 As we wrap up our Summer Of Safety series, we wanted to touch on a topic that is extremely pertinent for the coming weeks. With school back in session, it is vital that truckers take extra precaution behind the wheel. Although many of these tips are common sense, please take our pledge to be serious about safety so we can contribute to leaving the roads and school zones accident free.
“Last year, 475,000 school buses took to the roads. ‘That is another half million commercial vehicles added to our roads, which we all know are already congested,’ said Herbert Mayo, vice president of risk control for Lockton Companies,” in an article by Penske. It’s inevitable. During this time of the year, roads are going to be busier, which means as a trucker, your normal route is going to be more congested. Secondary roads and metropolitan areas will be more crowded as moms and kids drive to school, the Penske article warned. Try to stick to highways, and if you must to take a more urban course, slow down and be more aware. According to an article by the Traffic Safety Store, with the growth in mobile and media use, pedestrians today are more likely than not to pay less attention. Keep in mind that you may need to be their eyes when they fail to be aware. Following the speed limit signs, especially in school zones, will give you buffer if a student or pedestrian makes an unexpected move into the street. “While allowed speed limits in school zones vary from state to state, the typical range goes around 15-25 mph,” the Traffic Safety Store article said. When it comes to sharing the road with students, bicyclists and other pedestrians during heavier months of traffic, the Nationals Safety Council (NSC) offers some good reminders.
Ultimately, the best way to stay safe during the height of the school season is to heed traffic signs and speeds. It’s always better to err on the slow side. Thank you, Dillon Logistics team, for contributing to our coveted level of safety. We couldn’t do it without you and your seriousness out on the road
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 To continue our Summer of Safety blog series, we want to remind our team of a simple, yet imperative rule of thumb whenever you are climbing in and out of your truck. A well-known concept in the industry, the three-point contact method is crucial for every truck driver. As a company serious about safety, it’s something we at Dillon Logistics enforce with all of our professionals. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), slip and fall injuries are the third largest cause of workplace accidents and account for 15-20% of all workers’ compensations costs,” states an article written by the AF Group, an organization that offers innovative insurance solutions to keep workplaces safe. Furthermore, another article by the Accident Fund, one of the nation’s leading workers’ compensation insurance organizations, quotes from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that “truck drivers had more non-fatal injuries that any other industry. More than half of those were sprains and strains caused in part by slip and falls while getting in or out of trucks.” The simplest way to circumvent these accidents is by using the three-point contact method. With this approach, drivers must have three of their four limbs anchored to a point at all times (either two hands and a foot or two feet and one hand) when entering and exiting their truck, says the article by the AF Group. With the three-point contact method, you will be essentially creating a triangle shape, and in order to establish the most stability, the center of the triangle should be near the same area as you center of gravity (view graphic for reference).  If your center of gravity is not lined up with the center of the triangle, it’s more likely you’ll move in a sideways motion and be knocked off balance, the article from Accident Fund conveys (see graphic for reference).  Check out some other helpful do’s and don’ts from the AF Group and Accident Fund.
Dos:
Dont’s:
At, Dillon Logistics, we care about overall safety just as much as we care about our drivers. We are serious about making your summer the safest one possible, and it can be accomplished with something as easy as the three-point contact method.  Dillon is serious about trucking and that means we are also serious about road rules. Whether it’s making non-distracted driving a priority or just sharing the road with smaller vehicles, we want you to feel as prepared as possible.
This is Dillon Logistic’s Summer of Safety series. Stay tuned for simple tips that can make all the difference behind the wheel. #1 STAY ALERT Being attentive and sharp while navigating your route is crucial for success, especially during summer time and intensive construction season. To make sure you keep safety first priority, don’t allow your attention to slip! Keep an eye out for motorcycles, blindspots and merging lanes, and always try to keep a safe distance between you and other cars. When it comes to staying alert, it all boils down to sleep. Getting the proper amount of shut eye will help your body and mind stay active. Make rest a priority the night before a haul. #2 LIMIT DISTRACTIONS Limiting distractions during your drive is the surest way to make sure you stay safe this summer. While cell phones are vitally important for everyday life, they can be deadly when used on the road. Make sure you invest in a handsfree set before leaving the terminal so you can keep your eyes on the road. #3 ALWAYS BE PREPARED Unfortunately, no matter how alert or free of distractions you might be there is always a chance that something could not go as planned. Try your best to be as prepared as possible by planning out your day - from the time you leave the terminal to when you make it to your destination. Make sure to leave on time and to have everything with you that you will need for a trip. Another important tip, and one we encourage, is to ask questions! Don’t be afraid to not know the answer to something. It’s better to ask and receive the correct information than to be delayed or stuck because you are unsure. A third way to be prepared is to keep your body hydrated. As we approach the summer months drinking that extra bit of water can save you from headaches, fatigue and many other unpleasant symptoms that could knock you off your time schedule. Plain water isn’t the only way to stay hydrated - you can help your body by eating fruits that are high in water (watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries and peaches) and steering clear from drinks and food that are high in sugar (like soda and sugary coffee drinks). Your body will thank you later! These tips might be simple, but that makes them no less serious! When you’re heading out on the road try and keep these 3 things in mind: Always stay alert, eliminate as many distractions as possible and always be prepared. Sources: https://www.ntbtrk.com/news/entry/tips-for-truck-drivers-to-stay-hydrated https://truckerpath.com/blog/tips-for-truck-drivers/  In order to live up to our mantra as a serious company, serious about our customers and serious about our business, we need a strong fleet of deliberate drivers who are resilient on the road and never take a hazardous shipment lightly.
Shelly Long, a 15-year trucking veteran and 3-year Dillon Logistics professional, is a true exemplar of our driver pedigree. As the first female driver hired out of Michigan City, Shelly is a well-known and respected driver on our team. In 1988, Shelly first stepped foot into the industry working for an RV manufacturer, setting up dealer shows and drive units for display. She also delivered brand new motor homes to dealerships country-wide. From there, she gained driving experience behind the wheels of ambulances, shuttle buses and tour buses, delivering them all over United States. Although Shelly found that she loved the road, she ran into multiple frustrations with compensation and work environment. According to Shelly, when she would deliver a vehicle, she would only get paid one way, having to either fly home or use a car she towed along with her. “I wanted to get a job where I got paid for all the miles that I drove. So, in 2003, I went to truck driving school and got my class A CDL,” Shelly relays. Shelly’s first gig as a trucker started at Family Express as a route driver. From there, she went on to drive dry van, refrigerated, liquid tank and even pneumatic tank, hauling frac sand. Like most truck drivers, Shelly was on a continual hunt for a company that offered the best combination of good home time, good pay and a great working environment. Finding a group of people with which she enjoyed working and who empowered her to take every mile seriously was also important to her. “The jobs I’ve enjoyed the most all involved great management, and Dillon Logistics is the best so far! We spend so much of our life working, and if you’re not happy you’re not successful. The Dillon Logistics management is like family to me. They enable me to be successful. I just want to say Thank You to my Dillon family for making succeeding possible. I’m very happy to be here.”  The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), of which the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is a member, will be conducting a roadside inspection blitz for commercial vehicles from June 4-6 across North America. It’s a 72-hour event involving motor vehicle inspection jurisdictions across the US, Canada and Mexico to promote road safety.
While a multi-day inspection blitz may sound intimidating, the inspections themselves will be the same ones you might receive 365 days a year. Most trucks will receive a North American Standard Level I Inspection (though inspectors might choose to do other inspections based on initial assessment) that usually takes about 45 minutes. You will also be required to show the inspectors the following:
If no critical issues are discovered during the inspection, you will receive a CVSA decal for your truck indicating that the vehicle successfully passed inspection conducted by a CVSA-certified inspector. If an inspector does identify a critical vehicle issue, they can render vehicle out of service. Likewise, a driver can be declared out of service if they show signs of fatigue or impairment or have problems with their paperwork or credentials. Depending on the severity of the infraction, failing inspection can even negatively affect your company’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) score. International Roadcheck has been held every year since 1988 and is the largest commercial motor vehicle compliance operation in the world. During this 72-hour period about 17 trucks and buses will be inspected every minute. As with any day you hit the road, be sure your vehicle, logs and credentials are in good order, and June 4-7 should be like any other days on the road.  If you’re a truck driver looking for a unique career opportunity, you might consider becoming an owner-operator. Owner-operators typically enjoy great flexibility, compensation, and job security. In fact, it’s how many of the top trucking companies today were born. One driver, one truck and a lot of hard work can transform into a fleet of trucks and a team of drivers. With the constant demand for drivers within the transportation industry, 2019 is flourishing with opportunities for driving professionals interested in working for themselves, and Dillon Logistics is happy to announce they are expanding to include O/O.
Check out some of the following benefits of being an owner-operator. Flexibility Does the idea of self-employment spark interest? Owner-operators get to lay the groundwork for their own business. As an owner-operator, you can do everything from establishing what kind of money you want to make by giving yourself more flexible hours to outfitting your tractor with decals and colors. Although there are more risks and responsibilities tied to being an owner-operator, ask any business owner and they’ll tell you there are numerous benefits of self-employment. You keep the profits We know you know that operating a tractor-trailer properly and efficiently requires expert skill and care, and an experienced, talented driver saves their company real money in diesel and maintenance costs. If you’re better than average driver, as an Owner Operator you’ll pocket more of the fuel surcharge and spend less to maintain your tractor. The demand is there The most recent Truckstop.com Market Demand Index from February 2019 indicates there are about 30 loads posted for every available truck posted. The American Transportation Research Institute’s 2018 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry report lists the driver shortage and driver retention as the first and third most critical issues, respectively. Thus, being an owner-operator means that you’ll have the flexibility to easily go where the demand is highest to maximize your profits. At Dillon, we offer 100% of the fuel surcharge, a $3,000 sign on bonus and a wide variety of lanes so you can get home more often. Own your own business Manning your own small business is a lot of responsibility and hard work, but the rewards are endless. It’s not just for an elite club, either. There are over 30 million small businesses in the US alone that employ almost half of the workforce, and many of these businesses aren’t just surviving, they’re thriving. So, if you like the idea of building a business you can be proud of, something you could even pass on to your kids one day, give us a call at 863.225.4144 to learn how Dillon Logistics can be the first and best partnership of your new business.  If you’ve been on the road long enough, you are sure to have noticed the diamond-shaped labels on the back and sides of semi-trucks and trailers. These helpful signs are called hazmat placards and they are used to communicate what kind of hazardous materials trucks are hauling. The US Department of Transportation requires vehicles hauling over 1,000 pounds of hazmat to display them on all sides of their vehicle letting everyone know, including first responders, what’s inside so they know how to handle it safely.
The signs not only tell if something is flammable, explosive, radioactive, poisonous, biohazardous, or corrosive but also give details about what specific chemicals make up the material, and the dangers it poses. The color of the sign is the most noticeable detail from far away and communicates the basics about what kind of threat the cargo on board can pose. Here are some of the placard colors and the characteristics they convey:
Hazard class As you get closer to the hazmat placards you can make out symbols (that are self-explanatory) and class numbers in the bottom corner of the diamond. Each class number indicates a specific characteristic of the material and can go further with subclasses (e.g. 1.1, 1.2, etc.) to explain how that material might react.
UN/NA Numbers Knowing what type of material you are dealing with and how it might react is vital in hazmat transportation, however, hazmat placards have an additional detail that specifies even more about what’s inside called the United Nations ID (UN ID) number. This four-digit number, ranging from 0004-3534, is another way to communicate hazard and will often specify what exact chemical is being hauled. To give some examples UN 1202 means diesel fuel, UN 1072 means compressed oxygen, and UN 3066 indicates paint or paint related material. Unlike color, symbols and class numbers, you might need a reference to know what the number means but they can be very useful to understand how to handle it properly or to contain the substance if something were to go wrong. Some hazmat doesn’t have a UN ID number and is assigned North American (NA) numbers by the US DOT. UN/NA numbers can be found in the middle of a hazmat placard. Before booking a shipment At Dillon Logistics, we believe all accidents and injuries are preventable. Our commitment is a ZERO accident rate. If you are booking a hazmat shipment with Dillon, it’s important to let us know what exactly is being hauled, any special requirements it may have in being moved, assembled or disassembled, and its hazard class (as detailed above). The safety of drivers, first responders, terminal staff, and even the general public depends on properly labeling hazmat. In an industry where safety is key all year around, it’s even more pertinent to be extra cautious during frigid months. Extreme weather can make any road unpredictable and challenge any driver’s capabilities. Sometimes staying safe simply means brushing up on a few reminders. Freshen up on some of these tips we curated from various industry news outlets. First. Check your truck. Tanks and trailers that are in tip-top shape offer better odds for safer performance. Before you depart to your destination, double-check the necessities, like tire pressure, engine oil, antifreeze levels, windshield wipers, washer fluid, mirror adjustments, etc., to verify everything is working and that your ride is ready for harsh weather. Before leaving a terminal or customer, make sure to always dislodge snow from your windshield and windows, hood, roof, trunk and lights. This may be a given, but it’s crucial that your vision is never impaired while driving. Because we take safety seriously at Dillon Logistics, we’d rather you take a few extra minutes to clear your view than put yourself at risk of danger. Once you are out on the road, the safest precaution you can take is to slow your speed and make some space. It’s the hustle and bustle that often instigates dangerous and even life-threatening accidents, especially during winter. Because traction on icy roads is poor, staying at a safe distance from other vehicles and maintaining safe speeds not only gives a buffer for breaking, but it also offers more time to react if something does go awry.  “Do you know that the stopping distance on a wet road is twice the normal stopping distance? And on icy roads, it’s almost 10 times,” an article from GPSTrackit online said.
Also, recognize that with frozen conditions comes thin layers of transparent ice known as black ice. Deceptively similar to water, black ice is transparent and easy to miss. According to an article by Ryder Fleet Products, the best way to pinpoint black ice is to look at your truck and surrounding terrain. If ice begins to build on the outside mirror arms, the antenna, or top corners of the wind-shield, it’s possible there is black ice on the road. If water spray from vehicles tires in front of you suddenly stops, it could mean there are ice patches on the road. What happens if, after taking all these safeguards you still find yourself skidding? Firstly, be calm and try not to overreact, as that could make the slipping worse. Next... 1) keep the steering wheel straight 2) slowly take your foot off the gas pedal but do not hit the brake 3) shift into neutral 4) steer in the direction you want your vehicle to go 5) once your truck starts to straighten out, shift back into drive and slowly press the gas. At Dillon Logistics, we aren’t just about serious drivers and serious hauling. We are serious about safety. As a result, we are personally committed to living a culture of safety and providing the best workspace and equipment to protect each other. If you have any questions about how to drive through cold conditions, please contact our safety department at 813-853-4864. |
Serious drivers. serious hauling.A personal hub dedicated to our entire Dillon Logistics team for staying up-to-date on all things trucking related. Get a monthly dose of inspiration on how to up your serious-hauling game and have first-hand access to resources and the latest happenings out on the road. Archives
August 2019
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