August Chat / All Topic Thread
 

August is upon us in full force, with a high today of 106.

It's days like today I thank my lucky stars that I work inside..

When I left work at 5pm, the sign on the high school at one end of town said 107, the sign on the bank in the middle of town said 104. Either way you slice it that was hot, and although I technically work indoors, it's an auto shop with 7 big roll up doors all wide open.

All shucks...if I didn't know any better I'd say y'all feel sorry for Jeff & myself. The heat isn't so bad if you stay moving...it's when your sitting still that it's piles up and gets ugly. During this time of year I try to bid night jobs just because it's cooler at night. Thought the bugs want to carry you off. It could be worse, we could be in Southern Louisiana...:-X13

From last month...Every so often I get to watch something like that at work...and two things come to mind (A) the guy/gal that designed that is pretty dang smart and (B) thank you lord I work in train service and not maintenance-of-way; that's too much like work. It's still pretty neat to watch it in real life.

Yep, the heat is getting tough. I work on equipment in the field, or mostly in the woods where there is very little breeze moving. Some days (like yesterday) I get lucky and am asked to drive a log truck, a day of air conditioning is great. Can't wait for cooler weather, I'm ready to go camping.

The 6.0L is a great engine:-banghead...the 6.0L is a great engine:-banghead...the 6.0L is a great engine:-banghead; I keep telling myself if I repeat it enough I'll convince myself to not pull the last of my hair out. My little issue with the Pavement Princess is on it's 6th week and the truck hasn't left town; and with the exception of when I turned it around...hasn't left the driveway either. A good diesel mechanic I am not...but at some point there has got to be an end to the madness.:-X09

It could be worse, you could be running an old wore out 6.2l in a chevy......

I had a brain fart today while mowing the yard. I was thinking about my '77 F250 & its GVWR, 8100lbs. The title says it weighs in at something like 3800lbs which would leave 4300lbs of passenger, fuel, toolbox, etc. Now how does GVWR play in when a trailer is being pulled? Is the GVWR of the whole thing, truck, trailer & cargo, limited to 8100lbs or is it the weight of of truck & tongue weight as the trucks tires put on the ground?

I guess I was WAY over thinking this & my brain took a dump on me but I cant remember for sure. Even after looking at a few sites.



I just re-read this & wow... the heat has got to me lately as this doesnt make a whole lot of sense.

Evening y'all, sure was refreshingly nice out today after the overnight rain. Almost was an enjoyable day.:-liessignUh, no:-X13GVWR is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating...how much it can LEGALLY haul/carry. GCWR is Gross Combined Weight Rating...total amount the rig can pull; off the top of my head...once you cross 26k pounds your now a commercial vehicle in the state of Arkansas. I don't remember Oklahoma, heck...that might be a DOT/Fed mandate and not a state by state ruling.

The state of Arkansas list my '04 F250 as 5800# curb weight...how much it weights full of fuel, all fluids (coolant, engine oil, tranny fuild, etc) and one 200# driver. I know my truck will drag a 12k pound trailer down the interstate like it isn't there with four adults (two over 250#) in the cab and 400# of tools in the bed. Off the top of my head since it's a 3/4 ton I want to say that's pushing it's GCWR. But since I'm 160 miles away from it...I don't know the exact GCWR. The numbers may seem confusing, but they're what insurance, taxes and licenses are based off of.

I have to disagree with this, you are only commercial if you are hauling for hire. If the break was 26K, then my 71 Mack and Snowbird 5er would be commercial, as I weigh close to 33K.

You maybe right...I went digging around on the DOT/FHTD's site...that was a mistake; talk about a true government site...you walk away with more questions than answers. I just remember that a former employer had a couple of service trucks that were registered under 26k so that the drivers didn't have to have CDL. But that was null & void when someone in the transportation department pointed out they were equipped with air brakes and used in commercial business.

Crow is a meal best served hot with lots of BBQ sauce.

Watch it there. I may look plump and juicy, but underneath I'm old and stringy.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you really meant, just that coffee ain't ready yet.

Didn't say anything about old crow:-X24

Those are 2 gray areas that different officers will try to argue with you, but the law says that if the truck is "rated" for 26001lbs or over and used for commercial purposes driver must have CDL. And air brakes, this is one that many will argue, don't matter unless commercial. I've had DOT officers tell drivers that they couldn't adjust their own brakes unless they are certified air brake mechanics, but a judge ruled that if you passed the air brake endorsement test for a CDL, you are certified. I went through a lot of this as I was working for a small trucking co. when the CDL was first put into effect. I also carry a Class A CDL with air brake and combination endorsements.

Same here, Class A with air brake, double/triples, tanker and HazMat. A former employer/career paid for me to get all the training & licensing. Knowing what I had to go through to get it...I just keep paying the renewal fee...just in case this railroading thing doesn't work out.

Never saw the need for me to get tanker and hazmat, but kept my CDL for test driving customer's trucks, never thought I would be driving again :o. Once you have them, it's a whole lot easier to pay to keep them.