THE SAFETY MESSAGE
Happy fall season, everyone! Can you believe that 2021 is winding to an end? This has definitely been an interesting year, but we are all getting through it. We just wrapped up National Driver Appreciation Week, and I want to thank each and every commercial vehicle operator, as well as their families, for what you do to keep the country moving forward.
Along with the beautiful leaves and brisk morning temperatures, fall also brings some other things:
At 65 mph, you are covering 95 feet per second, and knowing that it takes a CMV around a football field to stop, every second counts. Don’t allow yourself to become complacent or distracted while driving. Your life or someone else’s life depends on it! Again, thank you all for what you do and for being part of the Big G family. Stay safe, conduct good pre- and post-trip inspections, and always use three points of contact any time you are entering or exiting a piece of equipment. IKE drivers, be especially aware of your surroundings when you are securing a load. Know where any trip hazards may be and keep the area around your feet free from anything that could make you lose your balance or fall. We want you all to arrive safely. Be safe, everyone!
• School Zones! Pay attention to the warning lights in school zones. Never speed through a school zone.
• School Buses! Pay attention to school buses loading and unloading children. Look for the flashing red lights and the STOP signal on the side of the bus. Generally speaking, unless the road is separated by a median or some type of barrier, you must stop for a bus when the sign is out and lights are flashing. • Weather! Even though it is officially fall, there are times when you can see extreme weather. Fog, rain, and even snow can be common during this time of year. If you don’t feel safe driving in inclement weather, then don’t drive. Communicate with operations so they know what is going on with you. Also, decrease your speed and increase your following distance when in inclement weather.
Until next time, –Tim Clark VP of Safety
Please continue focusing on your driving habits. It’s easy to get complacent or distracted, but you have to remain focused at all times.
DEF tank. This practice is the best preventative measure you can take to keep the aftertreatment system working properly.
SHOP TIPPS
Computer chips are another major issue in the trucking industry. We have been fortunate that we are still receiving new equipment, but it has not been on time. Kenworth, like all truck makers, has thousands of units built that are waiting on electronic equipment. Dash clusters, window switches, Chassis ECU’s, and brake controller equipment have been in short supply because of the chip shortage. What caused the chip shortage? A plant in Japan, which provided 70% of the automotive chip market, caught fire last year and was completely destroyed. It has proven to be very difficult to replace that type of supply. (Fact: The average well-equipped car manufactured in the U.S. has as many as 1,200 computer chips.) I want to finish with a big thank-you to all the drivers, technicians, and office staff that keep this company running. We rightfully celebrate the drivers who put in the miles that drive the revenue, but it takes a village to make it all work, and I really think we have the best village around! Thanks, everyone! –Tim Tipps VP of Maintenance
Drivers, what a crazy time we are experiencing in 2021. From COVID-19 to chemical shortages and part shortages, we are experiencing transportation interruptions like we have not seen in my lifetime. I want you all to know that we are working hard to secure the supplies we need. Laura and Paula, along with Eugene and Michael, work tirelessly to find the parts needed to keep our trucks running. Given the problem it has been, I want everyone to know it is not from lack of effort on our part. The biggest problem we have is the DEF quality sensors failures. Depending on the source you reference, it is reported that there are back-orders of more than 30,000 sensors. I also want to share that it is all OEM brands and not just the KW. I attended the ATA/TMC meeting in Cleveland, and it is the No. 1 problem for all fleets. After speaking to many of the fleets that attended, I am confident we have fared much better with part deliveries than most fleets, but there is much room for improvement. I was asked recently by one of our drivers who had a DEF sensor failure what he could have done to prevent the failure. I really don’t know if it would have prevented the failure, but keeping your DEF tank full would be a good practice. Every time you buy fuel, top off the
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