Universal Concealed Carry Needed

With the recent Supreme Court ruling for concealed carry, and a constitutional right to not only keep, but bear arms better defined, more truckers are beginning to ask about having a single, universal concealed carry permit - allowing them to carry their weapons throughout the United States. And with good reason.

No one likes to talk about it, but there are truckers that do carry weapons – whether it’s legal in a particular state, or not. While someone may well be licensed to conceal carry in one state, unless they go through another state’s licensing, they are not licensed to do so in another. Making their self-defense measures illegal in that state. This presents a series of problems.

The need is obvious. Drivers pick-up, drive through and deliver loads in some of the most dangerous places in America. We often see the results of that with drivers being hurt or killed because they chose to over-night in their rigs in a less-than-safe area, or because of a load heist gone horribly wrong.

Criminals aren’t afraid to carry illegal weapons to assault their victims, and yet drivers have to be concerned about whether they can carry firepower to protect themselves in these same situations. Because there is no universal carry permit, drivers suffer the consequences of not being able to protect themselves from armed thugs.

Sure, one can go about acquiring a license in all 50 states (good luck in DC and NJ – where, even as a law abiding citizen, you have to prove need), but how long will that take, and at what annual cost for continued licensing of what is supposed to be a constitutional right? How much time does one have to spend trying to obtain licenses, and still try to make a living delivering the products everyone needs?

Allowing our drivers a universal license to defend themselves can’t come soon enough.

Simple Steps To Keep Your Truck Tires From Eating Your Profits Alive

We know tires are expensive. We also know most drivers mean to keep up with their tire maintenance programs, but driving often gets in the way. Until you drop a tread, or pick-up a bolt, it's easy to forget about your tires. Problem is, tires are very unforgiving, and will eat up your profits any chance they get. Don't let them. Here's how.

Any tire showing damage is trying to tell you something. You might need an alignment if you see certain patterns, so knowing which tire patterns to look for helps you identify the problem. Tire sites usually have a chart on types of damage to expect with each problem.

Keep tires of the same diameter together (New with new. Used with used). If not, you end up with one tire skipping and scraping the road because it isn't the same size. Premature wear isn't pretty.

Know when to replace/retread your tires. Minimum legal depth is 4/32" on the steer and 2/32" on others. Tires wear at approximately 1/32" per 13-14,000 miles. Measure your treads now, and mark their expected replacement dates based on your average mileage. Problem solved.

Service those bearings and kingpins. This WILL make your tires wear better.

Always install new tires - not retreads, on your steering axles. Better safe than sorry when it comes to steering gear.

Make sure your inflation is correct for your load.Underinflated tires, especially under load, will chew tires quickly.

Adjust pressures for cold climates you are driving in. If you're coming from a warmer area, when you hit cold weather areas the air in your tires contracts, and suddenly you're running underinflated. Check your pressures.

Damaged, improperly balanced wheels will damage tires.Look over all of your wheels for signs of damage - every trip.

Keep radials with radials, and bias ply with bias ply. Don't mix them, or you will see a shorter tire life.

Tires do have a maintenance schedule. Whether you're a single O/O, or have a fleet of trucks, have a plan for replacement and/or repair with an escrow fund and based on mileage and you'll keep those tires from eating your profits alive.

ECTTS YEAR IN REVIEW

It’s already been a year!? Weren’t we just making sure we wrote 2014, instead of 2013? Well, as you might expect, we need to review the ECTTS year that was 2014, and let you in on some things that are going to happen in 2015.

With the introduction of a new parts web site, we accomplished one of our big goals this year. This had been planned for a while, and the implementation took a bit longer than we thought, but our new e-commerce site looks great, and works even faster. You can find our great new site at https://parts.ectts.com/index.php, if you haven’t already been there. It’s not just a new design, though. We’ve added new ways to pay, as well as a chat function, so you can ask us questions and get immediate feedback. With larger graphics, and redesigned categories, it’s easier to navigate, as well.

Just as before, we’ve also been busy writing and blogging original articles about our industry. This year, we’ll be bringing you even more of them each month, as well. Like the articles, the blog photos and artwork are all original, and created right here. If you’re interested, you can see all of our latest blogs right here: https://parts.ectts.com/index.php/blog/

Some blogs from last year you might find interesting:

• Are You Really Prepared For The Economic Upturn?
• Fifth Wheel Maintenance
• Height sticks and GPS
• Recognizing Truck Driver’s Contributions
• Using an Open Wi-Fi Network on Your Wireless Device

Like the parts website, our newsletter has been redesigned from the ground up. We now bring you more articles, artwork and insight about our industry. You’ll also notice our new specials. We’ve tried to make them even better than they were before, so be sure to look for them in your e-mail. You can sign up for our e-mail newsletter on our home page. Just look for this area:

It probably goes without saying that you will also find us on social media. One of the big changes this past year is that we’ve begun posting on a daily basis, or more, according to what’s happening here at East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales. If you’ve not been to our social pages, we would invite you to drop by.

So, what are we doing different next year? Just like our parts site, we’ll be redesigning our web site for ECTTS.Com, as well as making our parts site even better. You’ll notice new ways to ship your orders, contact us, and  look at trucks. In all, we want to be your go-to site for trucks, parts and service. If you know of a way we can improve in the new year, please feel free to contact us on our web page, e-mail address or simply phone us. We can’t wait for the new year, so we can serve you even better.

Protect Your Investment. Winterize your Rig

It's that time of year, yet again - time to winterize your rig. And while the below is by no means a comprehensive list, it is a good way to start your winterization plan.

One of the few things typically taken care of for you is your fuel blend. You already know that your truck can be harder to start in winter, and to combat this, fuels are blended with 1D and 2D types of diesel for faster ignition. In spite of that, you'll still want to check the cetane number (CN). The higher the better in winter, as it's a measure of how quickly the fuel ignites. That said, let's get to the list you do have to worry about:

Hoses, radiator and belts - In the warm months, rubber and plastic might work perfectly well, but cold weather will test all of these components. Before it gets cold, check for small cracks, rub marks or bulges that can lead to a failure down the line. It may not happen today, but parts will fail at the least convenient moment, and keep you from making money. Change them if they look even the slightest bit suspicious.

Anti-freeze - Have your anti-freeze tested before the winter sets in. You need it to be at the best possible freeze point for the entire season. If you don't remember the last time you had it changed, it's probably time.

Batteries - When was the last time you had your batteries tested? If your batteries are between 4 and 6 years old, you need to consider replacing them before the season even begins. If they're younger than that, you still need to have them tested - under load.

Engine components - Check to see what type of equipment you have to make your rig start easier in the colder climates. If you have a block heater, intake pre-heats or glow plugs; make sure they are functioning correctly before you really need them.

Anti-gelling additives - As the name implies, this keeps your fuel from gelling in the cold temperatures. Use them.

Fuel/water separator - keeping water out of your fuel is always a good idea, but even more critical in the winter when it can freeze a fuel line. If you don't have one, get a fuel water separator for your rig. Minimize the amount of condensation that can collect by fuelling late in the day, if possible.

Air Dryers - Your break systems are designed to use dry air. In freezing temperatures, water/fluids can create an ice blockage and prevent your breaks from functioning. Air dryers help prevent that from happening. The air dryer sits between compressor and the wet tank, and should have the filter changed before the winter begins. Don't forget to drain your reservoirs periodically, as well.

Heating - When you check the in-cab heat systems, or open the valve - in some older trucks; change your in-cab filter, as well. You wouldn't believe what gets stuck in those filters over time. This contributes to slow cabin air, and can make it less comfortable for you in the colder climates.

Wiring - Like your battery, wiring is critically important to monitor. Rubbing, and exposure are two things that are tough on your wiring. Check all the areas you can for damage. Anywhere wiring touches another component is where you need to heavily scrutinize.

Sometimes you can do all of the above and still run into trouble on the road. You need prepare for this, as well. Keep extra blankets, water, food and survival supplies in your truck at all times. It takes up some precious room, but when you need it, it's well worth the space.

Keep rolling. Keep safe.

Are You Really Prepared For The Economic Upturn?

It’s coming to a trucking business near you. You’ve felt it creeping up on you for any number of months, but now it seems like it’s right in your face. The economic upturn is going to make your life a wreck if you’re not prepared.

So what’s the big deal about the economic upturn in the trucking industry? Remember those days when you had to cut back, and scrape for loads? Remember all the maintenance you had to let go until you could afford it, or the equipment you didn’t buy because it didn’t make sense at the time? You lost money then, and now you’ll lose more money if you’re not prepared to take advantage of the opportunities available.

What’s going to hold you back? Unless you kept and maintained all of your equipment and drivers from 2010, you’re probably going to be lacking the resources to tackle all the loads you can. The good news is that you’re not the only one. The bad news is that you’ve got some catching up to do. Fortunately, everyone else is in the middle of getting caught up, as well. The longer you put it off, the less revenue you’re going to be bringing in later.

Perform maintenance

Where to start? Maintenance and updates are always the beginning. Bring your existing equipment up to spec, and update how you track your maintenance, your drivers and loads. Without proper maintenance, your fleet dies a lingering, costly death. Some states won’t even let you across their border without certain equipment, so there’s real incentive to make that maintenance happen.

Without proper tracking of your field assets, you have no way to determine where your potentially blossoming profits are spent. Additionally, before you can even consider new equipment, you have to have a way to make sure your existing equipment is being used in the most efficient manner possible. Adding equipment doesn’t justadd capacity, it adds maintenance and man hours.

Update your equipment

The industry, and electronics have improved dramatically since 2010. Electronic logging makes tracking HOS easier, as well as determining when your drivers need to rest. Other computer and phone applications make it easier to find the cheapest diesel in an area, certified CAT scales and rest stops on the road. Look into these if you’re not using them. Additionally, look for an expense tracking software suite. You need to be able to drill down to any expense, anywhere in your fleet.

Thanksgiving Special!

Welcome to East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales Newsletter It's the time of year for giving thanks to those we appreciate. Our Customers. To all of our customers we will offer FREE shipping on all orders over $200.00 placed between Thur, Nov 27th - Sunday, Nov 30th. (Excludes ODF items and clearance items.) Simply sit back, log on to Parts.ECTTS.Com and get your shopping done without having to brave the weather, or the crowds. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Perfect Turkey? If you're fixing turkey this thanksgiving (and who isn't?), you're probably expecting a moist, juicy bird. While everyone hopes their bird will turn out that way, what if there was a way to make it happen every time? This is going to seem strange, at first, but you'll get the idea of why it's necessary. First, after you have removed the giblets, and rinsed the bird, place the turkey in the roasting pan upside down (breast meat down). Second, do not stuff the bird. Place ¼ cup of butter inside the bird, and place the remaining ¼ cup of butter in the pan with 1 cup of water. Now cover the bird, and cook for 3 hours and 3o minutes (13lb bird), at 350 degrees F. In the last 30-to 45 minutes you need to turn the bird over to cook without the cover, until brown, if you want the breast skin brown and crispy. After the turkey is done (Thigh meat is 180 degrees F) , You can use the remaining juices to make gravy, or work into the dressing, according to your tastes. Some variations of this recipe call for using apple juice, instead of water. Others call for cooking the bird in an oven bag, and using a blend of olive oil and butter. One thing all the cooks have to say about this method is that this produces a moist, juicy bird - every time. Enough said. On the Road Thanksgiving So, you're going to be on the road this thanksgiving. That means you're going to be passing by truck stops, and you're going to need to know where some great grub can be found. Problem solved. Here are some of the truck stops that have great food figured out. Dysart's Truck Stop and Restaurant - Bangor, ME Berky's Restaurant at Lee Hi Travel Plaza - Lexington, VA R Place Restaurant - Morris, IL Iowa 80 Truck Stop - Walcott, IA Johnson's Corner - Johnstown, CO Billy Bob's Texas Truck Stop - Fort Worth, TX Omar's Hi-Way Chef Restaurant - Tucson, AZ Needless to say, this is only a small sampling. We've tried to compile a list that goes across the continent, but if you know of others you'd recommend, certainly e-mail us, and we'll try to get those out there during the holiday season, as well.

Height Sticks and GPS

You’ve seen the videos and pictures on the web. You know it happens – just not to you. And this is exactly how it starts. 

Every day we see a video of a truck carrying a large load hitting a bridge, underpass or some other object of civil engineering. In fact, over 60 percent of states say that over-height accidents are considered a significant problem. The problem is so bad in the empire state that New York is installing “Over-Height Vehicle Detection Systems” to alleviate it. (You have to wait for troopers to guide you to another route if you’re over height, and that can’t be an enjoyable process.)

So, how do these strikes happen so frequently when we all know to measure twice and plan the route accordingly? It’s all about safety culture and technology. Just like larger companies, small operations need to instill their safety processes and procedures – especially if they’re currently not in place. 

It’s all about knowing everything about the load you’re carrying. Just as you know when you’re overweight, you also need to know when you’re over height. The only way to know that is to measure for it. If you don’t have a height stick; get one. Today.

Now that you know the height of the load, it’s time to plan the route to the destination. In doing so, there’s one piece of equipment you want to avoid; a noncommercial GPS system. If you’re relying on a GPS system, make sure it’s one used for the trucking industry. Consumer GPS doesn’t show low bridges or hazmat routing. They don’t need to. You, however, need to know. 

Most commercial systems available will adjust your route according to the measurements, axle weights and whether you’re carrying haz-mat. Even the government wants to make sure truckers are aware of the benefits of commercial GPS. FMCSA recently published a visor insert to make sure everyone knows about it when purchasing a truck.

These are just a couple of ways to improve the safety of your organization. There are many more coming your way.