greg334
Veteran Expediter
I won't say much about the CSA 2010 itself, a lot has been said and a bunch of fellow professional drivers have cried enough about how it will ruin them or how unfair it is.
Well too bad, it is here and we have to deal with it.
For me it is not about changing my habits or worrying about it, but it is about improving my habits. The points and other 'stuff' that goes along with it is a non-issue for me but I do worry about the reaction of law enforcement, especially coming from a state like Michigan where they will target trucks to pay for things.
So in the last month, I sat down and reviewed my practices from logging to pre-trips to freight securment. Made it a point to note my deficiencies and work on them, biggest one is keeping a consistent schedule of sending in logs when I am away from the truck for more than 10 days.
I revived my old check list, revised it and now is going to the Kinkos to get printed and laminated. This check list saved me a lot of headaches and once I forced myself to use it, complacency was easier to deal with and eliminate.
Once the policies and procedures check was complete, I looked at the truck itself, finding a bunch of ways to improve things to avoid any future issues.
Starting with the age of the truck, it is a bit better than most I have seen but more importantly it is an easy truck to work on. If it was two years newer, it would be in a different class altogether, meaning the electrical would be out of reach to work on because it would have been using a multiplex system. Because it doesn't, when something like a marker light went out, it has been easy to track down and fix.
I decided the biggest issue is lighting, this seems to get people into trouble, or at least gets them noticed. So I have bought all new marker lights for the box, front turn signal lights and yet to decide which rear lights to get – BUT ALL OF THEM ARE LED. LED lights will at least get me the performance I need and a long life, so to me it is better to pay a bit extra then to worry about lamps going out. Total cost will be less than $120 when all said and done.
The next BIG issue are the brakes, on the list of new parts are NEW brake adjusters. I rebuilt my a while ago but I'm not satisfied with them because of the clevis pin issues I have had with them. Also on the list are hose, hose connectors and long stroke chambers all to be replaced when the adjusters are replaced. With the price of hose (a buck a foot) and connectors being cheap (I paid $4.50 each for them), replacing the hoses is a no-brainer when the the chambers are replaced. The shoes look good, so just a quick going through with the cam and followers/rollers all I think it will need – I think the total cost should be less than $450 for all the parts and because I do my own work, my labor cost will be Zero.
The last issue is the engine, replacing the belts and adjusting the clutch is needed because my unofficial impromptu inspection by a MSP friend, she pointed out that the belt looks damaged but isn't and not pron to breaking but someone who is looking for problems will pick it out and ding me for it. The cost with all of the engine stuff comes to about $75.
This new program has nothing to be scared about.
Frankly my carrier is like others, in a bit of a panic and taking precautions on how to handle a bunch of different issues, some of the attempts are full of ambiguity at best while others are clear as a bell.
My last physical has been a hassle as it usually is, not to blame the carrier but they want to make sure everything is perfect. This worries me a lot because of the issues I have run across with the different doctors I have had to use for the physical. One thing that was stressed this time around was the sleep apnea issue and how they now want the machine readout to see if someone is using it (** I know I am leaving things out but ...). A serious problem for me because I have a 5 year old machine in the truck which does not have a way to get a readout but the new one at home will and the insurance will not pay for another one.
I found out today this is not just my carrier but others are following these guidelines because of the CSA 2010 and it opens the door to asking the question whether or not this is an excuse to spy on drivers and to me may be a bit too much to be judged how we sleep.
**Note: I didn't include Van drivers in the article, but this issue is also about anyone who has to deal with a DOT type physical and how they are affected by the CSA 2010 **
But I digress, the real purpose for this article is not to complain about the CSA 2010 or any carrier's actions to mitigate their risk but to tell how I'm attacking this monster.
As you have read before, I believe that any and all professional drivers need to be aware of the workings of their truck, and the CSA 2010 only reinforces that position by putting more burden on the driver to do a better job in ensuring their truck is within a reasonable condition to be on the road.
Without basic knowledge of how things work, how to do basic checks and even do basic repairs, those drivers will be the first to be caught by this monster and will be the first to claim it is unfair.
It is still cheaper to make these changes, to seek out knowledge to do your own work and to follow a plan to maintain
Well too bad, it is here and we have to deal with it.
For me it is not about changing my habits or worrying about it, but it is about improving my habits. The points and other 'stuff' that goes along with it is a non-issue for me but I do worry about the reaction of law enforcement, especially coming from a state like Michigan where they will target trucks to pay for things.
So in the last month, I sat down and reviewed my practices from logging to pre-trips to freight securment. Made it a point to note my deficiencies and work on them, biggest one is keeping a consistent schedule of sending in logs when I am away from the truck for more than 10 days.
I revived my old check list, revised it and now is going to the Kinkos to get printed and laminated. This check list saved me a lot of headaches and once I forced myself to use it, complacency was easier to deal with and eliminate.
Once the policies and procedures check was complete, I looked at the truck itself, finding a bunch of ways to improve things to avoid any future issues.
Starting with the age of the truck, it is a bit better than most I have seen but more importantly it is an easy truck to work on. If it was two years newer, it would be in a different class altogether, meaning the electrical would be out of reach to work on because it would have been using a multiplex system. Because it doesn't, when something like a marker light went out, it has been easy to track down and fix.
I decided the biggest issue is lighting, this seems to get people into trouble, or at least gets them noticed. So I have bought all new marker lights for the box, front turn signal lights and yet to decide which rear lights to get – BUT ALL OF THEM ARE LED. LED lights will at least get me the performance I need and a long life, so to me it is better to pay a bit extra then to worry about lamps going out. Total cost will be less than $120 when all said and done.
The next BIG issue are the brakes, on the list of new parts are NEW brake adjusters. I rebuilt my a while ago but I'm not satisfied with them because of the clevis pin issues I have had with them. Also on the list are hose, hose connectors and long stroke chambers all to be replaced when the adjusters are replaced. With the price of hose (a buck a foot) and connectors being cheap (I paid $4.50 each for them), replacing the hoses is a no-brainer when the the chambers are replaced. The shoes look good, so just a quick going through with the cam and followers/rollers all I think it will need – I think the total cost should be less than $450 for all the parts and because I do my own work, my labor cost will be Zero.
The last issue is the engine, replacing the belts and adjusting the clutch is needed because my unofficial impromptu inspection by a MSP friend, she pointed out that the belt looks damaged but isn't and not pron to breaking but someone who is looking for problems will pick it out and ding me for it. The cost with all of the engine stuff comes to about $75.
This new program has nothing to be scared about.
Frankly my carrier is like others, in a bit of a panic and taking precautions on how to handle a bunch of different issues, some of the attempts are full of ambiguity at best while others are clear as a bell.
My last physical has been a hassle as it usually is, not to blame the carrier but they want to make sure everything is perfect. This worries me a lot because of the issues I have run across with the different doctors I have had to use for the physical. One thing that was stressed this time around was the sleep apnea issue and how they now want the machine readout to see if someone is using it (** I know I am leaving things out but ...). A serious problem for me because I have a 5 year old machine in the truck which does not have a way to get a readout but the new one at home will and the insurance will not pay for another one.
I found out today this is not just my carrier but others are following these guidelines because of the CSA 2010 and it opens the door to asking the question whether or not this is an excuse to spy on drivers and to me may be a bit too much to be judged how we sleep.
**Note: I didn't include Van drivers in the article, but this issue is also about anyone who has to deal with a DOT type physical and how they are affected by the CSA 2010 **
But I digress, the real purpose for this article is not to complain about the CSA 2010 or any carrier's actions to mitigate their risk but to tell how I'm attacking this monster.
As you have read before, I believe that any and all professional drivers need to be aware of the workings of their truck, and the CSA 2010 only reinforces that position by putting more burden on the driver to do a better job in ensuring their truck is within a reasonable condition to be on the road.
Without basic knowledge of how things work, how to do basic checks and even do basic repairs, those drivers will be the first to be caught by this monster and will be the first to claim it is unfair.
It is still cheaper to make these changes, to seek out knowledge to do your own work and to follow a plan to maintain
