Latest News
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Parking
We are getting multiple incidents weekly where our equipment is getting backed into by other drivers at truck stops. Try to park where other drivers can do a straight in backing on each side of you. Avoid parking on end of rows, where other trucks will be making turns across the front of your tractor.
Try to park in the row facing the fuel pumps; these are usually pull thru lanes. You do not have to settle for the first space you find. If you do not feel safe where you are keep watching for a better space to open up and move to it. Avoid rest stops, as the large majorities are poorly planned for semi-trucks and it is too easy for someone to run over your front and make a quick getaway down a ramp.
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Hazmat Placards
If you do not have a hazardous material load that requires placarding, you must not have any message displayed in the placard holder. This includes the “have a good day” and “drive safely” and other messages of this nature.
If you display an unneeded placard, you could be subject to a roadside violation and CSA points. If you pick up a trailer with an unnecessary placard, be sure to remove it before moving down the road. A paint scraper can be used to lift these off.
If you have a hazmat load with multiple stops you may have to remove the placards when the weight of the hazmat material is below the required placard quantity.
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Accidents: Six Factors That Lead To 77% of All Accidents
These six bad habits have been documented to be involved in 77% of all accidents. If you see another vehicle driving this way that is your warning sign to create as much space as possible between you and that vehicle immediately!
- Speeding
- Right-of-way violations
- Poor lane control (drifting over the lane or poor lane changes)
- Improper passing
- Improper turns
- Tailgating
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Seatbelts
If you are traveling at 55 mph and you have an accident your vehicle will stop… but you will not. You WILL leave that seat clocking 20 G-forces. As a comparison, military Air Force pilots in special suits and years of training can only handle 10 to 12 G-forces before they pass out. Your choice is between having the seatbelt slow you down or letting the steering wheel and windshield stop you dead in your tracks. At 20 G-forces option two it is not going to end well. Did you know that the number one excuse to not wear a seatbelt is that you are better off being thrown from your vehicle? Getting tossed from your vehicle and into traffic while passed out and clocking 20 G-forces is even more dangerous.
Wear your seatbelt and always be safe in the event of an emergency
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Distracted Driving Kills – Do not be a distracted driver
Distracted driving crashes killed more than 5,400 people and injured nearly 500,000 in 2009.
Researchers report that texting while driving claimed more than 16,000 lives from 2001 to 2007.
Reaction time is delayed for a driver talking on a cell phone as much as it is for a driver who is legally drunk.
Drivers who are texting take their eyes off the road 400% more than when they are not texting.
More texting leads to more crashes. With each additional 1 million text messages, fatalities from distracted driving rose more than 75%.
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Starting
Don't roll back when you start. You may hit someone behind you. Partly engage the clutch before you take your right foot off the brake. Release the brake only when you have applied enough engine power to keep from rolling back. On a tractor-trailer equipped with a trailer brake hand valve, the hand valve can be applied to keep from rolling back.
Speed up smoothly and gradually so the vehicle does not jerk. Rough acceleration can cause mechanical damage. When pulling a trailer, rough acceleration can damage the coupling. Speed up very gradually when traction is poor, as in rain or snow. If you use too much power, the drive wheels may spin. You could lose control. If the drive wheels begin to spin, take your foot off the accelerator.
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There are many ways to be SAFE.
S
POT THE RISK
A
SSESS THE HAZARD
F
IX THE PROBLEM
E
VALUATE THE RESULT
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A person of character has been defined as a person who continues to do the right thing even when no one is watching.
How can you apply this safety?
Are you completing a thorough pre-trip inspection each day and every time you change equipment?
Do you maintain a safe speed, never going above the posted limit?
Do you drive like you are on a road test?
Do you drive like your children are in the vehicle with you?
Do you drive like it is your family in the vehicle in front of you?
Do you wear your seatbelt, even when you are alone?
What other habits can you develop to be safe every time?
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The Super Service Newsletter for May 2013 is now available and can be viewed by clicking here. Enjoy!
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We often talk about being a “defensive driver.” What is a defensive driver and what are some habits of a defensive driver?
The defensive driver tries to recognize potentially hazardous situations sufficiently in advance to allow time to safely maneuver past them. The defensive driver assumes that other drivers may make mistakes and is on guard in the event an error is made. The defensive driver searches ahead of what is immediately in front to have advance warning of approaching hazards.
Habits for a defensive driver:
Learn to recognize driving situations that can be hazardous.
Assume other drivers will make errors.
Adjust speed, position, direction, and attention to be able to maneuver safely if a hazard develops.
Scan far enough ahead to be able to react safely to approaching situations.
Scan frequently to the side and rear for passing or approaching vehicles.
Scan thoroughly before changing speed or direction.