GPS Is Leading Truckers Astray - Beware!

geeksugar.com

Important info that all professional truck drivers need to think about. Blindly following GPS devices in a tractor-trailer, sooner or later, WILL get you in trouble! In fact, more and more trucking companies are prohibiting the use of them in their vehicles.

Article thanks to thetruckersreport.com Link to their site follows:

In the old days, truckers used to plan out their trips ahead of time using a veritable encyclopedia of maps. Nationwide maps, maps of certain regions, even maps that cover only a single –usually convoluted– city. Drivers knew exactly where they were going, and exactly how they were going to get there, because if they didn't, it meant spending precious hours getting back on track. Nowadays, it’s common for drivers to just plug their destination in to their GPS and just go. Technology has made the pre-trip planning a whole lot faster. But has it made it better?
Out-of-date GPS systems have been known to throw drivers off course just as effectively as a wrong turn did back in the old days, costing time and money. More often though, GPS will guide a driver onto a stretch of road which prohibits commercial traffic, over a bridge with too low a weight limit, or onto a road with too low a clearance.
Low clearance has become such an issue that U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has called for new standards for GPS devices used in commercial vehicles. In the state of New York, 200 bridge accidents happen per year, 80% of which are caused by commercial drivers hitting low overpasses. In New York City, 110 bridges were struck by commercial vehicles in 2010 and 2011 alone despite the fact that the state has spent $3 million dollars on bridge warning signs.
The New York Department of Transportation has pointed to research that shows that most bridge strikes occur because of incorrect GPS information, commonly caused by drivers using consumer-targeted software instead of GPS software designed for commercial use. Programs like Google Maps don’t know the difference between a driver driving a semi and a driver behind the wheel of a car, so while it can get you from point A to point B, you always need to be sure you’re keeping an eye out for warning signs. Be especially careful if you’re one of the over 5 million Americans who bought an iPhone 5. The new Apple Maps app is widely reported to take round-about routes or not even get you to your destination at all! With no way to regulate consumer software, the NYDOT is recommending that commercial drivers be prohibited from using them.
The American Trucking Association’s response has been that “A call for national standards seems premature,” but that states should work with trucking companies to ensure the most up-to-date mapping is available to their drivers.
With 15,000 bridge strikes in 2010, there were 214 deaths, and 3,000 injuries. A ban on consumer software may be an over-reaction, but a change needs to be made. The question is, will new laws make us safer, or do we need to find a way for drivers to know their routes as well as they did in the old days?
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/gps-is-leading-truckers-astray/#more-3735

WHEELESS IN THE BUSH and 43 Degrees Below 0!

zimbio.com

Great story by and thanks to Bill Weatherstone, a Canadian driver for over 50 years. You had to be prepared back then. There were no cell phones! He has many more great stories about his years on the road at his website, thedieselgypsy.com, which you can link to below!

1979, --- First week in February. Northern Ontario. I was on a milk run at the time. Had 44 customer stops in 4 1/2 days, covering 2600 miles. I had a little Mack, and it was just a day cab, (no sleeper) I had to get a room for 3 separate nights on the trip. The run was the same each week, so stayed at the same motels every trip. This particular trip, I finished up my day and was staying over in Hearst, Ontario. I would have to get up at 02:30 am. Eat get the truck running, then take off by 03:30am. To be at my first call in Long Lac. Long Lac was the next town down the line. Separated from Hearst by 132 miles of bush, snow and moose attacks.
I had the engine block heater plugged in, and I had a new Hot Box installed that trip. It was exceptionally cold that morning. Got up, went out and fired up the Hot Box, and made sure the block heater was still getting hydro. By the time I got showered and ready, I went out and started the old girl up. It was grunting and groaning, but started OK. A couple guy's were out there trying to get going, but did not have any luck. To cold, was about 43 degrees below zero, F. Had a quick coffee & toast, and was ready to take off. If you hustle, and run steady, it is about a 3 hour run, to Long Lac.
Well I knew it was going to be a pain in the butt trip, when I let the clutch out to get going, and found all the brake shoes were frozen to the drums. Other drivers were out with a hammer banging on the slack adjusters and brake cams, and getting nowhere. I had a rack trailer and carried all kinds of survival gear. I also had a tiger torch. ( a propane flame thrower ) I fired up the torch and had a flame about 3 feet. I held it to each drum for about a minute each and the brake shoes snapped free. I was rolling in about 10 minutes. I helped free up the driver parked next to me, as well. After all his pounding, and getting nowhere, he willingly bought the coffees.
I took off west bound, and was scraping frost off the inside of the windshield, as I was driving. (really cold) I had alcohol in the fuel, a heated, fuel, water separator. I wasn't to worried about the fuel jelling up on me. About an hour and a half down the line, I could see some dim clearance lights ahead. As I got closer, they were stopped in the middle of the road. That was the first vehicle I had seen on the road, so far. I got stopped and walked up to this cab over Peterbuilt. The engine was running and blowing white smoke and seemed to be slowing down, to a bare idle. I banged on the door, and a guy in a light spring jacket opened up. He was almost frozen to death. He was from California, and had delivered a load of produce to Timmins, and this was his first trip to Canada. He was on his way to pick up a load of paper from Nipigon, to take back to California.
He had been there for about 7 hours, and I was the first one to come along. He was in deep trouble. First, a wheel bearing on the trailer dried up and collapsed, the duals pulled away and ran into, and over the snow bank, leaving the axle on the ground. His fan clutch on the engine was air controlled, and froze up in the locked on position, blowing cold air over the engine and dropping the water temperature to well below 100 degrees F. The heat gauge would not even register. He had his bedding wrapped around him to try and keep warm. Finally by this time, the engine was almost stopped, the fuel was starting to freeze up. I would hate to think what would happen to him in another couple hours.
Well first, i got him in my cab to get warmed up. I always carry an old hydro parka in case I have to work on the truck. I gave that to him as well as 2 pr. wool work socks. I also carried a spare toque, that my wife made for me. I left him to warm up. I grabbed a jug of Menthol Hydrate, and dumped it in his fuel tank. I got the RPM up slowly as the alcohol burned it's way through the filter. Then I got to the compressor and disconnected the air line, and poured a pint of menthol Hydrate into the line. It started to burn its way through the air system. It wasn't to long before the engine fan finally cut out, and the heat started to rise. After awhile the fuel started flowing full again, and with the heat coming up, I started to lower the cab back to the down position. I had a hard time getting it up, then the fluid was so cold it would not return to the jack. Next get out the tiger torch, fire it up again, and heat up the cab jack enough to let the oil flow again. Got it down and locked, OK.
Had a piece of scrap tarp in my trailer, got it out and fitted it over the front of the radiator and down over the bumper to the front axle. (using it as a wind break for the oil pan.)
Meanwhile, the driver is starting to warm up, and was going to help me, I made him stay put. He was only wearing penny loafers, and could freeze his feet in no time. Well we got everything going again, and even his heater was throwing out some warm air.
Next, I climbed into my trailer and retrieved a chain about 8 ft. long. I carry about 20 to 25 chains and traps to secure the equipment that I pick up and deliver. I got the chain and hooked the one end to the cross members under his floor. I took my hydraulic jack and jacked up the axle till it was level with the other end and wheels. Then took and wrapped the chain around the axle and hooked that end up to the floor cross member also. Giving it the peg leg look.
One more chore to do. How do I get the set of duals back on his truck. It took a little extra thought this time. I ended up hooking up 4 chains end to end, and hooked on to wheels and anchored the other end to my tow hooks on the front of the tractor. I dragged them back from the ditch side of the snow bank, to the top of the snow bank. ( about 6 ft. off the ground.) By this time he was pretty well functional again. I got him to back up to the snow bank with his back doors open. Then we both climbed up and pushed the wheels down into the back of the trailer. He pulled ahead and closed the doors, and we were ready to roll. He was some shookup, and could not believe it.
He went ahead and I followed behind, keeping an eye on the rear trailer axle. It cleared the ground with no problem and made it into Long Lac. There was a garage there that works on logging trucks, so his repairs were nothing they couldn't handle.
I retrieved my chain and left him the old parka, so he would have it a little warmer during his first trip to Canada. Well I told him that it was time to settle up. I think that he had visions of a couple thousand dollars. When I told him the hotel restaurant was open, and that I was starving after all that work, he was going to have to spring for breakfast. I had quite a hard time trying to convince him that was my price. I thought he was going to kiss me. Good thing for him that he didn't. All in all, I lost about 3 hrs. and still, just barely, I made my pick up on time.
Bill Weatherstone
Link to the dieselgypsey.com

Smuggling Cheese to Canada!

Police role suspected in border shipments of cheap pizza toppings

Story thanks to CBC News Canada, link to their site follows:

By John Nicol and Dave Seglins, CBC News 

Posted: Sep 24, 2012 5:07 AM ET

Niagara Regional Police Service officers have been visiting pizzerias recently asking the same question: where did you get your cheese?

It’s part of a larger internal investigation into cheese smuggling, allegedly by some members of their own force.

CBC News has learned from numerous police sources that charges are expected soon against a few officers who are alleged to have been involved in the movement of caseloads of cheese from the U.S. to sell to Canadian pizzerias and restaurants.

The alleged scam involves jamming cases of "brick" cheese — used as a common pizza topping — into their vehicles to smuggle across the border. With U.S. cheese being as little as a third the price it is in Canada, drivers are making $1,000 to $2,000 a trip, according to numerous sources.

Please send tips to John Nicol or Dave Seglins

Canada Border Services Agency officials say anyone — officer or civilian — caught smuggling large shipments of cheese into Canada would be in violation of the Customs Act for failing to declare, and pay duties on, the controlled goods.

As well, CBSA says it would be a violation for failing to have proper permits and licences from both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

The accused officers either face police act charges (internal discipline) for either discreditable conduct or neglect of duty or Criminal Code charges of breach of trust if any were found to have intentionally plotted to avoid customs and duties.

Offered contraband cheese

Mario Sebastiano, owner of Super Mario’s pizza in Port Colborne, told CBC News he was approached two years ago by a Fort Erie man offering to supply numerous cases of contraband U.S. cheese. The Fort Erie man, along with some police officers, are now at the centre of the cheese smuggling probe.

"He was gonna sell me a case for 150 bucks — normally it's $240," Sebastiano said. "He can supply whatever I want. If I want five to six cases a week, he’d give me five to six cases because he can bring it to this side here, no problem."

Sebastiano said he tried a sample, admitting it was an attractive offer, since his business buys more than $100,000 a year worth of cheese. But he said he turned it down, because it was illegal — and the contraband cheese was inferior.

Among the numerous pizza shop owners questioned by Niagara Regional Police Service officers in recent weeks were the staff at Volcano Pizzeria in Fonthill, west of Niagara Falls.

"Cops came in here a couple of times asking questions about it," Brandon Elms told CBC News. "We get all our stuff legit. We thought it was a joke at first. Who is going to go around trying to sell smuggled cheese?

"The cheese bandits, the mozzarella mafia!"

But Albert Zappitelli who runs Zappis, a popular Niagara Falls pizzeria, says higher Canadian cheese prices, due to restrictions by the Canadian Dairy Board, and strict controls on cheaper U.S. imports, are driving an underground economy.

"On a monthly basis we are approached by someone who wants to bring American cheese over the border and sell it to us," said Zappitelli. "What would their penalty be being caught at the bridge with six cases of cheese?

"It’s not like they’re going to put you in handcuffs and take you away."

The cheese-smuggling investigation stems from information gathered from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrest in April of Niagara Regional Police Service Const. Geoffrey Purdie in Buffalo on charges of conspiracy to smuggle more than half a million dollars in anabolic steroids and other drugs into Canada.

Const. Geoff Purdie has been suspended with pay pending an investigation. (Courtesy CHCH)

According to U.S. court documents, a joint Border Enforcement Task Force has been using surveillance and at least one confidential informant in an ongoing probe into the steroid allegations of Purdie and others, including civilians.

CBC News has been unable to confirm which specific officers will face charges, let alone whether Const. Purdie himself is directly linked to the cheese allegations. He has refused repeated requests for an interview.

Officers under investigation

The Niagara Regional Police Association won't discuss the allegations against the officers, but confirms a number of its members have been formally notified they are under internal investigation.

Jeff McGuire, Niagara’s new police chief, has refused to discuss recent shake-ups at the Fort Erie detachment or what further charges or discipline actions may be forthcoming. He has only confirmed the suspension of Const. Purdie due to allegations of drug smuggling.

"He’s been suspended with pay, and our professional standards [group] … are conducting an investigation … but we first have to allow the American investigation to continue and be completed," McGuire said last month.

McGuire also confirmed the suspension of an officer from Purdie's Fort Erie detachment following Purdie's arrest, but he would not discuss why.

Link to CBC News Canada

Million-Dollar Motorhomes

globalrvdealer.com

By Richard Rescigno of Barron's.com Link to their site below.

 Insights and advice for families with assets of $5 million or more. Nice to dream about!

Other than a crater on Mars or the interior of Mr. Met’s mascot outfit, there are few spaces I’d ever considered myself less likely to occupy than the driver’s seat of a 43-foot-one-inch-long, 12-foot-10-inch-high, 450-horsepower, diesel-engined recreational vehicle.

But that’s where I sat briefly last week, while examining the interior of a $437,444 Entegra Anthem motorhome, parked at one of the most imposing vehicle emporiums on the planet—theLazydays supercenter in Seffner, Fla., five miles east of Tampa.

The mission: Glimpse the allure of upscale RVs.

Source: Jayco

The cabin of Entegra Coach’s Anthem

These vehicles have it all: huge wraparound windshields that provide panoramic views; fine wood cabinetry; quartz countertops; plush bathrooms; electric fireplaces, and standard-size fridges to keep that 1999 Dom Perignon chilled. And most have at least one side that can slide out when the vehicle is parked, expanding the interior. Two slides provide a space bigger than some New York studio apartments; four, enough room for Octomom’s brood.

The Anthem, built by the Entegra Coachdivision of privately held RV maker Jayco, features an electrically operated outside awning, beneath which sits a 32-inch TV, attached to the vehicle’s side. (When not in use, it’s protected by a flip-down cover.) Toss in a Direct TV receiver and a couple of lawn chairs, and you, o rugged pioneer, could enjoy the evening air somewhere in the Rockies while watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians  or Mob Wives .

Who said American ingenuity is dead?

Penta’s audience as a whole might sneer at the idea of a recreational vehicle as a second or third home, but they certainly have the right wealth demographics for this high-end, rolling-home market. Such vehicles start around $200,000 but can go much higher, depending on the customization, luxury, and size desired.

Those who like to heap on the extras can turn to companies such as Quebec-based Prevost or Oklahoma-headquartered Newell Coach for motorhomes approaching $2 million. The spec sheet for Newell Coach No. 1466  notes that this 45-foot beauty, which lists for $1,740,200,  features, among many other things, 1 ½ bathrooms, two Dish Network receivers for its three LCD TVs, four slide-out sections, and a radar detector (as if someone would speed with this behemoth, even though it has a 600-hp diesel engine.)

If you don’t want to shell out $1.7 mil, there are, of course, used superRVs, priced hundreds of thousands lower. And lesser new motorhomes that still could get an RVer’s heart pounding. Charlie Adcock, of Searcy, Ark., can attest to that. He has a 45-foot American Eaglemotorhome  that he bought for $675,000, even though he and his wife, Gloria, “already had a perfectly good RV. But then we went to an RV show and fell in love with this one. The big attraction for my wife was that it has a walk-in closet.” Adcock, 66, says RVs are “an investment in your health. It’s helped me deal with all the stress I had when I had my auto-collision-repair business. And it lets you meet all kinds of great people. I don’t regret one penny I’ve spent on it.” His name for the new rig: “Gloria’s Closet.”

Still, a lot of people don’t see the logic of buying an RV that costs as much as a nice second house. Just 16,225 $200,000-plus motorhomes were sold from 2007 through 2011, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, a mere 1.3% of the 1,250,700 RVs shipped in that span.  (The group tracks wholesale, not retail, sales.)

And where do you go with a $500,000 or $1 million RV? The amenities at Lazydays, where the Ensignia Anthem RV I checked out was parked, are legend in the RV world. Wood-paneled clubhouse, dining room, and bar? Check. Sparkling  grounds, gated and guarded entryway, cheerful employees? Sure. Concierge service for top-end customers, so that they can park their  luxe motorhomes on the premises and have them  driven away for service, while their owners frolic in Lazydays’ swimming pool or drive into town in the BMW they’ve been towing  behind their rig? Mais oui.

Granted, this lifestyle might not be for everyone. But it’s a far cry from the stereotype of mass RVing: chubby tattooed guys in their skivvies, guzzling Buds and belching. Some upper-end RVers prefer to stay at only top camps, like the Bay Lake Motorcoach Resort in Polk City, Fla., which accepts only premium Class A motorhomes and sells lots on which owners can build “casitas”—little houses with bathroom, cooking and storage facilities. Similar facilities are offered by companies such as Outdoor Resorts of America,  which has campsites in nine locations, including Lake Toxaway, N.C.; Hilton Head Island, S.C., and  Aguana, Calif.

But other RVers don’t care much about such exclusivity or amenities for their pricey chariots; they like the back-slapping socializing of traditional camping sites.

Rick Hahn, 62, is a retired veterinarian from Fort Wayne, Ind., who owns a $500,000 American Tradition RV, made by American Coach, a unit of Fleetwood RV. “The big attraction for me is the camaraderie,” says Hahn, who was attending an RV rally in Anderson, Ind., when Penta spoke with him. He adds that “the RV community is a unique group—patriotic, God-fearing, industrious, friendly. It’s nice to think those values haven’t been lost.”  He and his wife, Sandra have spent winters in Florida in their RV. “It really doesn’t make a difference what level [of campsite] you stay in. We’ve stayed in very nice places and some that weren’t as good; it’s the people who make it fun.”

Caveat: Judged on the economics alone, high-end RVing might not make much sense. Recreational vehicles depreciate quickly; drive off the lot and their value drops by up to 25%-30%. Then, there’s insurance, storage, fuel and upkeep. One benefit: If a loan used to finance the purchase  is secured by the vehicle, the interest usually  is deductible, as it would be for a second home.

But what argues most strongly against owning an RV outright, says Tim Palmer, head ofCoachShare,  a San Diego company that offers fractional ownership of motorhomes, is that many high-end RVers sell their rigs after three or four years, and, according to a University of Michigan study, use their RVs just 23 days a year. Palmer’s company splits up ownership among, typically, 10 people, each of whom can use the RV two or four weeks a year, for two to three years. Combining aspects of condo time-share plans and auto leasing, his system, he says, saves members up to $75,000 over that period on his priciest vehicles, and “we even deliver the RV to your home and pick it up after you’re back from your trip.”

On the other hand, for those who care about their status in RV society, there ain’t much bragging rights in saying you own just 1/10^th of a motorhome for only two or three years.

Barrons.com

Regular Tire Pressure Checks are Worthwhile

bridgestonetrucktires.com

By Jim Park, Equipment Editor of Truckinginfo.com Link to their site follows.

5/10/2012  Weekly tire pressure checks might seem unrealistically ambitious, but given what's at stake in terms of tread wear and tire life, it's a worthwhile goal. Regular tire inspections should, obviously, include pressure checks.The more frequently you do them, the better the chances of saving a slow leaker.

Tire life decreases exponentially with underinflation. According to The Technology & Maintenance Council's RP 235A - Tire Inflation Pressure Maintenance, running a tire 20% underinflated shortens its life by about 12%. Running a tire 30% underinflated lops about 30% off its expected service life. It only gets worse as pressure drops.

TMC's RP 235A recommends using a high-quality tire gauge, calibrated regularly from a master gauge to ensure accuracy. As for the actual operating inflation pressure, users should consult the Load and Inflation tables relating to particular tire sizes and anticipated loads. Interestingly, a typical 22.5-inch low-profile tire run in dual configuration is considered properly inflated for the load carried on a 34,000-pound tandem grouping at only 75 psi. That same tire in a steer position requires 110 psi for the 12,000-pound load on a steer axle. 

Overinflating tires in dual positions to 95 or 100 psi is acceptable, and it provides a margin of error for underinflation if pressure checks are not conducted regularly.

The biggest risk in dual tires is inconsistency. RP 235A notes that a pressure differential of just five psi across the tires in a dual set creates a difference in circumference between the tires of up to 5/16 of an inch, and that difference in circumference increases with a wider pressure differential. Two tires of different circumference will not cover the same distance over a given number of rotations, but because the wheels are bolted together, the tires will scrub along the road, causing rapid and irregular wear.
Click for link to truckinginfo.com
From the March 2012 issue of HDT

Winnebago Man: Lessons From an RV Newbie

popular mechanics

Nice story about learning the RV lifestyle. Article thanks to John Brandon and Popular Mechanics. Link to their site follows.
From 1972 to 1975 my wife spent every summer in a Winnebago Brave motorhome, parked somewhere in the wilds of Alaska. This was the old 24-foot rig, enormous for its day, with a massive plate-glass window in the back, bike racks in the front, and a 7-mpg fuel rating.

Since we’ve been married for almost 25 years, I thought it would be fun to test out the new Winnebago Via, a 25-footer about the same size and shape as the classic Brave. I pictured the two of us driving down a lonely two-lane road, gripping sodas in one hand and smiling occasionally with a wistful stare.

Over the past two decades, we’ve camped in pop-up trailers and camper cabins across much of Minnesota, where we live, plus at a handful of parks in northern South Dakota, a few in Wisconsin, and one unmentionable backwoods site in Nebraska. Yet we’ve never camped in an RV together, or even driven one. As you can imagine, the initial conversation with Winnebago about renting the vehicle was a bit stilted.

"That’s right, I’ve never driven an RV before. No, I don’t think I would need a training course. We do want to bring the kids and the dog. We were thinking of driving out to Denver and seeing how she drives up the mountain passes in the Rockies Mountain. Yes, I have a full life insurance policy."

Pick-Up and Walk-Around

When I arrived at the Pleasureland RV center in St. Cloud, Minn., for the pick-up and walk-around, I first spotted the Via nestled between two gargantuan models bigger than coach buses. We slipped inside and felt a waft of cold air billowing past the bathroom into the rear sleeping quarters. Luke, the salesman responsible for the walk-around, quickly touched on the major selling points of this $123,942 beast: a 28-gallon fresh water tank, two 12-volt batteries located below the steps, a Mercedes-Benz turbo-diesel engine, a Cummins 3600-watt power generator located in the side compartment.

He started to explain the finer points of RV driving: The power inverter only works when you are driving because it uses the engine alternator. The red switch for the holding tank heater should be used only in freezing temperatures at the campsite. The chemical flush for the toilet will help reduce odors for about 40 gallons. I think my face went blank at this point, as I stared at the RV’s airplane-like plethora of indicators, buttons, and switches, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

"And here are two sets of keys," he said, "See you in a week."

Driving

As we merged into highway traffic for our 15-hour drive, the Via felt more like our old 1999 Ford Aerostar minivan than the 9630-pound behemoth it really is. Driving in Nebraska, however, I discovered that I needed to manage my tendency for a lead foot to avoid a scare at the filling station.

After a fill, when I kept the speed at about 55, the fuel-range indicator said I had somewhere between 500 to 550 miles left. That’s getting into the neighborhood of economical at that point, about 15 to 16 mpg and slightly over spec. But when I cranked up the speed to 65, and with the engine roaring away at 3000 rpm, the average mpg dropped to about 12. The fuel-range indicator also dropped to only 350 miles left. This created some range discomfort, as there are few gas stations with diesel south of Valentine, Neb. In the end, the fuel-range indicator was not terribly helpful, but we made it to Colorado. I paid about $65 a fill for a total of about $380 to drive between Minneapolis and Denver.

I also noticed that the navigation system on the Via is better than many cars. It is designed to be incredibly easy to use. The touchscreen is accurate and it was easy to punch in my route. The nav voice is a mix of calm directional advice yet nothing that sounds like a school marm. I only wished it had suggested a few gas stations along the route when it noticed I was running low on fuel.

After reaching Denver, we headed west. A winding mountain road went up and down and sideways for about 10 miles. I knew enough about down-shifting to brake infrequently and stay in first or second. Because the Mercedes Sprinter is so agile, we had no problems on the curvy roads. I never tried to pass anyone, figuring that might put my RV companions into hysterics, and I had to plan my parking routes to accommodate the taller size.

By the time we reached the Golden Gate Canyon State Park in Golden, Colorado, the rest of my family had opened just about every interior compartment, found 20 over-the-air digital television stations in HD, and had eaten most of the dry goods we had brought along for camping.

Camping

While driving this Goliath took some getting used to, it was when we’d pulled in for the night that I fully discovered that maintaining an RV is far more complex.

First, you head to the dump station to unload the black (bathroom) and gray (sink) water tanks, and fill up the freshwater tanks. (I told my wife, Yes, we need to fill up the freshwater tanks at the dump station, and she just gave me the I-don’t-get-it look.) Apparently, there’s a 50/50 chance of having water hookups at a campsite. Many state parks don’t have them, but many RV resorts do.

Even then, maintaining an RV is an exercise in resource management. For the average homeowner, you probably don’t have to think about whether your city has enough water for your next shower or if flushing the toilet might fill a black water tank to a less-than-desirable level. But I found myself calculating how much water and gas my family would use during our travels.

After finding the freshwater station, I connected a hose and started filling the tank, which took only about 10 minutes. No problems so far. We’ll only use a few gallons, I figured. I will tell the kids to take a military-style shower. (This proved to be a grievous error, considering we had teenagers along.) I did a little better with propane; here my assumption that we could go light on heating and just cover up with more blankets proved correct—we used just a quarter tank during the trip.

I then connected the electric cord to the 30-amp power outlet at the campground. (Many campgrounds offer both 30-amp for smaller motorhomes and 50-amp hookups for the big rigs.) This was fairly intuitive even for a newbie, because the electric cord from the motorhome fit into only one electrical port. Last, I clicked a button for the water pump, turned on all of the faucets to get the water flowing, and poured the chemical treatment down the toilet (careful to keep my foot on the plunger).

At this point, I hung a hammock between two poles and dozed off for a nap. That night, we had no problems finding a bunk for everyone in my family: There are two twin beds in the back that convert into one bed that seemed about king-size to me, plus a bit more. There’s a slide-out in the living area for the sofa sleeper (a hair bigger than a twin), and another bed above the front seats folds down as well. This is where the shortest, smallest, and least-likely-to-complain person in your party goes.

Unfortunately, the morning wasn’t quite so rosy—I had not filled the water tank enough for even one shower. And once you fold down the front bed, turn the front chairs back toward the living area, push the button for the slide-out, and set up your beds and all of your gear, the last thing you want to have to do is pack it all up and go back to the dump station for a water fill. So I had an idea. I decided to use the gravity fill, a compartment on the side of the RV with a spout just big enough for a garden hose. It was just a little smaller than a standard gallon jug, which is what I used. After about 12 trips to a nearby water spigot and plenty of heavy breathing on my part, I filled the tank about a quarter. That still wasn’t enough for me to take a shower the next morning, but everyone else did.

Disposal and Departure

At the end of the week, I packed up all the gear into the Via’s dozen interior and exterior compartments and headed back to the dump station. This is where I started getting visions that I was playing out the Robin Williams movie RV. There’s a scene where he doesn’t quite connect his disposal tank hose correctly, with disgustingly disastrous results. (I blame Motorhome Disposal Tank Anxiety, or MDTA, entirely on this one movie.)

In reality, it’s a simple snap-on, snap-off process. The hoses attach only one way. You connect the black-water tube and pull a lever. The stuff flows down into the dump portal, freeing you for further travels. After pulling on the big gray tank lever, pushing a waste pump button, and whispering to your wife something about having teenagers who eat too much, you’re nearly done. The whole process takes about 30 minutes, including the extra water-spray cleanup, quick trips into the RV to check tank levels, and a hand-washing ceremony.

After that, I filled up the entire water tank, all 28 gallons. I thought for sure a full water tank would last through five showers and three teens, but the last person (me) had a trickle of water.

Conclusion

By the end of the trip, I felt like I was an RV expert, ready for any adventure. I knew which buttons to click on the nav system, which tank level indicators to use, and I even poured a second bottle of chemical treatment down the toilet. Robin Williams would be proud.

I learned a bit about the Via as well. It proved to be a luxury motorhome that fit perfectly into our outdoor schedule. By the last night I slept soundly and woke to the cooing sounds of an owl only once.

Still, there were a few annoyances. The lids for two storage compartments near the front chairs would crash down unexpectedly, and the screen door came off its track a few times. I was impressed that the big RV could get 15 mpg when we drove 55, but struggled to keep myself plodding along at that pace. (There’s a sense that you spend as much time at the pump as you do on the open road, even if that’s not really true.)

I blinked more than twice at the $124,000 base price. As a lowly journalist, these luxury mobile accommodations are way out of my league, especially considering that many homeowners in small towns across the U.S. are asking less for an entire house these days. I found myself adding up how many hotel rooms I could afford over a lifetime for the same chunk of change.

Yet, for those who can afford to drive and sleep in style, I did end up seeing the value. There is no better way to see America than driving in the fish-bowl openness of an RV, with its massive front and side windows. It’s also a ticket into the American RV subculture; on a few occasions a few fellow RV travelers stopped over to ask me about my fuel economy and digital antenna reception. Plus, you don’t necessarily have to buy the Via; it’s a popular rental motorhome because of the smaller size, with rates around $1500 a week. That’s still a chunk of change, but it compares easily with a week’s stay at a luxury resort.

More than anything, though, an RV forces your family to drive together, live together, and enjoy the outdoors together. It was a unifying experience. In the past 25 years, I have rarely spent so much time with my wife and kids—talking about some of the challenges in our family, sharing stories from the trip on the way home, and, to be honest, fighting here and there. We found the common thread of getting there and staying there, and finding our way together. That seems to be the one major draw for a motorhome, even one this expensive and feature-laden.

Read more: Winnebago Man: Lessons From an RV Newbie - Popular Mechanics
Click here for link.

Utah: 80-mph Limits Made Permanent on Two Stretches of I-15

truthaboutcars.com

Thanks to truckinginfo.com Link to their site follows:

After a three-year-long study, the state of Utah will be permanently setting the speed limit at 80 mph for two sections of Interstate 15.

This decision comes after studying the effects of raising the speed limit 5 mph to 80 mph in areas where it was determined safe to do so, areas of roadway without many curves or mountains and have not had a lot of speed-related accidents in the past, according to published reports.

The study showed that the average speed on those roadways increased only marginally and accidents decreased.

According to published reports, UDOT Director Carlos Braceras said that the agency will be moving to make the higher speed limits permanent on those two sections of roadway within the next couple of months. Also, more 80 mph test areas may be created in the future.

There are currently only two states that have speed limits higher than 75 mph. Those states are Utah and Texas.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-print.asp?news_id=78102

Multiple Nebraska wrecks on I-80 involving four trucks leave five dead

flickr.com

What a tragic story! The law requires interstate truck drivers to read and speak the English language! Although, language barrier may not have been the issue, “he probably dozed off”, I’m sure Illinois based AKI Trucking will be sued out of existence! I feel the owner of that company should spend the same amount of time in jail as Mr. Slezak. How in the hell can you provide ongoing safety training for a driver who can’t read and speak our language???

Thanks to Landline Magazine.com By Charlie Morasch, Land Line contributing writer
Link to their site is below.

9/12/2012
A truck driver is being held on $1 million bond for his alleged role in a wreck that killed four members of a family driving two different vehicles on Interstate 80 over the weekend.

According to Cheyenne County (Nebraska) Attorney Paul Schaub, deputies from the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disabled truck in the right westbound lane on Interstate 80 between mile markers 38 and 39 shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday. As traffic backed up in the westbound lanes, a truck driven by 36-year-old Josef Slezak of Rivergrove, IL, slammed into a 2010 Ford Mustang driven by Christopher Schmidt, 30, of Gaithersburg, MD.

The force of the wreck pushed Schmidt’s Mustang into a Toyota Camry that was driven by Diana Schmidt, Christopher Schmidt’s wife, who was 30 weeks pregnant. The Camry was pushed underneath a truck directly in front of it driven by William David Wiener of Algona, IA, who drove for Cornpatch Express of Emmetsburg, IA. Conner Schmidt, 2, and Samual Schmidt, 3, were passengers in the Camry. All occupants of both cars died in the wrecks.

Slezak was charged with four counts of manslaughter and four counts of motor vehicle homicide. He remains in jail on $1 million bond.

Schaub said that as of Wednesday he had found no reason to believe Slezak’s limited ability to speak English was a factor in the wreck.

Through an interpreter, Slezak told investigators he didn’t hear warnings about the wreck because his CB radio wasn’t turned on. A driver for Romeoville, IL-based AKI Trucking, Slezak is reportedly from the former Czechoslovakia Republic.

Asked whether Slezak spoke English well enough to understand a warning on a CB, County Attorney Schaub said, “I cannot answer that for certain at this time.”

The original wreck included a fatality at mile marker 38. Keith A. Johnson of Big Lake, MN, died from injuries sustained at the scene after his truck slammed into the disabled truck. Johnson worked for North Metro Truck Leasing of Albertville, MN. The disabled truck was driven by Vladimir Zhukov of Oak Park, IL. Zhukov drives for MTR Express, Inc., of Wood Dale, IL.  

The highway was closed for 14 hours Sunday as law enforcement officers and emergency responders worked the scene and investigators reconstructed both wreck scenes.

Autopsies have been ordered for all deceased parties, a news release from Schaub’s office said.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=24149

2013 Dodge Ram Pickup - 25 MPG on Gas!

itacars.com

Road test of the 2013 Ram pickup written by and thanks to Tom Berg, senior editor of truckinginfo.com Link to their site follows:
8/31/2012
Modern V-6 with Efficient 8-speed Autotranny Propels Ram to mpg Lead
Engine Smarts Commentary by Tom Berg, Senior Editor

Who'd-a-thunk that mile-per-gallon numbers would be important to macho owners of pickup trucks? You can thank spiking prices of gasoline, even before Hurricane Isaac finishes making a wake in Louisiana. Regular unleaded gas zoomed from the $3.60s and $3.70s per gallon to $4 in central Ohio, where I live, on Wednesday, the day Isaac approached the Gulf Coast and threatened refineries there.

So it's understandable that the domestic Big Three builders of perennially popular pickups have lately been leapfrogging each other in making claims to mpg supremacy. 

The latest is Chrysler Group, whose 2013 Ram 1500 has a powertrain that will deliver 18 mpg City and 25 mpg Highway, according to EPA testing that the company quotes. 

8 speeds

Like Ford before it, Ram's done it with a modern V-6 engine -- and not just a 6-speed automatic transmission, which both companies began using just a few years ago, but an 8-speed. The tranny, from ZF of Germany, shifts early and often to keep engine revs low at any road speed, if a driver uses a light foot.

Ram's calling this smooth tool "TorqueFlite 8," a name that mostly came from the mid-1950s, when it described a 3-speed slush box (Power Flite was a 2-speed automatic, like Chevrolet's Powerglide).

So, Ram has a TorqueFlite to handle the respectable torque -- 269 pounds-feet -- of the Pentastar V-6, whose displacement is 3.6 liters (220 cubic inches, as we'd say in the '50s) and boasts advances such as variable valve timing and pulse-width modulation of the alternator. 

It replaces a less efficient 3.7 V-6. Chrysler's been installing the Pentastar in recent sedans and SUVs and it's gotten raves from car writers for its go-power -- 305 horses in the Ram -- and impressive fuel economy. 

Driving impressions

The Pentastar slips easily into the big engine bay of the extensively refined (and very handsome) '13 Ram half-ton pickup, and is very nice to drive. The numbers suggest healthy propulsion and it certainly provided that without revving its heads off. 

Of course, the short-bed Regular-Cab truck I drove was empty except for me and a driving partner, and I think it'd labor a bit if it were loaded or pulling a trailer weighing anywhere near its 6,500-pound tow rating. 

This was at a demo out of Nashville, Tenn., where our hosts had close to 20 '13-model Ram 1500s with either the V-6/TorqueFlite 8 powertrain or the "legendary" 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 (can an engine become a legend in only a decade?) with the current 6-speed automatic. 

Not standard

As we all know, there's no substitute for cubic inches, and the Hemi (with 348 of 'em) is the better choice for its stronger feel and more leisurely operation, as well as its greater work capability (tow rating, for example, is several thousand pounds more). But it won't get the mileage of the Pentastar engine, even when the Hemi gets the 8-speed autotranny early next year. 

The smaller 4.7 V-8 will probably continue to be a sad laggard in fuel economy, though there weren't any at the demo and our hosts said nothing about it, except that it'll be the Ram 1500's standard engine. The Pentastar V-6 and ZF combo will be a $1,000 option over an Eight. (That's also true of the Ford F-150's turbocharged EcoBoost V-6, which lists at $750 more than its standard 5-liter V-8.) 

Although the Ram 4.7 makes neat V-8 sounds and feels good to drive (or did in the '03 Dakota I once had), it's not especially economical (the most I could squeeze from it was 17 mpg on the highway) because it's a comparatively simple "price-point" engine, as the marketers say. No, the action's with the shining V-6 and the hefty Hemi V-8. 

The truck itself helps the mpg numbers with "active aerodynamics" (radiator shutters that close when ram-air's not needed to cool the engine) and electric power steering (which causes less drag on the engine than a constantly running hydraulic pump), among other things. 

How long will Ram hold the mpg lead? I'm guessing a year or so, 'til Ford or General Motors or both reassert themselves and reclaim "best in class" numbers. With the Feds forcing higher fuel-economy standards on manufacturers, economy will climb steadily and steeply in coming years. 

So will prices, of both trucks and gasoline. We can bet on that.
Link to:   truckinginfo.com

10 Tips to Save Space in an RV

Article by and thanks to Goodsamclub.com Link to their site follows:

April 15, 2012

  

Isn’t it amazing how much room your RV seems to have when it’s on the dealer show floor? Especially when you move up in size. Whether you go from a 18’ to a 26’ towable or a Class C to a Class A, it just seems oh so much bigger. That is until you start putting your “essentials” in it for the season.  But there are time-tested, RV space saving ideas and new ideas being discovered all the time.

Here are 10 tips to save space in an RV

1. Collapsible cookware and storage containers
   10 years ago no one ever heard of collapsible cookware and storage containers but now they’re a “must have” for every RV. The best part about the storage containers is, if you put leftovers in them, you only need to make it as deep as is required by the food inside – yet another space saving measure!
2. Knife magnet over the stove
   An easy to install, magnetic strip affixed over the stove not only frees up room in your cutlery drawer but provides easy access to knives and scissors when you’re cooking. If you’re RVing with little ones, this is also a safety measure.
3. Cutting board
   Find a cutting board that fits snuggly over your stove burners and easily over half your sink.  When not cooking, the cutting board sits over your stove for extra counter space and when you are cooking, slide it over the sink for extra prep space.
4. Under cabinet stemware rackEasy to mount and made for RVs, an under cabinet stemware rack saves a lot of space in your kitchen cupboards. Some RVers prefer plastic stemware so as not to worry about glasses “clinking” while tow. Whether you opt for plastic or glass, the under cabinet stemware rack is a great help.
5. Over the door shoe rack for bedroom and bathroom
   An over-the-door shoe rack that has the mesh pockets is a big space saver in the bathroom.  It can hold toothpaste, blow dryer, suntan lotion, bug spray, makeup (put it in a zip lock bag first to make it easy to take out and put back) and more; freeing up space in the medicine cabinet and under the sink.
6. Canvas shoe pocketThis is ideal for the bedroom. It has a flap that fits under the mattress to keep it in place and hold five pair of shoes. You can even use the pockets closest to your heads to hold your reading glasses when you nod off.
7. Ipad/Kindle
   Love to read but hate to haul all those books with you? Get a tablet like an Ipad or a Kindle and you can take as many books as you like on the trip.  And the added bonus is you can stay in touch with friends everywhere by engaging them in games like the digital version of scrabble called “Words with Friends!”
8. Polar fleece blankets
   Bedding can be a huge space hog – especially if you’re using your dinette table or fold out couch for sleeping space and you need to store it during the day.  Leave the fluffy comforter or heavy bedspread for your beds back home and use polar fleece blankets in the RV. They’re thinner and provide just as much warmth.
9. Replace the coffee table with an ottoman
   A coffee table in an RV takes up space and only serves one purpose. Rather than a coffee table, replace it with an ottoman that opens up. Now you have storage, a footrest, a seat and a coffee table.
10. Plastic bins
    These days every RVer uses plastic bins in one way or another.  One way to use these bins is to get those stackable/lockable plastic bins on rollers as well as plastic bins with tight lids. Stack the lock-tite plastic bins inside the stackable rolling bins and when you get to our destination,  place these outside the RV. Put paper plates, napkins and plastic utensils in one bin and chips and peanuts in another.  Put the BBQ utensils in one so they’re out and ready when you’re ready to cook.  This way you don’t have to go in and out of the RV so often for these items. And, again, you’ll save the space in the cupboards inside.  Don’t place anything valuable in them in the rare instance there’s a thief in the campground.  A few missing paper plates are nothing compared with the room you save! And when you’re driving, wedge it between a chair and couch with the opening against the wall and everything will stay in place.

I’ll bet you have some great tips to save space in an RV as well.

http://blog.goodsamclub.com/2012/04/spacesavingtip/