Cheap tricks we forget to pass on...

MNdriver, so what's your tip?

 

If your tandems are stuck and you can't get em' to slide, back up to a curb, set the trailer brakes, then back up. That usually frees em' up, but don't rip off your mudflaps.

 

heres a simple thing I used to do just before winter, rainX my convex and flat mirrors.

a squirt of dish soap into the windsheild washer bottle helps cut the calcium brine stuff they spray on the roads, or easier to mix in a squirt into the bottle before you fill the w/w tank.

 

Google earth is a really good tool! Like the poster said you can see exactly what you are going to be getting into, what kind of docks, parking etc... they have. Also what type of neighborhood the shipper/receiver is in. This helps you decide if you can park for the night or shut down and have a place to park. Instead of parking 50 miles away at a truckstop if you can see on "GE" that there is a place to park or shutdown then you can go ahead and drive right there.

I have even used "GE" for finding hidden parking spots at the beach in Cali! Had a pick up over the beach side and were way early, so we looked on "GE" and found a place we could squeeze the truck in and go to the beach.

As for stuff that these new trucks won't let you do, there's a fuse for that.... You would be surprised what you can make that truck do with a simple fuse pull. Can even over ride the idle shutdown. Also ways to override the speed limit on the truck. That's a paid secret though...

If you are running reefer keep a good set of long jumper cables. You can jump the reefer off your truck and also vice versa. In the winter time batteries go bad and also the reefer doesn't run as much causing it to run low on juice.

Guys instead of a broom you can keep a few coils of airhose and an airchuck and blow out your trailer instead of sweep it.

By far one of the simplest and most used little tricks I can think of is to keep a bag of ice melt in the truck in the winter. Can't count how many times this has gotten me out of a jam and also prevented me from throwing chains or getting pulled out.

 

When hooking an MT at a drop yard make sure it is not a bums new home or a teenage couples new love nest before leaving,Yes both have happened to me.

 

You can also pick up a cheap 97 cent funnel to help you change your fuel filter. Makes it easier to drain it into your bottle so you don't make a mess.

Keep latex gloves in your side box so that if you have to do a quick job on the truck, you can clean up simply by peeling your gloves off.

Keep an extra set of wiper blades in the truck too.

Keep 2 extra fuel filters and a bottle of Diesel 911 for winter use.

Drive your truck back and forth on your parking spot in the winter. You'll pack the snow, cool your tires and keep from getting stuck on flat ground. Keep 4 sets of carpet remnants too so you can put one under each drive tire when you can't pack the snow. They will give you the traction you need to just pull out in the morning too.

 

Just to add to Mndriver, its good to keep an extra set of red and blue airlines with gladhands. In the winter time because they are made of cheap plastic the cold air and salt makes them brittle and they crack and leak. If you have an extra set you aren't stranded.

 

Man, that's one long air hose!!

I'll go you one better. I use an 18v Black and Decker cordless leaf blower. It's not that big and doesn't take up much space in the cargo hold. I still blow everything into a pile and use a dust pan and hand broom to get it up rather than blow all the junk out the back into a parking lot.

One other trick for an outer drive or tandem tire that has gone flat or blown out, while I'm waiting for RSA, I keep a 1 foot section of 6x6 in the truck. Just set it on the ground length wise with the tractor or trailer (One end towards the tractor) directly in front (Or back) of the inner tire and roll on top of it. Gets it up off the ground just enough. The RSA guys always smile when they pull up. No jack needed.

 

Whenever you go into the J, T/A Petro what have you, (Most of us do this but for the new guys and gals) get your stuff put into their plastic bags and hang onto them. They come in handy rather than buying additional hefty trash bags (Which I have handy as well) for you to stuff your trash in. You'd be surprised how much accumulates quickly in the cab.

And keep excess stuff (Trash) off your dash. Back in my days in LE, one of the things one of my SHP buddies who got rolled into the inspections unit use to look for was a dash crammed full of junk. Said it was a pretty good indicator for a full blown inspection as to the drivers concern for the rest of the vehicle.

 

Glad hand seals for trailer and glad hand connectors !


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