Yo help me OUT !!!

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Shutupandkeeptruckin, Dec 12, 2019.

  1. Shutupandkeeptruckin

    Shutupandkeeptruckin Bobtail Member

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    What is wrong with this truck?? Someone said that it’s no big deal, however I’m not sure? I think this will put me out of service !!!!! Or am I over reacting???
     
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  3. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    No big deal.

    Get the drag link replaced.

    It is badly worn, very badly worn.

    Yes it is dangerous and yes they will put you oos and tell you to get it fixed or towed.
     
  4. Shutupandkeeptruckin

    Shutupandkeeptruckin Bobtail Member

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    The reason I am truly puzzled is because this truck was on the line to get leased out as is.. how good will a company’s mechanic shop do a pre trip inspection ? No offense. My opinion is in order to get someone to purchase something at least make sure that the product is correct.. especially when it involves the company’s CSA SCORE also..
     
  5. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    A blind trucker could see that part is bad, the drag link.

    Any DOT seeing that will make the company replace it.

    You are overreacting with a little too much emotion. The truck is hurting and needs a doctor to replace that correctly and keep it within spec. So that it will have escaped everyone's smothering need for attention and roll many happy days down the big road.

    You're not overreacting with too little Space to have that motivation and feelings you need to get someone kicked enough you cannot leave until that #### thing is fixed today, tonight Its going to cost you a certain amount of money sitting several days to a week. Oh well.

    Part is busted. Fix it today. no one wants to lose money today so let's grab the #### thing and fix it this week.

    One final thought. That part did not go "SNAP!" in one day. (A play on Rome burning...) it's possible there is a episode of pretrip failure,

    Whoever installs it ACCURATELY has their King's Favors among other benefits.
     
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  6. Shutupandkeeptruckin

    Shutupandkeeptruckin Bobtail Member

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    I was told about this truck.. I went to this truck.. did my pre trip I wanted I nice pre emissions truck.. however I noticed this.. I mentioned it to the mechanic and one of the president of the company that actually told me about the vehicle lol no offense.. and the first thing I find is this.. I was told before hand to drive the truck ??? I would not do that to a new hire .. I’m just saying
     
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  7. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Yessir, When I was hired on by both Dowdy (Batesville Arkansas) and later by FFE in Dallas they issued me a tractor. The former issued me a tractor that was the Company Road Trip truck so certain things have to come out. and I had a minimum requirement for me to accept that tractor for OTR work myself. For example a new mattress. (I took care of the Hepa type allergen coverings and so forth for the entire sleeper kit to start things on the right foot after the sleeper was disinfected after god knows now many bodies have ridden back there in batches of three. I found a few wear and tear items on the DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report, pretrip) which required it to be in the shop anyway to replace these broken items and so on.)

    Dowdy kept a three ring binder on all of his company trucks, individually by company unit number in a special room of the shop called the tractor library. Anything done to that rig inside any of the three countries of North America went into that three ring binder with the invoices associated with it and expenses tied to it for Uncle Sam taxes each year.

    That company I pointed to now and then as one of the finest outfits around when it came to keeping records on everything. I added to it over my year there. (Give or take... I can either get married stay home do something else or start off every week with a OTR Load to California due in 3 days or Washington State in 4 days.

    I think you needed only 24 hours from say Little Rock Driving time to get to Bakersfield CA straight down 40. Then the delivery would be the rest of the time adding upwards of 10 more hours anywhere in the State.

    Seattle offered two choices. Run to the Oklahoma Panhandle get on US 287 run that past Limon then Denver. After Denver its Johnnys Corner and Cheyenne then Salt Lake-Odgen, the I-84, old Oregon Trail up Cabbage. IF there was a major Ice Storm within 34 hours DRIVING time (Which means you have a 8 hours sleeper time every 10 to drive, none of that 30 min break BS or deleting of certain behaviors that you can run out your 70 hour work week on. For example. Drive 5 hours. Sleep 4. Drive 5 hours sleep 4 drive 5 hours sleep 4. Repeat until the day is over.

    So 34 hours driving = trip planning total of...

    LEave midnight monday. Drive until 10 am. Sleep 8 after 15 minute post trip. 15 minute pretrip no defects followed by 15 minutes fueling. (In winter we fueled up at half tanks or better. So constantly full tanks of fuel. 345 gallons usable. plus 100 gallons in great dane reefer.

    Also the trip planning assumes upwards of 75 mph speed limit, average of 68 mph driving. Assuming a 80 mph truck. Dowdy had a 72 mph fleet average. Which was at that time really close to speed limits so these figures do work and have.

    If you had a casterated FFE truck at 61 mph you are going to find your average speed is around 50 mph or better. Over 2260 miles (Only a 5 mile difference give or take between the Denver and Old Oregon Trail route and the Norhtern Passage route across South Dakota and Montana etc.)

    Your POS 61 mph casterated fleet truck averaging say 50 mph will now need 45 hours and 8 minutes to run 2260 on either route. (15 more hours of the drivers productivity and wage earning POOF, that just cost him or her about 750 miles in unnecessary WASTED TIME driving for the 70 hour work week or... better yet at .50 a mile payroll... thats $375 dollars that the Dowdy truck will PRODUCE that week on load TWO because he delivered into Seattle in only 33 to 34 hours DRIVING TIME.

    If I have a choice between running for employer Dowdy at 72 mph for this run, or FFE for a 61 mph truck for that run... (Difference in fuel economy in actual real life figures on me doing those two exact runs in winter in two different good trucks. One was early 90's that got 6.4 miles to gallon average. The other averaged around 7.6 So the difference between the two would only be about. (FFE = 297 gallons, Dowdy 353 gallons.

    The SLOWER FFE TRUCK will require another 10 hours sleeping Period to get all 45 hours driving time in rather than speed limit average (At least 72 mph tractor) of about 68 miles per hour. You are also approaching 75 mph which is #### efficient. So the 10 hour fuel burn is about another 15 gallons if the idle is conservative. However it's winter so idle is turned up toi 1200 to keep entire engine and all fluids in normal hot range and water at 180 to keep driver safe and warm. Call it 25 gallons extra thrown away to idle another sleeping period over 10 hours for FFE. So... 45 Driving hours to do the job rather than 34 driving hours for Dowdy. Or another $70 giver or take 2 or 3 gallons in fuel burnt. At 2.70 a gallon.

    The customer wanting that load delivered into Seattle will call Dowdy first. He will get it there in 33 to 34 driving hours plus legally required sleeper time. UNLESS HE HAS A TEAM.... You can and will expect that load second day delivery early in the morning. Call it 9 Am. Using 1974 hours of service rules.

    FFE will have to burn and choke alive on their 61 mph trucks.

    This new hire has done a great deal of thinking. He has done both companies. He has done both trips. Dowdy had his truck ready in less than a day and about a couple thousand in retail shop cost. FFE issued a brand new tractor with no defects anywhere for months. The first defect? Alternator. Drop a new one in after 4 hours and go we're late. As a team we cannot sit. It costs too much money to sit a team. Imagine what we would have been if wife got her CDL A in a arkansas trucking school and we built a Team with Dowdy. Two different futures. Theoratically be home about 10 days out. Home for three. Back out for another 10. FFE requires 6 weeks give or take in those days.

    There is alot of costs considerations in Business. This new hire would be looking to hire onto your tractor able to run 70 or even 75 max (Which we will become in 5 months time about June 20th or July 20th 2020 we don't remember. Rural roads two lane will go to 65 mph from 55. And since they don't have the truck split that will be 70 trucks on interestate and 75 cars (The old split limits hae been back for decades since the states abolished them via the insurance requirement imposing 61 mph on that super slow FFE truck. We'll run through the woods rather the Interstate. Be safer that way without worrying about people ramming our Trailer decap bar.

    It's alot to consider. If you considered the brake wear, tire wear and so forth both Dowdy and FFE were essentially the same miles the first year on everything that mattered. We don't count alternators. And the auto problems caused two tows with FFE. Our Dowdy had a manual short 9 and red line 2300 on a 505 detriot. Both engines turned in very identical performance figures. The differences are immaterial.

    Emissions, DEF and all that mandated CRAP did not exist in 1990-2001 time period so the situation was greatly made simple. No regen BS, breakdowns, fluid purchasing and truck fires in particular which seems to be suppressed nationally in our Media system. And so on.

    Hours of service today is a liability You almost have to run team now in order to make any more so thats a MARRIED team making 075 to the truck or 0.35 cents a mile each... the same pay top hands got 40 years ago.

    Texas sun.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2019
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  8. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    Not a big deal,,,,IT'S A HUGE DEAL!!:director: I can't think of a more important part on a truck than a steering drag link. That pops out of the socket, steering is gone. It's truely the weakest link in the whole truck. That truck wouldn't turn a foot until that was replaced. It's great you caught that, :thumbup: and should make the rest of us shiver.
     
  9. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    it isn't a big deal ... to replace, it needs to be immediately be replaced.

    it is just something that is normal on a neglected truck and any good driver, even marginal driver would see it isn't road worthy.

    You are right it is the most important part on the truck, and to think how many trucks have this very issues on the road right now.
     
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  10. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    Whenever I had to drive a different truck, I opened the hood, and it was the FIRST thing I checked. I don't recall many worn ones, more like tie rod ends. Aside from excessive wheel play, it's not something you would feel, and a good bump could pop that out. By the looks of it here, nobody but this driver cared to notice, including inspectors. That's the scary part
     
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  11. Studebaker Hawk

    Studebaker Hawk Road Train Member

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    If the owners/drivers of that truck allowed that obvious part to get that bad, I would be very concerned about many other parts that are progressively harder to see. Looks like it got lubricated once every 250,000 miles whether it needed or not.
     
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