by Aaron Parr | May 16, 2022 | Safety, Truck Maintenance |
The focus of the 2022 International Roadcheck, from May 17-19, is wheel ends. If your truck isn’t already ready for inspection, NOW is the time to prepare!
What Is International Roadcheck?
Each year, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announces the dates of the International Roadcheck. The International Roadcheck is a 72-hour high-visibility, high-volume commercial motor vehicle inspection and enforcement initiative.
The focus of inspections vary each year, and for 2022, the focus is on wheel ends.
During this special check, inspectors will examine your truck, driver documentation, and credentials. If a violation is found, the inspector will restrict the driver or vehicle from traveling again until the violations are addressed.
For those that pass an inspection, they’ll recieve a CVSA decal. Plus, if you have a decal, you won’t be re-inspected during the three months while that decal is valid.
“We want every vehicle on our roadways to be in proper working order for the safety of the driver operating that vehicle and everyone traveling on our roadways,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol (CVSA).
Why Wheel Ends?
Wheel ends are critical for braking and support the heavy loads we carry. You always want to ensure your wheel ends are safe, and the International Roadcheck is a good reminder to ensure you are not in violation.
Wheel end component violations historically account for about 25% of the vehicle out-of-service violations discovered during International Roadcheck. Wheel end issues are also a top 10 vehicle violation.
What Inspectors Will Look For
During inspection of wheel ends on a commercial motor vehicle, inspectors will:
- Check for cracks or unseated locking rings, studs or clamps.
- Check for bent, cracked or broken rims on the inside and outside wheel rims.
- Check for loose, broken, missing or damaged wheel fasteners and elongated stud holes.
- Check spoke wheels for cracks across spokes and in the web area or slippage in the clamp areas.
- Check the hub for lubricant leaks, missing caps or plugs.
- Check the inner wheel seal for leaks.
- Check the tire and valve stem for leaks.
- Check for proper inflation, cuts and bulges on all tires, including the inside tire on a dual set.
- Check for regrooved tires on steering axle.
- Check tread wear and measure major tread groove depth. Inspect the sidewall for improper repairs, such as tire plugs.
- Check for exposed fabric or cord.
- Check for tire contact with any part of the vehicle.
- Check for markings on the tire that would exclude its use on a steering axle.
- Check for debris between the tires.
- Check for tires touching one another or any part of the vehicle.
We’re Here to Help
Here at Freight X, we have a shop, FX Truck Center, that can help you get inspection ready. If you’re ever in the Ocala, Florida area, please be sure to stop by and see our new, state-of-the-art facility.
And be sure to check out the shop at www.fxtruckcenter.com.
by Aaron Parr | Mar 11, 2020 | Safety |
Like so many of you, we have spent the last several days and weeks learning about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it is impacting our world. For Freight X LLC, that means understanding how it affects our employees, customers, and communities, and then making the necessary adjustments to our work and operations.
We have one simple objective that guides us: keeping our employees and customers safe. This has been at the center of our conversations every step of the way. With that in mind, we have made several moves in our business in response to the threat of the coronavirus.
We have ramped up cleaning services at our offices and are adding hand sanitizer at the front entrances. Sanitizing wipes are near workstations so that employees can keep them continuously cleaned.
We are closely following the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps we can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. We have shared specific instructions with our employees on the importance of washing their hands and staying home if they feel sick. Per CDC recommendations, we have instructed our employees who may have been exposed to others who have traveled to such locations to self-quarantine for 14 days.
A strict travel policy for our employees is in place, and we have canceled meetings with large gatherings, again to do what we can to help prevent the spread of the illness.
If someone in our office would test positive for the Coronavirus, we will close the office and have all employees work from home. We have remote computer and communication capabilities for all office employees should the need arise for everyone to not come into the office.
We have given every driver a $5 reimbursement voucher for the purchase of hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content to have in their truck. We have also shared the following instructions:
- Put enough product on hands to cover all surfaces.
- Rub hands together, until hands feel dry. This should take around 20 seconds.
- Note: Do not rinse or wipe off the hand sanitizer before it’s dry; it may not work as well against germs.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation and do all we can to protect you and our employees.
by Aaron Parr | May 28, 2019 | Safety |
From June 4-6, 2019, truck drivers across the country will be subject to the 2019 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) International Roadcheck, which is commonly referred to as the safety blitz.
Each year,
the CVSA publishes the focus of the blitz, and this year, it’s all about
steering and suspension. The goal of this 72-hour annual campaign is to make
sure that drivers are being safe and that the road is as safe as it can be.
The CVSA
safety blitz is international, and when you look at the amount of trucks that
get stopped, it’s between 17-25 inspections per minute!
As a professional truck driver, what do you
need to know in order to be prepared for this 2019 inspection blitz?
Preparing for the Steering and Suspension Checks
The focus of the world of drivers needs to be on the steering and suspension.
When you do
your Device Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR), you’re looking at your equipment
and inspecting it thoroughly.
If you notice anything – whether
it’s in preparation for the 2019 safety blitz or otherwise – be sure you get it
fixed before you go back on the road.
Remember that you don’t have to be a
mechanic to spot an issue with steering, suspension, or anything else on your
truck. Sure, you may not know how to fix it, but you can tell if something
isn’t right.
Keep in mind that it’s the same for
DOT officers. They aren’t mechanics, either, but they can still tell when
something needs to be repaired.
When you do your inspections, it’s
just like inspecting your own car, but on steroids.
You should be inspecting your truck every single day – this is your job and we hope you take pride in it! Plus, you are required to do a pre-trip and post-trip inspection.
If you have any doubt about the
safety of your truck, you are encouraged to visit the Freight X shop and have
one of our mechanics look at it!
Finally, we hold Quarterly Safety Meetings (awesome food, free swag, and raffle prizes are included!), so be sure to follow our Facebook page for announcements on dates. You don’t want to miss those!
Drivers Need to Be Prepared With 8 Days of Clear Logs
While the
steering and suspension is the focus of this International Roadcheck, you
better believe that your logs will be inspected if you’re pulled aside by a DOT
officer.
By law, the
DOT officer is allowed to view the last 8 days of your logs. Since this safety
blitz is June 4-6, 2019, your logs must be perfectly clear beginning on May 27,
2019 (Memorial Day).
We hate to
sound unnecessarily harsh, but if you can’t produce 8 days of clear logs, you
shouldn’t be on the road as a professional driver.
While
there’s no guarantee that you’ll be pulled over, there is a much higher amount
of trucks that will be pulled over during the blitz, so you ought to be
prepared. It is recommended that you stay off the road if you have any issues
with logs between May 27, 2019 and June 6, 2019.
Tips On Preparing Your Logs and ELD System
These tips
apply to this annual safety blitz, but they’re also good to follow all the
time, of course!
1. Never hand the DOT officer/inspector
your phone.
We
definitely mean well, but that DOT officer is not your friend! When you hand
them your phone, you’re giving them the opportunity to look through anything.
Instead, you
want to send them an inspection report, which supplies the things that are
legally required. Basically, you don’t want them to give them anything you
don’t have to.
Think about
it: if you’re being questioned for a crime, you don’t offer up anything extra. The
same thing applies here. Even if everything is 100% perfect and you know that,
you’re only going to give what you’re legally required to give.
2. Be sure to have the roadside transfer of
logs document.
At Freight
X, we use Transflo, and all of our drivers need to know how to operate that
Electronics Logs Device (ELD). However, the officer doesn’t!
Keep in mind
that there are over 400 approved ELDs – the officer isn’t going to be an expert
at every one! However, he will know how to look at the logs, so as a driver you
need to know how to operate the logs and your
device so you can get the officer what he needs.
That’s why
you need the roadside transfer of logs – it’s a 1-page document that shows the
officer how the system operates and how to get access to the logs. Generally,
you can transfer by email, by website, or your device can be put in inspection
mode.
3. Use proper annotations when you stop!
When you stop for fuel, the logs require that you annotate
that stop and say why you were stopping. If you stop for fuel, your logs should
say fuel stop. If you’re getting unloaded, it should say so. There
is not a requirement for on-duty activities, but they are nice to have and good
drivers do it, though it is not required.
Our ELD
system requires you to put annotations in, but some drivers just type in random
letters to get it over with quickly. Don’t do that! It takes no time or
effort to put in proper annotations. If an officer sees a bunch of mumbo jumbo
on your logs, he will look deeper into them and you’re now susceptible to a
violation.
4. Have paper logs prepared as a backup.
According to
regulations, you are required to have paper logs in case your device stops
working. Essentially, the DOT wants to ensure you have a backup plan. While
there’s definitely logic to it, there’s certainly a lot of pushback on that, so
I anticipate the regulations to change a bit here in the future.
However,
they haven’t yet, so be sure you have paper logs with you, especially during
the blitz!
5. Be overly prepared so that you don’t run
into state-specific issues.
Every state
has different regulations and requirements about what you need to have in your
cab. One state might say your CDL is enough, which another might require your
CDL and medical card. No matter what
state you’re in, you may not know what those DOT officers are trained to ask
for.
Be
overprepared so that you’re ready for every situation. You want to have all of
the potential documents you’ll need, and just in case, we’ve prepared a list of
those for you.
Documents You Should Have In Your Cab | Preparing for the Safety Blitz
Part of
every inspection is looking at paperwork. So, even though this safety blitz is
focused on steering and suspension, you still need all your paperwork to be in
order.
The more
orderly the information is, the easier it is for everyone, and the faster you
can get out of there and get back on the road.
You’re
better off having more than you need – and in an organized fashion!
Here’s a
quick list of everything you should have with you before you head out for the
open road. Please note that there is not a list provided directly from FMCSA – you
have to grab it from the different areas of the regulation, and they are all
subject to interpretation. However, I put together this list myself to assist
drivers.
Driver
CARRIER:
- MC Authority
- IFTA certificate
- MCS-90 form
TRACTOR:
- CAB Card
- Insurance
- AVI truck
- Lease agreement
TRAILER:
- AVI trailer
- Trailer Registration
ELD/LOGS:
- ELD card
- 8-day Backup logs & Inspection reports
- Required Documents
How long is a DOT inspection?
The average
DOT inspection is dependent on how prepared you are as a driver. The more
prepared you are, the faster it’ll go.
Some
inspections – if you have everything in order – can be completed in as little
as 10 minutes. On the other hand, it can take 30 minutes to an hour if you’re
not prepared.
The emphasis
this year is a Level 1 inspection (there are 8 levels total), and that is
actually the most thorough inspection you can have. The DOT inspector will test
the driver, look at the logs, look at the CAB books, ensure that the driver has
all documentation, they walk around the truck, the trailer, and they go
underneath the carriage.
That can
understandably take some time, but if you’re prepared, you won’t be sitting
there for too long!
Where do the safety blitz inspections happen?
Most of the
inspections during the 2019 safety blitz will happen at weigh stations.
However, they can do it roadside as well.
There you
have it – we hope this helps you feel confident for this year’s 2019 safety blitz!
If you need any additional assistance, don’t hesitate to contact your dispatcher,
myself, or anyone on the Freight X team. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!
By Pat Cook
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