A federal court has denied a broker trade association’s motion to halt an increase in the surety bond from $10,000 to $75,000. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected the Association of Independent Property Brokers & Agents’ motion for a temporary stay of…
The number of brokers registered with FMCSA may be dropping — coming on the heels of the enforcement date of the increase in the minimum surety bond required for brokers to carry — but some of the numbers being tossed out don’t represent what’s actually happening, said Chris Burroughs, who’s…
Year-over-year, van rates were up 2.7 percent while spot rates have dropped for both flatbed (down 5.5 percent) and reefer (down 0.5 percent). Intermodal traffic in November totaled 1,007,549 containers and trailers, up 7.8 percent (73,004 units) compared with November 2012, the Association of American Railroads reports. The weekly average…
The suspension Systems important parts of a car. All cars have some sort of suspension system, even golf carts. A suspension has three major jobs: to keep the car’s frame from dragging on the ground, to control body movement during cornering and to control wheel movement over imperfections in the…
The hydraulic valve is like a traffic control signal at a four-way intersection. It might allow east and westbound traffic lanes to continuously flow until the light changes, which would permit the north or southbound lanes to flow. The east and westbound traffic flow represents circulating hydraulic fluid. The hydraulic…
A gear pump is a rotary pump consisting of two meshing gear wheels in a suitable casing whose contra-rotation entrains the fluid on one side and discharges it on the other. It is a positive displacement pump that uses two meshing gears to pump both low and high viscosity liquids….
Gear pumps are used to pump oil, or other thick liquids. The separating gears on the input side of the pump creates a vacuum which pulls in the liquid, which is then carried by the gears to the output side of the pump, where the meshing of the gears pushes…
Mud guards, mud flaps or splash guards are small plastic or rubber flaps designed to fit in the wheel well of a vehicle and prevent dirt and debris from getting on the side of the vehicle and damaging the paint. Mud flaps can be particularly useful in wet and muddy…
Air brake chambers are the primary part of the air brake system in highway and long-haul 18-wheelers. While the front and rear brake chambers of a vehicle are slightly different, they function in conjunction with a set of oversize drum-brakes, taking the place of a normal breaking system’s hydraulic assist…
A tow hitch gives you the capability to hook up quickly to a trailer or other piece of equipment designed for you to pull behind your vehicle and get on the road. You can build your own tow hitch with a few simple materials and brackets that can be found…
The towing industry specifies different classifications of trailer hitches: Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IV, Class V, fifth wheel and gooseneck. These hitches correspond to vehicle types. All five are classified as weight-carrying, but Classes 3, 4 and 5 can be fitted with weight-distributing attachments that allow them…
Trailers are great all-purpose haulers, but just like any other vehicle, they need maintenance. A trailer can end up with a broken or worn-out leaf spring. The leaf springs on a trailer are an important part of the suspension, holding the axle straight and also supporting the trailer and the…
Trailer jacks are essential tools for raising and lowering the tongue on a trailer. Having a smoothly operating jack makes positioning the tongue for towing or parking much easier. Installing a new jack onto a trailer is not too difficult as long as you purchase the right size jack for…
Your truck cannot operate properly without a healthy, functioning battery beneath the hood. In order to ensure that the battery sustains a full charge and remains useful, you must perform regular maintenance. A poorly maintained battery will repeatedly lose its charge, which leads to corrosion and deterioration within the battery….
Driving with a trailer increases your risk factors, due in part to the reduced braking and cornering of your vehicle. One way to mitigate this risk is to always ensure your trailer is operating in proper mechanical order. A regular requirement for maintaining your trailer is to inspect and lubricate…
A utility trailer is a non-motorized apparatus that attaches to another vehicle to move heavy cargo from one location to another. As with any device with moving parts, regular maintenance, including proper lubrication of the wheel bearings, is imperative. Greasing the bearings must be done at regular intervals for proper…
Whether you have a travel trailer or one that just carries cargo, adding electric brakes to it will give you quicker stopping power and control. Properly wiring the trailer’s electric brakes is critical but not difficult. The color of the wires is what they will usually be, but occasionally the…
The electric brakes on your trailer are similar to the drum brakes on your automobile. The basic difference is that your automotive brakes are actuated by an electromagnet. Trailer brakes are designed to work in synchronization with tow vehicle brakes. Never use tow vehicle or trailer brakes alone to stop…
Trailers are a useful and economical way of hauling a variety of cargo. However, as with every vehicle, parts can wear out or break. Either due to excessive wear or to having a blow out, the trailer tires will eventually need to be changed. Changing these mid-sized tires is not…
Properly working trailer lights bulbs is crucial to maintaining road safety. If both bulbs are not functioning or even one is burned out, motorists behind you may not be aware when you are slowing down or planning to turn. Checking your trailer’s light bulbs and replacing them when necessary is…
Trailer lights are installed on trailers to provide breaking, turn signal and caution lights on a trailer. Trailer lights must be connected to the wiring harness of the tow vehicle so that the control functions of the tow vehicle are connected to it. Many vehicles have a wiring harness already…
Aligning Trailer Tongue to an Axle There is virtually no tolerance for misalignment. If the tongue is not mounted properly to the frame, the trailer will not track properly behind the tow vehicle. The further the attachment point is off-center from the axle, the more the trailer will sway while…
Trailer Axles: An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at…
Vehicle manufacturers in the United States categorize trucks by gross vehicle weight rating, defined as the combined weight of the truck and its maximum cargo. The Federal Highway Administration categorizes them by their configuration, including the total number of axles and tires and whether the truck typically pulls a trailer….
Truck dispatching is a rapidly growing business. Many companies hire their own dispatcher, but other companies and some individuals who own and operate their own trucks hire the services of a dispatching company. Before the Internet, truck dispatchers kept charts to keep track of drivers and loads. Today, with high…
