Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Building a Better Road Sense...

About 4 am this morning, the rooster started up, rhoo rang, rhoo rang and kept rhoo ringing. Too early for New Year's Eve, he was. Got concerned that maybe something was wrong. What I found out in the coop was a treat--each rooster was rhoo-ing in turn and I have 3. Sounded like one rooster going off and off. Wasn't. Despite the cold night, the roosters are still growing up... rhoo-ing in acapella (voice only) chorus alternately, one-by-one!

It's about 12 degrees out just before 9 am. Glad I'm home and can make sure they have cover, water and food. Gonna be cold out for them all the same and even colder weather as winter will move in and take hold. You betcha!

I'm not prepared...

Yesterday's was one of those pinch me mornings as I drove up US 231, watching the changes in boost and the morning light started to push up red/pink and blue/gray as if lifting the night black above out of the way. One thing for sure, free-foot, watch your rpms, your speed and boost, if possible, will give a new road feel and a better informed road sense. A good thing.

Take Cloverdale. How many times have I driven through town in a car or truck, only faintly aware how the grade changes upgrade as you travel north in town. I mean, I'm aware of it but not. Kinda looks flat. Kinda looks up. Checking the mirrors helps. Even better, check the boost, your speed, then the mirrors. Typically my foot keeps me with the flow of traffic without thinking about it much. Autopilot.

Okay, it's definitely up... causes you to sorta map the road as you go.

Very helpful. Even on a road I THOUGHT I knew well...

 

Detour Alert!!

Boss sent me an email and wants online courses done by Saturday, think I have HOS and Smith System left... library's open today, so why not wrap it up today, eh? Wow, what a beautiful day outside!! Slightly nippy but really nice.

Will come back to turbo and boost subject. Going into some interesting stuff. Mack uses variable geometry turbochargers so boost is controlled at ECM, not a wastegate. Here's a good introductory (if high-level) paper from a guy at Stanford http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/veltman1/ He's talking about turbos on gas engines (Honda Civic) but the issues about the range where the turbo kicks in and the constraints cross over to truck diesels.

BTW, our buddy tsavory not only is one of those 'real truckers', he's also familiar with the insides of his turbo. See http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...-new-turbo-whining.html?highlight=turbo+boost

In one post he says:

Uh, yeah, sure tsavory. Just get up early and tear down your turbo before breakfast... Sure. Works for me.

Well, before breakfast I'm asleep.

 

Back to Online Courses--Slips, Trips & Falls

Slips, Trips & Falls
--25% (1 of 4) injury claims each year are slips, trips and falls
--17% of all disabling injuries are falls

Factors. Health and physical condition. Eyesight, visual perception. Age. Physical state, fatigue. Stress, illness. Medications, alcohol and drug.
Behaviors that set you up for a fall. Carrying or moving cumbersome objects. Clutter, not maintaining clean, dry floors. Improper cleaning methods. Not using signage when hazards exist. Inattentive behavior. Shortcuts.
Four states contribute to accidents. Rushing, frustration, fatigue, complacency. Cause critical errors. Eyes not on task. Mind not on task. Line-of-fire. Balance, traction/grip.
Error reduction techniques. Self-trigger on state or amount of risk energy. Analyze close calls. Look at others for patterns that increase risk. Work on habits.
Mental and physical preparation. Don't rush. Get enough sleep. No alcohol or non-prescription drugs. Leave personal life at home.
Good housekeeping. Clean spills immediately. Mark spills and wet areas. Mop or sweep debris from floors. Remove obstacles from walkways. Secure mats, rugs and carpets. Keep work areas and walkways well lit. Replace burned out bulbs.
Other. Report cables and wires that cross walkways. Keep work areas and walkways clear and well lit. Report burned out bulbs. Be aware of your surroundings and report any perceived danger.
Housekeeping don'ts. Don't prop firedoors open. Don't store materials in stair wells. Don't store trash cans in front of door way. Don't use cinderblock to prop doors open. Don't use chair to block emergency shut-off valve. Don't place chairs in dangerous places.

If you cannot fix hazard yourself. Immediately report hazard. Alert or warn others in area. Mark the area or stay there until help arrives. Contact Safety Officer if hazards not fixed promptly.
Getting out of truck. Missing a step. Moving from last step to ground. Lack of caution, awareness. Distractions.

Pre and Post Trip. Opening and closing hoods. Fueling the truck. Cleaning the truck. Plugging and Unplugging truck. Opening gates. Lack of caution, awareness. Distractions.
Cleaning truck windshields. Reaching and twisting. Standing on tires. Inappropriate use of step stools and step ladders. Lack of caution, awareness. Distractions.
Use of equipment and driving. Opening and closing doors. Steering. Parking brake setting and releasing. Use of foot pedals. Improper seat adjustment.

Falls and slips from vehicles. Keep steps clean and dry. Have good handholds. Always face the vehicle. Use 3-point contact. Step down backwards. Never jump forward. No riders on running boards. Must have seatbelts, too.
Be aware of surroundings.

Inclement weather. Slow down to react to change in conditions. Wear slip-resistant shoes or overshoes. Carry work shoes. Sunglasses. Outdoors in ice and snow. Treat walking surfaces. Wet shoes on dry floors--caution!! Lack of caution, awareness. Distractions.
National Safety Council reports 110,000 injuries to feet and toes, representing 19% of disabling injuries. Most important protection is proper footwear for environment.
Shoes and boots. Soles and heels should be slip-resistant. Toe of shoe should resist crushing injury. Shoe should support ankle. Should meet ANSI rating.
Shoe allowance: $50 every 6 months. $100 every year.

Falls from loading docks. Wet surfaces. Stepping backwards off dock. Railing replaced after truck unloaded. Housekeeping and traffic patterns. Skid-resistant surfaces reduce risk.

 

Online Courses--Smith System of Defensive Driving

Every carrier I've had contact with since 2000 has adopted the Smith System.

Smith System of Defensive Driving
Developed in 1948 by Harold Smith and incorporated in 1951. Places skills driver already possess into an order that virtually eliminates possibility of involvement in an accident.
Used by 1/2 of all Fortune 500 companies. Utilizes space, visibility and time. Presented in two modules. Second involves commentary driving.
Established as a company in 1952. Incorporated in California in 1961. Easy to learn and practice. Works day or night in any kind of vehicle whether in forward motion or backing.
Traffic collision triangle. Broadest area is unsafe acts. The more unsafe acts, the higher risk of accident. A lot of unsafe acts take place each year without accident. Does not reduce the risk involved.

43,000 deaths in 2005. For each death 62 injuries (2,699,000). For each death 149 collisions (6,159,000). For each death 248 vehicles involved (10,783,000). For each death 1,404 citations (61,007,780). For each death $5,308,105 spent ($230 billion).
Use of Smith System reduces collisions and accidents.

Inattention. Impairment. Tailgating. Weather. Fatigue. Roads. Speed. Health. Attitude. Inexperience. Other drivers. 'Drive for 5'. Vehicle condition.
Use of 5 keys. Provides space for vehicle. Visibility for the driver. Time to make decisions.

Benefits. Reduced collision potential. Reduced fuel usage. Reduced maintenance. Lower insurance expense. Reduce stress.

Key 1. Aim High in Steering.
Key 2. Get the Big Picture.
Key 3. Keep Your Eyes Moving
Key 4. Leave Yourself an Out
Key 5. Make Sure They See You.

Key 1. Aim High in Steering. Eyesight adapts to our need for information. Average driver has 3-6 seconds lead time. Expand eye lead time to minimum 15 seconds. Evaluate more information sooner.
Key 2. Get the Big Picture. Includes everything to rear, sides and ahead while driving. Scan mirrors every 5-8 seconds. 15 seconds ahead at all times. Rapidly select relevant and non-relevant objects. Position your vehicle where you can see. Don't use lane next to parked cars or sidewalk if possible. Maintain proper following distance at all times.
Key 3. Keep Your Eyes Moving. Central vision makes up about 3 degrees of clear visibility. Peripheral vision provides 180 degree vision. Scan area with central vision. Avoid fixed or blank stares. Occurs after 2 seconds. Avoid focusing on any object over 2 seconds.
Key 4. Leave Yourself an Out. 'Cushion Driving' is one of most important concepts in Smith System. Avoid traveling in traffic clusters. Surround yourself with space. Anticipate the actions of others.
Key 5. Make Sure They See You. Make eye contact. Use warning devices. City horn, brakes (lights), turn signals, 4-way flashers. Proper timing is essential.

Backing. More than 30% of incidents occur while backing. 2/3rds of company accidents occur on customer property. Avoid backing unnecessarily. Avoid blind areas. Vehicle design for backing often not good. Infrequent practice. Limited mental preparation before backing. Inadequate information before backing.
When possible, avoid backing. Think about departure on arrival. Scan for potential hazards. Account for blind areas. Picture is always moving, changing. Use a guide if available. Keep eyes moving. Scan entire area. Don't forget about front and sides of your vehicle. Back slowly. No prizes for backing quickly. Cushion your vehicle with space. Create a margin for error with space around vehicle. Get eye contact. Set lights and 4-way flashers, tap horn before backing.

2/3rds company accidents occur on customer property and involve striking vehicles or fixed objects.
3 types of vehicles to identify. Parked vehicles. Stopped vehicles. Moving vehicles.
Fixed objects include yellow poles, dumpsters, guard rails, walls, dunnage, pallets, light poles.

Mnemonic: All Good Kids Love Milk

Aim High for Steering
Get the Big Picture
Keep Your Eyes Moving
Leave Yourself an Out
Make Sure They Can See You

 

Do tell! Sounds like another crisis... mind sharing what's going on there? What type tranny, if you feel not intimidated (if... if... ), how involved a project it is.

As a kid, took lots of things apart. Lawn mowers, bicycles. Got a few back together. Mostly only bicycles that actually worked when I got them back together. Hung out at a bicycle shop. Did lots of pedaling, Southern California and then Baker, CA to Grand Rapids, MN (at 16 years, alone).

Then stopped. Have hardly been on a bicycle since...

For giggles, back in 2004/2005-ish, hung out for about 2-3 weeks at a shop watching automatic transmissions being repaired. No particular reason, either. Just because. John could do one an afternoon after he got off from GE. So he'd wait until customer was calling to see if his was done yet...

Meant customer had money to pay, so he'd pull that tranny up and rebuild it in an afternoon. Gotta know your market.

 

Once again goes to show that real trucking's not for sissies.

I am so spoiled...

Bigger, new-to-you tranny will just bolt up?? Drive line will still fit?

Local guys would acquire a new-to-them pickup, then next weekend promptly replace the rear end gears with something more to their liking. I thought a new-used pickup was just supposed to start and be thankful.

Not expect a lot right off...