East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales Equipment Specials. Click picture above for parts specials. Click picture below for car hauler deals.
Towed Over is a blog about the towing industry, tow trucks, repo, wreckers, rollbacks, heavy duty hauling and tow parts
Drastically Extend the Oil Drain Intervals for Your Rig
Every mile counts. As a hauler you probably hear and say that often. Miles are money, and when you can keep rolling, instead of paying for yet another oil drain - in money and downtime; those miles can pay for more of what you really want.
So, how do you go about extending your rig’s oil life? If you’re like some, you keep idling to a bare minimum. Others depend on advanced formula oils, and expensive synthetics that extend the life of the oil with formulation and additives. While this works, to a certain degree, still others have found a way to keep from draining their oil unless absolutely necessary. The key to long oil life is an oil bypass filter.
Oil bypass filters (OBF) are a proven way to keep your oil clean and dramatically reduce the wear on your engine. This isn’t new technology. Having been around for close to twenty years, this is an established equipment system you can use to make more money in the field immediately. Haulers using oil bypass filters change their oil infrequently and still have the maximum protection from their oil. Oil’s life is dependent on just how badly contaminated the oil becomes. It tends to gather any number of pollutants throughout its usable life - soot, fuel, metals and moisture. All of which can considerably shorten that oil life, and the life of your engine. An oil bypass filter virtually eliminates those contaminants because it puts your oil through a filter the removes particles down to 1 to 3 microns, and evaporates others so they don’t reduce the oil viscosity. This is far superior to only having a factory installed full flow filter, which only filters down to 20 to 25 microns. Even particles that size can damage your rig’s engine.
The OBF works in conjunction with your standard full flow filter; not in place of it, so there is no loss in oil pressure. Typically, an OBF will filter about 6 gallons of oil per hour, and is connected to the engine oil supply downstream of the standard engine oil filter. In turn, the oil is treated by the bypass filter system and gravity fed back into your oil pan. It has a separate housing for the filter unit, with a replaceable filter medium, as well as a heat chamber to evaporate fuel and moisture from the oil; thus removing even more contaminants that can affect the ability of your oil to reduce friction.
It is an additional piece of equipment to buy for your rig, and you will have to purchase and replace your filter at certain intervals. Additionally, you will have to have your oil tested to maintain the best possible oil condition. You will find, however, that oil testing and filters are readily available at the maintenance facilities you’re probably near on a consistent basis.
The system, on average, should pay for itself in under a year with the benefits of extended oil drain intervals, reduced oil purchases, reduced waste oil costs and reduced rig downtime. That said, this system seems like a no-brainer. So, keep your oil cleaner, rack up those miles, and spend your cash on something besides oil.
Keep safe, and keep rolling.
East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales
2906 Elmhurst Lane
Portsmouth, VA 23701
800-849-2178
#eastcoasttruckandtrailer
Check out our web specials, too.
The latest and greatest in Tow Trucks and Rollbacks from East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales. For best pricing, call us at 800-849-2178
The latest and greatest in Tow Trucks and Rollbacks from East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales.
For best pricing, call us at 800-849-2178
For Parts: Parts.ectts.com
For Trucks: Ectts.com
Make an Additional $50,000.00 a Year From Your Rig!
Everyone wants to make more money at their job, but very few people have the opportunity to give themselves a $50,000.00 raise per year. You, as an owner/operator of a tractor trailer, have that opportunity. You’ve probably heard any number of these recommendations before, but we’ve put them all together - and done the math. If you want results, some bad habits need to be broken and some equipment needs to be installed. Let’s start with 5 realistic ways you can make much more money with your rig.
Stop Idling!
You and I both know drivers that have bad habits. First, there’s idling. Of the 24 hours available, 11 are over the road and the other 13 are consumed idling – usually just for convenience. While there are any number of reasons to reduce idling as much as possible, including laws in some states, consider this:
· Idling reduces the useful lifetime of your oil. You have a standard lifetime of around 600 hours of operation for over-the-road driving with each oil change. Continuous idling can reduce that to a mere 150 hours! How much are you paying for a standard oil change? How often do you want to be paying for one? Idling at around 625 RPMs allows for buildup of unburned fuel on the cylinder liners, which is drawn in by the oil sump. This contaminates the oil and shortens the life of the fluid as a lubricant. You’re now paying for more oil changes, more fuel and more engine maintenance; this is your money lost. Even if you choose a higher idling rate to combat some of the oil contamination, you’re now using even more fuel to idle, and you’re still paying more for maintenance, so your costs are still piling up.
· You’re not making money from your fuel if you’re idling. Drivers want to drive. That’s how money is made, but there are mandatory down times. What your truck is doing while on that down time is where your money is going; especially since a one-man driver is on downtime more than driving time every single day. Some drivers think of it as a necessary evil, and create the most comfortable environment possible while burning up to a gallon of diesel an hour. That’s almost $50.00 per day in fuel that’s not making you money. Multiply that by the average truck work year, and that’s around $14,000.00. Stop idling unless absolutely necessary and you start making more money.
· So, what do you do about it? Install a small generator that runs from your fuel tank, or a separate tank. You can have a very comfortable cab, as well as run your electrics from a small, very efficient generator. There are also electric plug-ins available at numerous truck stops and rest areas, so drivers can be comfortable in any weather, and the heaters can keep the fluids at start-up temp. It actually takes about 14 hours for an engine and fluids to cool to ambient temperature once the rig is shut down, depending on the outside temperature, so worrying about a cold start usually isn’t the problem. There are a host of other solutions out there as well, from solar, to AC battery solutions that will reduce your idling time significantly.
Break Bad Habits!
Ride with enough drivers and you’ll know most seem to have one or two major fuel wasting habits. The first one is almost always their speed. Yes, the load has to be there on time, and drivers want to get the most miles out of their 11 hours, but what if you knew for a fact that dropping your speed from 75 mph to 65 mph would make you $18,000.00 more per year in fuel savings? That’s right; by dropping an average of 10 mph, drivers can gain as much as 1 additional mpg. The difference between the maximum fuel economy RPM and the maximum horsepower RPM range can be as small as 200 RPM. Find out the range for your truck, and take advantage of it. If your average is 6 mpg, plug in 7 mpg to your yearly fuel usage, and see how much more you can make with your truck/fleet just by slowing it down some.
Another bad habit is running out of the top gear. If you are in the top gear less than 90% of the time, you’re paying for it. Poor shifting habits make for huge losses in fuel. Ten percent less time in the top gear translates into 0.5% mpg losses. And, of course, there’s sudden stopping and fast acceleration to make matters worse. How bad is it? There’s a 30% loss of fuel mileage associated with poor driving habits when a driver exhibits all bad habits at once. Let’s see how that translates into what you could be making. Using our average mileage for an OTR rig of about 6 MPG, with a 30% loss for poor driving, that makes it in the neighborhood of 4.8 MPG. How much do you save with good driving habits? Conservatively, about $30,000.00 per year if you compare fuel usage at each of those values for one year.
You’ll notice we’re well above the $50,000.00 mark at this point, and there’s still more to come. So why am I giving you a lower estimate? Not all drivers, or all trucks, exhibit all of the same problems. Some have good driving habits, but poor idling behaviors; others, vice versa. Still more problems can be isolated to the equipment itself. Which brings us to…
Update Your Equipment!
With the exception of poorly maintained equipment, of all the things that make a truck expensive to operate, the lack of aerodynamics can be one of the worst. If your truck/fleet is still hauling without improvements in aerodynamics, you need to do a cost analysis on the return this equipment provides.
The highest estimate for updating your truck with aerodynamic equipment is that it can add up to 12% to your MPG. That takes your mileage from 6 MPG to 6.76 MPG, with a fuel savings of around $14,000.00 per year. Yes, you will spend several thousand dollars for an upgrade, but that’s a one-time investment that pays you again, and again, over the life cycle of the rig. Additionally, not every upgrade is available for every type of rig, so your results are going to vary with the amount of aerodynamics you can, or do, install. Some equipment you might want to review includes:
A Trailer Gap Reducer and Trailer Side Skirts
A Trailer Boat Tail and Trailer Side Skirts
Advanced Trailer End Fairing
Advanced Trailer Skirts
Tractor Aerodynamics Package
Finally, there are low rolling resistance tires. These tires are already required in California on all tractors, and are a coming requirement for all trailers in that state by 2017. This sounds like bad news, but for the small additional cost of each tire, there are significant returns. Just as the shape of your truck contributes to greater resistance, so does the design of your tire. Low rolling resistance tires can improve your MPG by up to 8%. Again, taking our average rate of 6 MPG, and adding another 8% to the equation gives you around $9,000.00 per year.
If nothing else, this information should help you determine where to begin to start making more money. If we’re being realistic, each item has its own associated expense. If you’re the driver, you’ll have to spend time relearning good driving habits, determining just how much idling you actually have to do, and how much time you are going to spend in down time to do the upgrades on your rig. If you have drivers working for you, you will have training costs; upgrade costs and management expenses to continue a successful program. If you’re interested in making more money from your business, it’s worth it.
East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales
2906 Elmhurst Lane
Portsmouth, VA 23701
800-849-2178
Free T-Shirt for Truck Driver Appreciation Week
Free T-Shirt for Truck Driver Appreciation Week
In appreciation for your dedication, and hard work as a truck driver, we would like to offer you one of our T-shirts for free. These T-shirts have been a great seller on our website, but during Truck Driver Appreciation Week we're going to give you one for free. There are a number of designs to choose from, so you're not limited to one type of shirt. We appreciate the work you do. Keep rolling, and keep safe.
In appreciation for your dedication, and hard work as a truck driver, we would like to offer you one of our T-shirts for free. These T-shirts have been a great seller on our website, but during Truck Driver Appreciation Week we're going to give you one for free. There are a number of designs to choose from, so you're not limited to one type of shirt. We appreciate the work you do. Keep rolling, and keep safe.
Slow Down,and Move Over For Tow Drivers Too!
Imagine working in an industry that makes the “Deadliest
Catch” fishing industry seem like a cruise ship vacation. If you’re reading
this, chances are good you already do. As a tow driver you work in an industry
where you’re practically invisible - until it’s almost too late. In some
states, you’re also invisible to the law telling people to slow down and move
over when passing an incident or emergency on the highway. Even though tow
drivers, like emergency workers, suffer more than twice the average occupational
injury and fatality rates compared to all other industries, some states don’t
require drivers to slow down and move over for a tow driver. More on that
problem below.
Tow driver’s fatalities, injuries and near misses on our
highways happen far too often. Ask any driver and you’ll hear a story that will
raise the hair on the back of your neck, quickly followed by a knowing head
shake and probably an explicative. In some cases, it’s a miracle they survived
to tell the tale. Some didn’t.
With the exceptions of Hawai’i and the District of Columbia,
49 States now have the “Slow Down Move Over” law in place, but we still lose
not only law enforcement officers and emergency responders, but tow drivers and
civilians on an almost daily basis. Why? According to a national poll by Mason
Dixon Polling & Research, sponsored by the National Safety Commission,
71 percent of Americans have never heard of “Move Over” laws. Not knowing about
the laws also means those same people likely don’t know the proper procedure when
passing an incident/emergency scene. Quite simply, if you’re in a lane beside
the incident, slow down first, and then attempt to move over - if it’s safe to
do so. In that order. If you can only
slow down, do so. Other reasons for these senseless deaths include drunken
driving, texting, daydreaming, and simple inattention to surroundings when
passing an incident.
Even though tow drivers are usually on the receiving end of
motorist thoughtlessness, it’s also important to remember that we drive these
same roads as a civilian ourselves. While practicing very safe operating
procedures when working, they’re often forgotten while out in our non-working
lives. Far too many times I've been a
passenger in the car with someone who should know about the law (read: driving
professional), and yet I see little, if any, effort to slow down and move over
when they pass an incident. While no official statistics on the deaths of tow
drivers specifically, industry estimates range from 50 to 70 tow drivers killed
on an annual basis. A simple internet search returns dismaying examples just
over the last year:
* Jun 30, 2013 - A local tow truck operator was killed while
he was in the process of towing a vehicle on Interstate ten.
* Jun 11, 2013 - KUSA - A man was killed Tuesday afternoon
when he was hit by a semi truck as he was attempting to tow a vehicle.
* May 4, 2013 - MIAMI (CBS Miami) - A tow truck driver
assisting a car was hit and killed by a third vehicle that fled the scene.
* Feb 12, 2013 - MALIBU, Calif. (KTLA) -- A tow truck driver
was killed in Malibu Monday night
* Aug 28, 2012 - An
18-year-old Smithville, MO, tow truck driver was struck and killed while out of
his vehicle on Interstate 35 near the Christopher S. Bond Bridge.
* Dec 9, 2012 - A tow-truck driver helping a stranded
motorist along the 405 Freeway in Long Beach was killed early Sunday after he
was struck by a drunk driver.
* COLTON, California – J&S Towing truck driver Jesus
Salcedo, 56, of Colton was struck and killed late Friday afternoon while
assisting the driver disabled vehicle
Unlike police, fire and rescue, which are protected by the
slow down move over law, tow drivers aren’t covered by these laws in all
states. So, which states don’t protect tow drivers with laws when they’re the
only ones at the incident? Surprisingly, there are nine:
- Alaska
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Wyoming
Working an incident is always a fluid situation. While you
always have to have one eye on traffic and another on the job at hand, the
states above make it even more difficult for tow drivers to come home at night.
If you live in one of these states, speak with your legislator.
So, how do you protect yourself while you’re out on the
road? Three words. High visibility equipment. Your lights, work clothes and
temporary traffic control equipment should all be high visibility; the brighter
the better. Don’t work on the traffic side of the incident, if possible. While
this isn’t always possible, this is the reason you want to have high visibility
equipment. Your movement, because
noticing activity is a function built into our brains, combined with the bright
clothing creates better visibility for other drivers.
If you know of a safer way we can work, don't hesitate to
contact us.
Sean Dewey
East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales, Inc
Raising The Bar At The Worksite
Giving roadside safety the attention it deserves
There never seems to be any lack of danger on the road. No one knows this better than the people who work on the side of the road. Towing professionals, police, and road maintenance workers do this everyday and know all too well what they are up against.
Even with vests, flares, cones, and high tech flashing contraptions there are still fatalities. So while the prospect of no fatalities may not be likely for sometime, it is refreshing to read about efforts to raise the bar in providing even more fail safe systems to alert drivers to slow down as they approach a worksite.
One effort comes from what I have seen in the news by the Texas Department of Transportation. They currently have multiple systems in place to decrease the number of roadside incidents that threaten workers. While there is nothing that new technologically, the combination of multiple systems shows initiative to protect the roadsite.
In Texas you have three things that help the process
- Portable rumble strips
- Multiple electronic road signs
- Uniformed officers
I applaud the effort and hope more safety systems be put in place as standard operating procedure. I think roadside safety is a process, to be constantly evaluated, improved, and augmented as new ideas and technology come along.
http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2013/5/3/Texasinitiatesuniqueworkzonewarningsystem.aspx
http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2013/5/3/Texasinitiatesuniqueworkzonewarningsystem.aspx
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