 2)      Next you're going to inspect the upper area and edges for any damage. This can simply be wear and tear, or something more excessive - like missing parts or cracks. You're going to need to find a straight edge, too, because you've got to check the flatness of the fifth wheel. Cracks are obviously bad, as well. Finding them can be tricky if you're not steam cleaning the fifth wheel, but if you check underneath it, you can see any grease making its way through a crack. 3)      Look at the jaw area. Is there any damage, or excessive wear? You should have a test pin from your manufacturer. You're going to use this to engage the locking mechanism. Check the release handle, as well. This needs to be straight and secure. Look for any missing parts. Adjust the locking mechanism. 4)      You'll want to examine the bracket pins and legs for any type of damage (slack, wear or cracks). 5)      Check those Zerks. Obviously, grease fittings should be intact and unclogged. 6)      This is the point where you're going to need the square. Review the flatness of the bolster plate, as well as the kingpin. You're looking for any deformities in either one. No one likes it, but when you find damage in either one, you're going to need to replace it. 7)      Check your kingpin for wear, as well. You're going to need a kingpin gauge for this. 8)      Now that you've made it through the inspection, hopefully without needing to replace anything, it's time to look at the necessary maintenance. First, lubricate the jaw and locking mechanism. You're going to do this with a silicone based spray lube, or some other light oil. 9)      Let's give the zerks something to do now. You're going to use the grease gun for the bracket pin zerks to lube the surfaces above the pin. 10)   Now for the top plate. While many drivers and mechanics apply high quality grease all over the fifth wheel, you only need to grease the rear part, as the action of connecting a trailer will apply the grease to the rest of the fifth wheel. Note: Not all of these steps apply if you have a fifth wheel with a Teflon disc. The disc is the lubricant.

Height Sticks and GPS

You’ve seen the videos and pictures on the web. You know it happens – just not to you. And this is exactly how it starts. 

Every day we see a video of a truck carrying a large load hitting a bridge, underpass or some other object of civil engineering. In fact, over 60 percent of states say that over-height accidents are considered a significant problem. The problem is so bad in the empire state that New York is installing “Over-Height Vehicle Detection Systems” to alleviate it. (You have to wait for troopers to guide you to another route if you’re over height, and that can’t be an enjoyable process.)

So, how do these strikes happen so frequently when we all know to measure twice and plan the route accordingly? It’s all about safety culture and technology. Just like larger companies, small operations need to instill their safety processes and procedures – especially if they’re currently not in place. 

It’s all about knowing everything about the load you’re carrying. Just as you know when you’re overweight, you also need to know when you’re over height. The only way to know that is to measure for it. If you don’t have a height stick; get one. Today.

Now that you know the height of the load, it’s time to plan the route to the destination. In doing so, there’s one piece of equipment you want to avoid; a noncommercial GPS system. If you’re relying on a GPS system, make sure it’s one used for the trucking industry. Consumer GPS doesn’t show low bridges or hazmat routing. They don’t need to. You, however, need to know. 

Most commercial systems available will adjust your route according to the measurements, axle weights and whether you’re carrying haz-mat. Even the government wants to make sure truckers are aware of the benefits of commercial GPS. FMCSA recently published a visor insert to make sure everyone knows about it when purchasing a truck.

These are just a couple of ways to improve the safety of your organization. There are many more coming your way.

    

Recognizing Truck Driver’s Contributions

How do you pay 35 billion dollars in taxes each year, have over three million members and still remain under the radar when it comes to recognition for your contributions to the economy? You work as a truck driver.

It seems hard to imagine, but people don’t seem to be aware of how most products move across the country, or how much effort it takes to get freight from point A to point B without damage, spoilage or theft. To give it a number, over 83% of freight is moved across the country by truck drivers.

Here’s a couple of secrets most people also don’t know about trucking:

1) There’s a driver shortage happening, as we speak.

2) The trucking industry is probably going to grow by over 20% in the next 10 years.

Why is there a shortage? Imagine working 14-hour days, and being away from your friends and family for weeks at a time. Also realize that sitting 10 hours a day is a requirement, and terrible meal quality is the normal practice in the industry. Now you have a small insight into some of the reasons for fewer people entering the business. However, it goes beyond just the reasons.

So how do we convince new career seekers that truck driving might be their ticket? While there is no single answer for that question, there are a number of things we can bring to their attention.

Safety records have improved. Truck driving is now probably safer than it has ever been. Even though drivers have driven double the number of miles they drove 25 years ago, truck involved fatalities have dropped over 33%. Injuries have dropped 38% from their previous levels. In fact, the crash rate for large trucks is less than 50% of what others vehicles suffer. This really is a safer industry than what it was even a few years ago.

While there are a host of suggestions for gaining and retaining drivers, one of the best known ways always seems to be avoided in the discussion – simply pay better. In fact, most analysts blame the average pay for the truck driver shortage. Unless you’re just starting out in your career, $37,000 a year isn’t much to live on. Every industry in need of skilled labor seems to recognize this, except the trucking industry. Whether you need workers for the tar sands projects, or people in the IT industry, when there’s a shortage of workers, you have to compensate them to bring them into the field. Additionally, low pay has experienced drivers leaving the field, or retiring at an alarming rate, so there’s even less experience out there – which the industry now needs quite badly.

Retirees suggest that legislation and regulation are also big factors in their leaving. While we realize every aspect of this industry needs to be paid to make it work properly, most of the work is on the driver to get the load from one point to another. And let’s face it, between loading, offloading, securing and timely delivery; drivers do most of the work associated with the loads. The industry needs to recognize this.

If the industry seriously wants to overcome the struggle for drivers, it’s simply going to have to recognize the driver’s contributions, and pay better. 

Supreme Court Decision Now Protects Your Phone Information

Supreme Court Decision Now Protects Your Phone Information

We are a mobile society, and always have been. Moving about seems to be tied to our curiosity as a species. Moreover, when you travel as much as some of our readers, you're probably going to want to take as much of your information with you as possible. It's not only convenient, it now seems absolutely necessary. Previous to the Supreme Court's decision, this might have posed a problem - if you're a privacy advocate. With technology making huge amounts of information available, both the world's and yours, privacy has become a sticking point for numerous organizations. Warrantless searches of phones had been quite common. The contents could be downloaded by a device in an officer's car in a matter of moments - including calls, stored information and texts to everyone you interacted with throughout the life of the phone. Your fourth amendment right to privacy now just got a major clarification. Your phone's contents are now protected from prying eyes far better than it used to be. With the Supreme Court's ruling on Riley vs. California, several points about your continued privacy have been made quite clear. The court held that, "The police generally may not, without a warrant, search digital information on a cell phone seized from an individual who has been arrested." The court further concluded that, "the fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought."

Authorities saw it as necessary because information could be gathered before it was able to be erased/destroyed. The Supreme Court sees it differently. "Digital data stored on a cell phone cannot itself be used as a weapon to harm an arresting officer or to effectuate the arrestee's escape. Officers may examine the phone's physical aspects to ensure that it will not be used as a weapon, but the data on the phone can endanger no one." Warrantless searches were permitted when it was to prevent harm to an arresting officer, and/or it was to secure evidence from destruction. The Supreme Court now says that neither applies with cell phone data, without exigent circumstances. It, however, does allow authorities to take reasonable steps to prevent erasure/destruction of that data, but not acquire it without a warrant. One concern of privacy advocates is the Supreme Court's still unresolved issue of data not stored on the phone, but in the "cloud." While easily accessed on the phone, the physical location of the data can be on any storage device in the world. Will there be another warrant needed to search data stored outside the phone? Time and the courts will tell. This article is only meant as a very brief overview on a particular part of the Supreme Court's legal opinion. To see the original opinion of the Supreme Court, please Use this link: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-132_8l9c.pdf

TELLING YOUR STORY. SIMPLE SOLUTIONS.

Your Best Sales Person Should Tell Your Story

You know your company has the very best product and/or service in the industry; however, no one seems to know this, but you. In this era of frenzied business competition, how do you make sure people know what you do for your customers? That's easy. Let other people tell the story for you. Of the many forms of advertising and marketing, only one can change how someone "feels" about your company. Only one speaks to people, because it's by a real person. One of the oldest, and best, forms of advertising is directly from your customers. In short, you need testimonials. Reviews. Recommendations. With these references, you are now the star, instead of simply another player on the field. There is no doubt that it can be difficult to get great reviews - if you simply sit back and wait for them. While customers may indeed love what you do for them, it's always hard to get someone to submit a great review on their own, and especially if you give them nowhere to do so. Negative reviews seem to be another story. More on those later.

Keep your reviews current. No one wants to see a review from 1984.      The truth is you have to ask for reviews. Somewhere you have an email list of people your company deals with. Write a personalized e-mail (no bulk e-mails) to your customers asking for their thoughts on your products/services. When you get a good review back; and you will, simply ask the customer if it would be OK to use their review. Happy customers will likely agree to this, as they already appreciate what you do for them, and probably wouldn't mind influencing others, as well. It's simply human nature to be an influencer. It makes us feel good about our purchasing decision when people act on what we tell them. With permission, use these reviews on your web pages, literature and anywhere people see your company in public. If you don't have time for this; find someone that does. Much as referrals carry weight for job interviewees, they are essential to your business for the same reason. Each customer interaction is an interview. You are "hired" or "fired" on the purchaser's review of your businesses' "resume." If it's filled with recommendations, chances are good you'll be getting the job. The beauty of this review system is that it also allows you the chance to correct any problems your company might also have. As much as we dislike getting negative feedback, it is a necessary part of business. Each one, however, should be viewed as an opportunity. If you get a negative review from a customer, and it truly was something that was your fault, and an area you can improve upon; do so. Then communicate the steps taken to your customer. You become a stronger company with every review - be it positive or negative. Your best customer is also your best sales person, if you ask. With that said, we would love to hear from you. Please email us and let us know about your experience and what we can do to improve our relationship with you. As stated above, our best sales person is a happy customer.

Difficult Operations Don't Always Require Complex Solutions!

Move vehicles with ease    Scenario 1 This one was supposed to be an easy tow. However, you get there to find that the car is not only tightly parallel parked between two other cars, but the customer is locked out of the vehicle. Scenario 2 It's a late-night repo. You need to get this car out of a "blocked" situation quickly and quietly. This is now even more difficult than what you planned for. Scenario 3 You're staring at one super-expensive antique vehicle. It needs to be safely moved from one side of the storage area to the other. You don't want to start this piece of history, let alone drive it. Solution Three situations with one easy solution. Break out the Go Jaks. This lightweight dolly system allows you to move blocked, locked or damaged vehicles into a proper hook-up configuration with tow trucks or car carriers. They also allow you to move an entire vehicle where you need it. Whether you need a vehicle moved eough to do a proper hook, or completely rotated into a new position, this is your go-to dolly system. You can use just 2 units on the drive wheels to move the car into position to be towed, or you can use four Go Jaks (one each wheel) to move the car into a position anywhere it needs to be moved, with minimal effort, and precise placement.

East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales 877.814.9468 Parts.ECTTS.Com

East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales 877.814.9468  Parts.ECTTS.Com