Posts Tagged ‘Flatbed trucking company’

2 Tips to Eliminate CSA Inspections and Traffic Tickets

By David Lemke

  1. Control your speed. The #1 reason for getting stopped and inspected is speeding. (Not surprisingly the #1 cause of accidents is also speeding- thus the focus.) Lane violations, tailgating, and other aggressive behaviors are also guaranteed to get the attention of law enforcement. CMV enforcement personnel don’t need a reason (probable cause) to stop and inspect a truck, but you don’t need to give them one. Simply put, drive safely and professionally and you’ll virtually eliminate your odds of being targeted for inspection. [By the way, there is no law requiring law enforcement to “give 10 MPH” or even 1 MPH over a posted speed limit. Even driving the speed limit when road, weather, or traffic conditions dictate a slower speed is a violation (speed too fast for conditions) in many jurisdictions.
  2. Inspect and maintain your equipment. A light out, tire with cord/belt exposed, or other easily-spotted equipment defect will get you pulled over (or pulled behind a scale) every time. Do your pre-trip inspection. Report defects and get them repaired before hitting the road. A truck with a headlight out pulling into a scale is almost certain to get a red light. Don’t make yourself an easy target.

 

Look us up at www.navajo.com

1-800-525-1969

Stop by and see us at

1400 W. 64th Ave.

Denver, CO 80221

Weighing your options…

By Joanna Figueroa

“Maybe I will just save the money and not scale out today” How many of you have thought this a time of two? Most the time you get away with it.

Did you know  you can get stopped and ticketed for hauling an overweight load. Remember you are not a scale you can’t predict how much a load will weigh, always get certified scale tickets to cover your work.  You can request a PO and Navajo will reimburse you for the price of the scale ticket. If location is an issue contact your manager and they will help you find the closest location to you. There is never a reason why you can’t scale. Navajo is here to help you be successful and legal. Thank you to all that continually do an outstanding job.

 

Look us up at www.navajo.com

1-800-525-1969

Stop by and see us at

1400 W. 64th Ave.

Denver, CO 80221

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT !!!

By Kelly Gallegos

Passing DOT Inspections earn drivers extra money. Clean Level 1 inspections are worth $100.00. Level 2 is worth $50.00 and Level 3 is worth $25.00 It can really add up quickly over time. Take the time to look through your book and make sure all of your permits are updated. Make sure your current medical card is readily available and in the same place for quick access. If you can provide a neat organized permit book and up to date medical card quickly the DOT officer is going to see that you are organized and ready to pass the inspection.  

 

***Bonus Tip***

Make sure when you get an updated medical card or any of the permits in your book to discard the old ones.  If you present the officer with an expired document you will get a ticket even if you later discover you had the current document in your possession.

 

Look us up at www.navajo.com

1-800-525-1969

Stop by and see us at

1400 W. 64th Ave.

Denver, CO 80221

Recognize and Avoid Road Rage

 

 

 

Road rage is defined as violent or visibly angry behavior by a driver of a motor vehicle which can result in crashes or other incidents on roadways. It also called an extreme case of aggressive driving. The following are possible signs of road rage or aggressive driving:

 

 

 

Generally aggressive driving, including sudden acceleration, braking, and closely tailgating, Cutting off other drivers, or preventing other vehicles from merging, Hitting the horn or flashing lights, Shouting obscenities, or threats, Hand gestures, Intentionally causing a crash between vehicles, Getting out of a vehicle in an attempt to start a confrontation

 

Threatening to use or using a weapon, Throwing objects from a moving vehicle

 

 

 

 

 

Ways to Avoid Road Rage

 

 

 

Keep a cool head, Avoid eye contact, Never make obscene gestures, Do not use your vehicle to intimidate others, Get out of the left lane for other fast moving vehicles

 

Do not become frustrated or stressed out—if you do, remove yourself from the situation.

 

Avoid confrontation If an angry driver yells at you or shares a rude gesture out his or her window, don’t make eye contact or yell back. Keep your eyes on the road and ignore the angry driver. Fighting and driving angry is dangerous to both of you as well as the other drivers and will only cause the situation to escalate.

 

Low Clearance, Can You Make It

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By Jay Quiring

When it comes to low clearance bridges and overpasses, I never cease to be amazed at how some professional truck drivers think they can outsmart them or squeeze underneath them anyway.  Some professional drivers have relied on GPS units to route them. In following the advice of the device (and not authoritative instructions), they have unwittingly set themselves up for failure. They may think, “But my GPS told me to go this way!” and proceed on without consulting their atlas, taking heed of warning signs or using common sense. Ka-bam! Ouch!

You’re a professional. You’re supposed to know well in advance of going under an overpass whether or not your truck has the clearance to do so safely.

 

Look us up at www.navajo.com

1-800-525-1969

Stop by and see us at

1400 W. 64th Ave.

Denver, CO 80221

Unsafe Driving & CSA inspections

By David Lemke

A speeding truck not only attracts attention – it demands it!  Law enforcement personnel place special attention on commercial motor vehicles speeding (or committing other moving violations like not obeying traffic control lights and signs) because of the potential damage that may be caused as the result of an accident.  Fleet statistics show that speeding if the root cause of around a third of all roadside inspections.  Speeding is a DRIVER CONTROLLABLE behavior, along with all other moving violations.  Obey the posted speed limit and you will be inspected less frequently.

Cameras Catch By-Passers In The Act

By David Lemke

Motor Carrier Transportation Division size and weight enforcement officers are taking advantage of weigh station camera systems to educate truckers of the folly in illegally bypassing when a station is open. From October 2008 through September 2009, size and weight enforcement officers were able to identify trucks that drove by an open weigh station and issue 701 citations or warnings to drivers. Most enforcement actions, 523 of the 701 total, occurred at weigh stations with the bypass detection systems.

 

Oregon has a reputation now for strict enforcement of weigh station stops. For example, here’s a posting at the Web site called coops are open:

 

 

“Vehicles over 20,000 lbs are required to enter Oregon weigh stations.

 

“Don’t even think about blowing by Oregon weigh stations. Oregon is spending big bucks to install cameras in the roadway- they’ll catch you if you drive on by. You’ll get a citation- $472 to $2,500- in the mail and have a court appearance to deal with.” Bypass detection systems are recording truck traffic in Oregon. The camera systems include one high-speed video camera that captures images of license plates under any lighting conditions and a second camera that captures an image of each vehicle. The entire stream of traffic is recorded on a DVR for playback at any time. This is not like the camera systems many cities have installed at intersections to catch vehicles running red lights. Those systems have a dual purpose of enforcing the law and raising revenue. Oregon’s weigh station bypass cameras are only there to enforce the law.

 

Look us up at www.navajo.com

1-800-525-1969

Stop by and see us at

1400 W. 64th Ave.

Denver, CO 80221

Details and Accuracy Are Vital In Claims

By Tina Madrid

Putting together the best practices to manage freight claims is more than just training drivers during orientation visits. It is necessary for us to be able to capture every relevant detail pertaining to all OS&D issues at the time it occurs. Not only can this be vital but the task of validating the information begins to properly settle a freight claim.

All the information the driver can give while it is fresh in their minds is necessary to record in our system as customers have up to 9 months from the date of delivery to file a claim. We have to have all valuable information in our records and in order so we are prepared if/when we do receive claims.

 

Look us up at www.navajo.com

1-800-525-1969

Stop by and see us at

1400 W. 64th Ave.

Denver, CO 80221

Big Thanks To Truck 2030 From Logistics And Sales Department

By Catrena Rosentreador

Team Drivers on truck 2030, Jerry Gonzales & Zachary Chambers,  we would like to thank for their outstanding work, Safe driving and patience for helping our customer have success with their first load.

The customer is now requesting the return of this team for their product. Great job Jerry and Zachary for making this happen.

Chase would also like to thank Tilo Diaz, Driver Manager, for guiding and managing his team drivers every step of the way to make this happen and please our customer.

 

Look us up at www.navajo.com

1-800-525-1969

Stop by and see us at

1400 W. 64th Ave.

Denver, CO 80221

When Does Your Physical Expire, You Should Know

By Marlene Settlemire

Driver reminder to be aware of when your DOT physical is due and get your new one before the old one expires. By keeping it current you can avoid an out of service and a CSA violation.

Remember that Navajo does not accept physicals that are done by a chiropractor. Make sure before leaving the clinic that the long form and medical card are filled out completely. Fax or bring in a copy of the long form and medical card to the Denver safety department.

If you reside in a state that requires you to send you long form and medical card to that state do not forget to do so, your CDL will be suspended if you do not comply.