Category: Trucker News

Pickup truck tires are rated and tested by many automotive and consumer research companies. To rate the tires you need or are considering, decide how you use your truck (off-road, for instance), the everyday driving conditions you encounter (freeway traffic, inner city driving) and other factors, such as tread wear warranties and price. A good baseline when shopping for and rating tires for your pickup is to ask yourself how you would rate your current tires. Decide the pros and cons of your current tires especially the cost and decide what you need and want in a new tire.

Choose a tire based on how you spend the majority of the time driving. If you spend a lot of time off-roading, compare and rate tires in this category. If you spend most of your time commuting to and from work on the freeway, consider such factors as road noise, tread wear and all-weather characteristics.

Pick a tire model based on the wheels you have. If you ride on custom rims, you’ll probably want a sportier look in your tire. The overall look of your truck also is a consideration. If it’s a work truck, chances are you’ll want a tire that tests well in mud-stick tests but don’t care about high noise levels on the freeway. For example, Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road says Pitbull Maddog Mud Tires are “built for heavy-duty trucks with a high load rating, and, like any good hound, they’re not afraid to make some noise. All things considered, we’ll keep them around and will surely put many more miles on them, but, like a special needs critter, they’re not for everyone.” These are not tires for a truck that spends its time driving the kids to soccer practice every day.

Buy a tire that has good steering response, cornering ability and traction on wet pavement if you drive a lot on winding country or mountain roads. You wouldn’t choose the Dunlop Signature CS, which Tire Track rates as having “quiet and comfortable ride quality” but is lacking in “steering response, cornering stability and wet traction.”

Compare the load capacity ratings of tire reviewers. Nothing will impact your tire performance more than the weight of both your truck and payload.

Read reviews. There are hundreds of magazines and online sites that rate pickup truck tires. Know what you want and what you can spend, then read some reviews. The amount of material available is staggering.

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Insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the insurance; the insured, or policyholder, is the person or entity buying the insurance policy. The amount to be charged for a certain amount of insurance coverage is called the premium. Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice.

Age
Age has a great effect on all types of insurance policies. In auto insurance, your age helps to determine your driving experience and potential risk. In general, auto insurance companies consider young, inexperienced drivers to be higher risks than older, more mature drivers. Life insurance policies generally rate younger policyholders with less risk than older policyholders. Younger policyholders generally have a less expensive life insurance policy because they are generally thought to be healthier, and therefore, a healthier risk.

Location
Location can be an important factor for many policies. Insurance companies often research and analyze locations for statistical information. If you reside in an area whose statistics show a high rate of criminal activity and theft, your business and auto insurance costs may increase. These rate increases are due to the rise in insurance risk. The same business or auto insurance policy may be substantially less in a community with little criminal activity and theft.

Career
Your career or overall industry can have an effect on your insurance rates as well. While your position may affect one policy, it may not affect another. For instance, an air traffic controller experiences high stress levels on a daily basis. This continuous stress can have an effect on the individual’s overall health. Therefore, this individual may find subtle increases in life and health insurance policies. However, the same air traffic controller may have an inexpensive auto insurance policy because this aspect does not affect his or her driving abilities.

Insurable Asset
Insurable assets have a great effect on your policy’s rates. These aspects vary from policy to policy and person to person. In auto insurance, the insurable asset is the policyholder’s vehicle or vehicles. Sports cars, sport utility vehicles and expensive luxury vehicles are generally highly rated and result in higher premiums. However, the policyholder’s combination of other factors, discounts and coverage selections can result in a lower premium. Sports cars and sport utility vehicles usually result in high premiums because they are more apt to be involved in accidents that result in excessive damages and injuries. In life insurance, the insurable asset is the person. The healthier the person, the less expensive the premium will be. If the person is a nonsmoker who exercises regularly and visits their doctor routinely, the person will be more likely to obtain a less expensive policy. In home policies, the age of the home, the type of roofing and security features help to determine the premium rates. The home is the insurable asset, and its risk is dependent upon its specifics.

Credit
Although credit is not used as a rating factor, credit can be used to determine the payment plans made available to the policyholder. Insurance carriers use an insurance credit score, which is generated by using factors from your credit report. Each carrier has the opportunity to use their own criteria and credit report selections. Additionally, each carrier uses its own combination of rating factors to determine your score. Therefore, your insurance credit score can be different with each carrier.

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Teens are the most inexperienced and dangerous drivers on the road. Teaching them to drive cautiously and responsibly, while founding driving rules are essential in helping your teen become a safe driver. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), “In 2003, teens were involved in 1.7 million vehicle crashes nationwide.”

Cell phones and friends are common distractions that can lead to accidents, but there are other factors affecting teen drivers like sleep deprivation, alcohol use and not wearing seat belts. “Teens are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal accident as older drivers,” says a report by the NTSB. As a parent, you can set particular rules, in addition to supporting driving laws, to help your child stay safe on the road.

Before you teen begins to drive on a regular basis with a certified driver’s license, sign a contract. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company recommends building a strong basis of rules by designing a contract that both the teen and parents sign. On their website they provide the means of creating this contract that will provide a clear description of what is expected and how the teen driver agrees to behave behind the wheel.

The contract on Liberty Mutual’s website, which was established by SADD (Students Against Drunk Drivers) can be used to establish the parents’ expectations of the teen’s driving habits.

Encourage your teen driver to avoid speeding. Driving too fast is very common among teens and is perhaps the easiest traffic law to break. However, if parents explain the dangers of speeding (whether the teen is the driver or not), they will help the young driver understand the safety issue.

One of the first topics on the contract is speeding because it is so important. Not only does the teen need to agree to refrain from speeding, but he or she is also required to promise not to ride in a car with anyone else who speeds.

Require your teen to always wear a seat belt. Whether your child is driving or not, the teen needs to agree to always wear a seat belt. If the teen driver is old enough to have passengers in the vehicle, you must insist that they passengers where seat-belts too. Remind your teen repeatedly that he or she must wear a seat belt even as a passenger.

Always set limits on passengers. You and your teen driver must agree on a set number of teens as passengers. The number of teens is ultimately up to the parents, but the amount should not exceed the number of seat belts that are in the car.

Set a curfew. There should be a clear set hour when the teen will need to be home. According to Youth Development.org, accidents involving teens driving after 10 p.m. increase. The statistics increase even more after midnight. Make sure your teen abides by the set curfew and be sure to enforce it.

Never let your teen drink and drive. It is illegal for teenagers to drink alcohol. If your teen driver drinks and drive you must administer a severe punishment because driving under the influence at any age can be fatal.

Agree that texting and driving is just as bad as drinking and driving. Make sure your young driver accepts this as a rule in your contract because it is very important to his or her safety, along with others on the road.

Actively help your teen avoid being overtired. Teenagers are busy and often they need to be reminded that they need adequate sleep. Driving while tired has shown to be just as dangerous as driving under the influence or texting and driving.

Create definite agreements against using any drugs or alcohol. While some teens may drink it is imperative that they understand if they do, they are not allowed drive. In addition your teen will not be in a car with a driver who has used drugs or alcohol.

Go over all distractions. Things like using cell phones, eating, and other distracting activities should be avoided while driving.

Lay out the rules regarding the finances. Costs such as gas, insurance, maintenance, tickets and accidents are some of the many costs associated with teen driving. Be clear on who will pay for each item.

Dump truck drivers are in demand on just about every kind of construction site. Most dump truck drivers learn how to operate the rigs on the job in small areas where they can’t do much harm. Builders require truck drivers to hold a CDL to prove they know the basics of gear shifting and truck handling. Various truck-driving schools include training in dump trucks, as well as semis and other vehicles

Set the seat appropriately so that you can easily reach all the gears and pedals. Arrange the mirrors to make sure you have a full view to the back of the truck bed.

Step on the clutch and the brake as you turn the key in the ignition. Move the shifter into first gear. Release the clutch slowly as you apply pressure to the gas pedal. Shift out of first gear as soon as the truck starts moving. Move into third gear when you get to about 10 or 15 mph. Fourth gear will only be needed when driving on a road at more than 35 mph.

Make sure the bed of the truck is completely lowered before driving the truck. Even if you aren’t leaving the job site, accidents can happen while the bed is raised. Low-hanging wires can be hit or rocks and debris left in the truck can fly out and break something or hit another worker. Utilize a watcher when backing up to avoid accidents, as well.

Bring the truck to a level area or on a slight hill with the front of the truck pointed upwards. Leave the truck and unhook the tailgate. Return to the cab and use the hand lever beside the stick shift to release the truck bed. Press the button that starts the hydraulic motion to lift the bed of the truck and empty the load. Put the truck into low gear and move it forward very slowly if the load gets stuck in the tailgate.

Cover the load when driving on the road to avoid flying debris that could cause an accident. When on the road, drive at or below the speed limit. Dump trucks are not designed for speed and can easily tip on curves.

Auto transport jobs are found through a variety of venues. Classified advertising, referrals from car dealers, bidding sites and relocation companies are all utilized by cross-country auto haulers. Customers may request shippers that specialize in racecars, antique and collectible cars, or loads with multiple vehicles. Individuals moving often are in need of an auto transporter.

Consider the competition, your time and the price of fuel when bidding on auto transport jobs. When you are new in the business and haven’t yet built a reputation, you may need to underbid the competition to win jobs. Prepare to earn less in the beginning, knowing that your willingness to cut your profit at first will pay off as you develop a steady clientele and regular referrals.

Register with a website that acts as a third-party matching service. Individuals and businesses that need their autos hauled post their requirements and transporters may bid on the job. Many sites sell their services on a commission basis while others are fee-based. Find A Hauler charges transporters $20 a month, or $160 a year, to view the listed requests for haulers. They claim to post more than 60,000 jobs per month.

Utilize shipping brokers that charge a commission for every job you receive through them if they can provide regular quality leads. Shipping boards, such as U Ship, don’t charge a membership fee, but instead operate on a commission basis once you’ve won a bid from their site.

List your accomplishments, years in service, amount of insurance coverage you provide with every load and any training or certificates you might hold. Include any guarantees you’re willing to offer, such as time of delivery, cleanliness of car at delivery and no hidden charges. List any association affiliations in organization, such as the American Trucking Association.

Look for the reasons that you lost a bid. Respectfully ask the referring agent or the client why they chose another carrier over you. This is a good time to gather information to fine tune your bidding procedures and add services or change the wording on your bids to become more successful at landing good jobs.

Car haulers transport vehicles to various locations throughout the country. Car haulers operate different equipment depending on customer requirements. Car haulers can operate a standard semi-truck or may use a pickup truck to haul loads. Car haulers may own their own equipment, which can be leased to an auto carrier company, or use equipment provided by their employer.

10-Car Open Carrier
This is the most common type of carrier for transporting automobiles and offers the most job opportunities for car haulers. Car haulers use a semi-truck attached to a dual-level, 10-car carrier to move vehicles to their destination. Many times, the cars are from different customers and final delivery will include more than one destination that are often residential areas where unloading may be difficult. Car haulers load and unload the vehicles and protect them from damage or inclement weather during the transport.

Hot Shot
Some customers or private owners may only want to ship three or four vehicles to a specific destination. These loads are typically hauled by “hot shot” drivers who specialize in smaller loads known as “less than truckloads,” or LTLs. LTLs are defined as shipments weighing less than 10,000 lbs. Most hot shot transporters are heavy-duty pickup trucks or dually trucks that can carry heavier loads. Hot shot drivers typically work with a broker to obtain loads and find deliveries to return to their homes.

Enclosed Car Hauler
Drivers operating enclosed car haulers are employed by individuals and businesses interested in providing the most protection for their vehicles. Drivers may be transporting classic or antique cars that are expensive and need to arrive in pristine condition, and some race car companies use enclosed car haulers to transport their race cars to events. Generally, loads on enclosed car haulers cost more to the customer than the open carrier or hot shot loads. Enclosed car hauler drivers can haul one or two cars.

Flatbed Carrier
Drivers who haul flatbed carriers typically haul trucks or recreational vehicles that can’t fit onto an open car hauler or inside an enclosed trailer. Flatbeds can be pulled by a semi- or pickup truck depending on the amount of weight hauled. Flatbed carriers have to strap down their loads and load and unload the carrier. Most flatbed loads contain a single vehicle, but some customers may include other cargo on the load because of the high price of using a flatbed carrier.

Diesel engines can run on three basic types of fuel: petroleum diesel, biodiesel, and straight vegetable oil (SVO). Diesel fuel produces carbon dioxide, pollution, particulates and sulfur emissions and increases reliance on foreign oil because it comes from petroleum. Any diesel engine can run on biodiesel. Biodiesel is a clean-burning fuel made from domestic, renewable plant sources, such as oils from vegetables, peanuts, soy beans, canola/grape seeds, hemp seeds and some grains. It has undergone the process of transesterification, a simple chemical modification of ordinary vegetable oil that makes the fuel usable in diesel engines and keeps it from thickening at colder temperatures.

Start with a modern diesel engine. Nearly any newer diesel engine can be converted to run on vegetable oil as long as it doesn’t have rubber seals in its fuel system (only older diesels use rubber seals). The rubber seals will deteriorate when exposed to vegetable oil over time because vegetable oil acts as a solvent.

Install a vegetable oil fuel conversion kit or have a mechanic do it. You should keep the original gas tank to hold regular diesel or biodiesel fuel for cold weather. Install a second tank for vegetable oil; these sometimes go in the trunk. The conversion kit should include hoses from the car’s radiator to the vegetable oil tank to heat the oil via a heat exchanger before it enters the final fuel filter and injectors inside the engine compartment.

Get vegetable oil. New vegetable oil is easiest to acquire but very expensive. Restaurants will often give you their waste oil for free. Chinese and Japanese restaurants are best because their oils comes out cleanest. The oil should be amber in color. Oil from other types of rest restaurants may also be suitable but could require more filtering to remove food particles. You will need a few containers for transferring the oil from the source to your filtering destination. The five gallon jugs that the restaurants receive the fresh oil in work fine. Restaurants are usually happy to give you these containers since it saves them disposal fees.

Filter the oil. Use filter bags that are rated to 0.5 microns thick. To increase the life of your filter bags, first allow the oil to sit in a barrel for about a week to let particulate matter settle to the bottom. Then, pump or scoop the oil into a filter bag suspended above a fresh empty barrel from the top of the barrel (since most of the food particles matter and possible water is at the bottom). Start your engine using regular diesel or biodiesel fuel from the normal gas tank. Once the engine and vegetable oil are warm (after about 15 minutes depending on weather), switch to allow the vegetable oil to flow into the fuel source.

Switch back to diesel or biodiesel a few minutes before you stop your engine for any time (about 10 minutes depending on the temperature) to make sure the vegetable oil is purged from the fuel line and injectors so that they don’t become clogged when the engine cools.

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