Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

This Is Gonna Take a While...

Well, Pre-Trip video coming up. My hunch is this outfit does emphasize the DVIR. It's not left to PeopleNet the way Gordon did with QualComm. Each tractor DOES have a DVIR book that stays in the truck. I know that already. The trainer I did road test with, Frank, did a better inspection than most. They have a mechanic with a box truck for a shop, just like Yard Boss's Gary the Mechanic. It's at least a step up from the tools, organization and layout that Gary has. Newer, more complete, better organized and not responsible for near as much. Newer trucks with fewer issues. Go figure, eh?

Do ALL this company's drivers do a competent post-trip? Remains to be seen. Used to gripe my bottom while hauling mail when the day driver would sign the truck off as satisfactory even when I left him notes pointing out repair issues. He'd been with mail contractor over 25 years and never wrote anything up as far as I know. Truck was always fine. They had an 86% for Vehicle Maintenance. 86%. Way, way above threshold.

Mail contractor had no orientation at all. Just the application and some paperwork to sign. Rode over to Cincy with another driver; I drove back. All they were concerned about was whether I'd take the job.

Cared less about anything else.

 

Hi, Blu!

Yeah, I just walked across the street to Qdoba, got a burrito bowl to bring back. There were no less than 20 students in line. IU (Indiana University) has some 40,000 students (the saying goes about the girls 'and every 3rd one is hot') and swells Bloomington from 60,000 to 100,000 population (or more) when IU's in session. Some game on tonight when I drove in, never been to one. A big deal here. Sports. Sports jocks. Not my thing.

The law school, Maurer School of Law where I'm using a public computer, is one of top ten law schools in the nation. Got corrected one night here that, no, it's like 14. Okay, fine. They used to allow unlimited printing to the public and was terribly abused. I see now you print to a designated shared printer, the librarian retrieves your print job and you only get it if it's academic, research, law-related or yada yada.

Well, about time. Asian girl at front doors talking pretty intensely and angrily at a young Asian guy. IU has connected with the wealthy of the Pacific Rim. Their kids come here. Every language you can think of from China, Korea, Phillipines, Viet Nam, etc. The law library's located at the edge of campus, and the beginning of the downtown funky part of Bloomington. Very liberal. I've sometimes teased that they're trying to bring the 60's back and got told they weren't bringing them back, but we're doing the 60's right. Better.

Ha ha.

Mid-term finals now so not really busy here. Sometimes it's really loud. Open until midnight but I think I'll call it a wrap in another hour or so. 10 pm-ish.

 

Michigan Center for Truck Safety Video
Nice little company intro to MCTS(Michigan Center for Truck Safety) video, talks about shareholder drivers in the 'best equipment on the road'. All stock in company is employee-owned. Interesting. Video starts off with an out of place clip, a traffic stop that turns into a fight and cop runs up, then away as he pulls his weapon. Clip ends. Then moves on to pictures of some wrecks. Consequences. "Lives depend on your truck being safe out there on the road." No argument there. Including the driver's life.

"Just because the vehicle was safe in the morning does not mean it will be in the afternoon... even overnight tires can go flat, hoses can leak, lamps can go out... the vehicle inspection should be ongoing. Use your senses to detect sounds, odors, feel changes in the vehicle's response to the road... "

Inspection begins with driver approaching vehicle, looking for leaking fluids and whether truck is leaning. Must make sure brakes are set and be aware of your surroundings. Continue under the hood on the right side, find the oil dipstick and be sure oil level is within operating range.

Next, check the radiator sight glass to look for the proper fluid level, then that hoses aren't loose or worn and that they are not rubbing or chafing and are secured. Look for leaking fluids. Inspect any engine belts for snugness, yada yada. Be sure alternator is secured to the engine and find no loose, damaged hardware.

----aside----
Standard mechanic reply at some shops, like the mail contractor I worked for, "They all leak like that! Nothing wrong with that truck." Even the Prairie run outfit, begged off doing repairs that were expensive due to age of truck and its million miles. Always had stain of oil seepage at bull gear frame gasket (front of engine behind fan).
----end aside----

Brakes. Begin with the slack adjuster, looking for worn, loose or missing hardware. (Pulls slack adjuster back with a what looks like a fifth wheel puller. Push rod should not move more than one inch. Brake chamber should be secure, yada yada. No cracks, leaks, dented or worn. Check brake pads, make sure free of contaminants like grease, oil, brake fluid.

----aside----
Brake fluid on a semi tractor??
----end aside----

4/32 on steers. Tread evenly worn without cuts or separations or damage. Caps on valve stem. Check air pressure with gauge, rims and lugs with no rust trails or shiny threads. No elongated bolt holes and no cracks in rim or mounting. Wheel seals not leaking and oil level adequate. Check steering components for wear. Power steering reservoir for securement and level. Recheck belts from other side. Look for cracks or damage on the fan assembly. Check for cracked or broken spring hangers, missing fasteners, loose bushings, broken leaf springs, yada yada.

----aside----
I've never pulled a wheel seal off. Better start!
----end aside----

Start engine, check that it reaches proper oil pressure for that engine. Release brakes, build pressure to above 120 PSI, shut off engine. Make full brake application and hold for one minute. After initial drop, should not then drop more than 3 PSI for a single vehicle or 4 PSI for a combination (tractor/trailer).

Turn key on without starting engine and begin depleting air pressure by repeated stabs at brake pedal (will adjust automatic slack adjusters, BTW), looking for warning device below 60 PSI or 1/2 governor cut out. Continue full brake applications until parking brake and trailer valve pop out (out = closed, open = in) between 20-40 PSI. Turn on headlights, tail lights and marker lights to continue the walk-around.

On left side, start with doors and mirrors. Check battery box cover for damage and securement. Check exhaust, catwalk. Check driveshaft, u-joints. Etc. Slack adjuster push rod check again. Check for at least 2/32" tread on drives, even wear and inflation. No cuts or separations. Valve stems capped. Check that air lines are not scuffed, scraped, cut or worn. Not braided together or tangled.

----aside----
When battery box latch broke, shop just told me to bungy cord it and it stayed that way. Never fixed. Same with passenger side storage compartment door. Illinois shop failed to fix. Gary the Mechanic fixed in 5 minutes. I still kept bungy cords in truck, just in case. Some drivers make a point to wrap the blue and red air lines against each other.

Myself, I do pull them apart. With mail contractor, always carried a small sledge to beat on the starter. Million mile trucks, you know. You can pull-start a tractor with a pickup, easy. But it's the opposite of pull-starting a car. You DON'T pop the clutch. Put in higher range, don't touch clutch, have pickup pull, hit clutch when engine hits.
----end aside----

Check trailer for bulges or possible leaks that would damage freight, registration, FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) inspection. Check slider for air lines, chambers, pins, etc.

----aside----
Video covers all the standard stuff. If only life were so simple. Will see where trucking practicality rears up with new outfit, but don't want to be overly pessimistic. Equipment does look good, much better than have been driving on the Prairie runs by far. Newer, fewer issues. Ah, but about those super singles... what about those super singles?
----end aside----

Time to get outta here, get home to worms, mice, dogs and chickens. Got 4 eggs today, 2 very small--seems like the Buckeye is laying. A fifth egg had a really soft shell and broke, making something of a mess of the others. Need to grind up more egg shells and put out. 2 eggs were regular RIR (Rhode Island Red) eggs. No Comet eggs today. Stopped by this afternoon before coming to Bloomington. Seemed like the dogs were surrounded by chickens on the porch. Very popular they are.

Or the straw bales near them. When I got in, mouse in trap was definitely dead. Very.

 

Good thought, Blu. Did you have your vision checked? Did you get through your medical all right? Think you said you had some other 'self-inflicted' stuff going on, too. Hopefully you got it all resolved without all the stumbles I had! Not the first time I've outsmarted myself and probably won't be the last, either. What a snowball. Grumble, grumble...

Might have been better off if I'd stuck to my guns and waited to do physical until I'd dropped the 15 pounds I put on this summer. Instead, when I found out this new outfit was enthusiastic about hiring its first part-timer, I rushed things. Am paying for it, too, but opened up issues didn't know I had and probably will benefit in the long run.

That the new outfit figures the pre-trip does not have to be written surprised me. Thought you had to have something with you, in writing or in QualComm or PeopleNet, to show DOT affirmatively that you'd done a pre-trip. With the outfit I've been working for, running to Prairie du Chien, I always started my trip and log and started my DVIR, which is on the bottom of the paper log.

On the left-hand bottom of the log, there are side-by-side check-offs 'Before Trip' and 'After Trip'. At the beginning of your trip, your check-off 'Before Trip' indicates that you looked at those items checked, like 'Service Brakes', were okay and the check-off next to it that they were still okay after the trip. Side-by-side. Before and After. So if you got inspected, you have something showing that you've signed that affirmatively states you did this pre-trip and you log it, 15 minutes, too, of course. Same at end of trip. The spots to check for each inspection category are right there. You'd circle an item that needs a mechanic's attention and either deal with it on the road, bring it in to Gary the Mechanic, or swing through the company's big shop in Illinois.

If you get stopped, you have something in writing that shows you're in the process of dealing with the issue. Say, if you found a light out or flat at mid-trip, you'd go back and circle that category, that there's an issue there now.

There's a spot on the left-side for the mechanic to sign and then on the right of that, another section to recap any needed repairs to tractor or trailer at end of trip. Pretty simple and easy.

The new outfit has a DVIR book that stays in the truck. Not sure if there's a PeopleNet DVIR like Gordon had with the QualComm. With Gordon, I forget the code right now, you had a daily inspection across the QualComm and you'd use another code (called a MACRO--although they weren't real computer programming macros) to let the shop or OTR (Over The Road maintenance) know that you had a specific problem.

With Gordon, didn't have to have anything written in the truck with you except your hours for a week before you began driving for Gordon, before the QualComm started tracking you. You had to have those prior hours on a written, paper log.

 

Preventing Strains, Sprains, Aches
Purpose: Explain impact of routine tasks. Body mechanics and conditioning. Stretching.
Soft Tissue Injuries: Sprain-injury to ligament tissues surrounding a joint. Strain-stretching a muscle and its fascial sheath. Caused by stressful use of body, improper positioning, exceeding physical capability especially while lifting.
Common injuries and body parts. Tendonitis, dislocation, pinched nerve, sprain/strain. Lower back, shoulder/elbow, knee/ankle, wrist/hand. No workplace is risk free.
Every activity, every workplace, presents a risk of injury.
Your knowledge and experience and willingness to use these tools = difference between injury and safety.
Back mechanics and soft tissue injuries. Happen because of physical demands of work. Work environment. Personal conditioning.
Back mechanics and anatomy. Back bone is made up of intervertebral discs, vertebral body, facet joints and pedicles. Allows free movement of back despite risk of injury.
Healthy back has 'S' curve. Maintain 'S' curve as you lift.
Principles of Safe Lifting. Think your lift. Keep the curves. Keep it close. Staggered stance. Prepare and compensate. Build a bridge.
Prepare and compensate. Think movement before doing it. Stretch muscles before placing demands on them, especially if you have been driving for some time. Stop when pain occurs and rest muscles. (Pain often indicates improper movement.) Use mechanical equipment if available. Seek assistance when needed.
Good lifting. Think lift. Stoop, bend knees. Do not bend at waist or twist body. Keep load close. (Reduces weight, torque and stress while lifting.) Lift with legs, not back or arms. Keep staggered stance. (About shoulder width apart at all times.)
There's always a RIGHT way. Think about it. (Repeats guidelines.)
The WRONG way. Bending at waist. Carrying too much. Too big to lift alone. Too far from body. Twisting.
How long do you want your back to last?
Building a bridge. Examples: Not bending at knees.
Don'ts. Use jerking motion. Lean forward with weight in hands. Lift heavy object and pivot. Lift with arms extended.
Sitting and Standing. Don't think you know how, even though you do it every day. Most of us do it stressfully with result of back pain.
How eliminate back pain. Stand with feet staggered. Sit upright with feet on floor. Get good lumbar support. Keep curve in back when sitting or standing.
When standing. Always have a foot forward, knees slightly bent. Not 'at attention' with knees locked. When speaking at a platform, raise one foot on a platform or block, change position frequently.
When sitting. Get close to work, not bring head alone to work. Sit with back against chair, erect, not leaning forward. Move closer. Get back support from chair. Keep curves in your back.
When lifting. Keep curve. Load close. Staggered stance. Prepare/compensate. Use TEAM lift. Build bridge.
Sitting or standing. Stagger stance. Elevate one foot. Sit upright with feet level to floor.
Always look in direction you're stepping. Use effective lighting. Use steps and other devices to reach heights.
Avoid ankle injuries. Watch where walking. Avoid uneven surfaces. Be aware of wet surfaces and slips. Have solid footing. Wear shoes appropriate to work area.
Wrist and hand soft tissue injury. Hands used every day. Protect with proper gloves.
Causes. Repetitive tasks. Awkward or static postures. Forceful movements. Insufficient rest.
Injury types. Strains, repetitive or prolonged use in awkward position without benefit of rest. Sprain, sudden movement that twists wrist or hand forcefully. Bruises and contusions, from impacts. Carpal tunnel, nerve compression in carpal tunnel from posture, stress, force, repetition. Nerve and tendon, damage from repetitive stress and injury.
Symptoms. Pain. Burning or tingling. Numbness. Loss of coordination.
Avoid and reduce. Use correct tool for task. Avoid overuse by short breaks instead of long. Avoid awkward positions, keep neutral posture. Use best grip for task. Avoid striking when possible. Stretch before start.
Good body mechanics and stretching. Reduce soft tissue injury risk. Reduce body wear and tear. Forms 'Practiced good habits'. Help think out and plan assigned tasks. Encourage proper tools. Benefits YOU.
Trailer dolly 'best method'. Both feet on ground and supported with free hand against trailer. Crank with hand around handle, not 'two-finger' twirl.
Unsafe Situation Report form. Available at dispatch window. Turn in to terminal manager.
Attention to 'best methods' will allow work safely and without injury.

 

Hi, Bright One! I think you may be looking for 396.11 subpart (d), not (5).

Here it is:
"(d) Exceptions. The rules in this section shall not apply to a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation, or any motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle."

So you are right again, as usual.

Thx! I didn't know that. Vic