2 More Summer Driving & Maintenance Reminders
The heat is on and we’ve been talking about Summer driving tips here on the Dickinson Fleet blog. In our last post, we talked about the importance of being prepared for the Roadcheck 2017 and the focus on cargo safety this year.
Summertime Distracted Driving
Another topic that deserves some additional focus during the Summer months is distracted driving. Summer vacations are in full swing and there are going to be more distracted drivers using their phones…and not all of these are going to be four wheelers. Hand held distractions are also a big problem among CDL drivers as well. Now is the time to re-educate your fleet not only on what will be going on around them, but what they should avoid in their own cab as well. Let’s quickly define what constitutes a handheld distraction
– Using at least one hand to hold a mobile phone to make a call;
– Dialing a mobile phone by pressing more than a single button; or
– Reaching for a mobile phone in a manner that requires a driver to maneuver so that he or she is no longer in a seated driving position, restrained by a seat belt.
And equally as important, here’s how to appropriately use your phone as a CMV driver:
– Locate the mobile phone so it is operable by the driver while restrained by properly adjusted safety belts.
– Utilize an earpiece or the speaker phone function.
– Use voice-activated or one-button touch features to initiate, answer, or terminate a call.
Summer Cooling System Maintenance
Now let’s shift gears for a minute and go from safety to maintenance. Another hot topic in the Summer, and every Summer, is cooling system maintenance. Why? Well because a faulty cooling system can affect the vehicle’s fuel economy and durability. It’s also true that many engine problems relate to cooling system issues as well.
So how can you make sure you’re good? Well, the first step in a coolant maintenance program is to make sure the system has the appropriate type coolant.
The “color” tells you which type of coolant is in the vehicle but also is the first indication that something may be wrong with the coolant or the cooling system. If you run into a darker colored coolant, you need to take immediate action.
Failure to keep the cooling system properly maintained can lead to a variety of problems including wet cylinder liner cavitation, rust and corrosion, hard water scale, and silicate drop-out deposits. The result of these problems could be a truck on the side of the road. With coolant, a little maintenance can go a long way. You don’t want to be eating the cost of replacing an entire engine.
Need help with your truck maintenance and coolant system? Give us a call at 855-DFS-4111 or contact us online.
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