Articles
Chassis King produces periodic articles relating to the shipping, trucking, and intermodal transportation industries. Have an article idea? Email us at sales@chassisking.com.
Is Wider Better ??
Posted 10 years ago
From a chassis / trailer point of view, maybe, maybe not. One thing is for sure though, the interest in Wide Base radials (AKA Super Single or Wide Single) over duals keeps increasing. In case you don't know, this is the case where a single tire replaces a dual assembly in a container chassis, or a trailer.
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Another Kind of Stop at Rest Stops
Posted 13 years ago
Truck drivers may soon become involved in a new initiative to stop one kind of trafficking - prostitution. Between 2004 and 2009, the FBI set up a series of countrywide stings at truck stops where they found an alarming number of pimps deploying their young prostitutes, MyNews 3 reports. It is a $32 billion industry and a trend that Truckers Against Trafficking hopes to combat.
The program educates truck drivers on how to identify a prostitute and encourages them to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline when they do identify one. Several states like Nevada support the program. An estimated 400 children are trafficked each night in Nevada and Assembly man John Hambrick hopes that the new campaign will help stop this crime.
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New Tank Vehicle Definition May Affect IBC Drivers
Posted 13 years ago
Drivers who transport Intermediate Bulk Container (or IBC's) in van trailers or on flatbeds should pay better attention to the FMCSA's definition of a tank vehicle that went into effect in July 2011. Failure to comply may lead to citation during road inspections.
The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) states: Tank vehicle means any commercial motor vehicle that is designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material within a tank or tanks having an individual rated capacity of more than 119 gallons and an aggregate rated capacity of 1,000 gallons or more that is either permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle or the chassis. A commercial vehicle transporting an empty storage container tank, not designed for transportation, with a rated capacity of 1,000 gallons or more that is temporarily attached to a flatbed trailer is not considered a tank vehicle.
IBCs are totes or tanks used to store and transport fluids and other bulk materials. They are composed of: the IBC Plastic Container, the Metal Cage, and the Container's Pallet. The most common are 275 and 330 Gallon tanks. According to the FMCSA, IBCs with aggregated capacities of 1,000 lbs or greater and are temporarily attached to a vehicle, meet the definition of a tank vehicle and the driver would be required to have the tank endorsement with his/her the CDL.
States have until July 2014 to adopt the new definition
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