christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Reminders About Tire Chains for Safety and Snow Performance

It’s winter again, and like every year it’s time to think about the safest ways for truckers to travel on the road. One of them is chaining, and it’s something that will keep your fleet going through the toughest weather.

At DJ Products, we know you rely on us to provide you with top products like your fleet’s semi trailer mover. But we also want to you know that we’re here to help with all aspects of safety.

How to Know if Chains are Ready to Use

First, you will want to make sure that you’re meeting all of the chain requirements for the states you will traveling through. Once you know you can do that, it’s time to inspect the chains.

You can start by laying them out next to each other. Make sure they’re the same size and in good repair. Make sure to inspect the cams, cross links and connectors. Also, take a look at your bungee cords. You need two cords per chain at a minimum. Make sure that none of them need to be replaced.

Driving With Chains

When you are driving, make sure to follow these guidelines:

– Don’t exceed the speed limit.

– Keep at least one window partially down so you can hear if there are any problems with the chains.

– Maintain extra distance between you and other vehicles to give yourself enough time to stop.

Consider Other Products to Keep Your Drivers Safe

There are so many ways that truck drivers can get hurt during their shifts. As you know, it’s important to keep them safe, and we have a lot of products that can help you with that. Now is a great time to pick up a semi trailer mover! Contact us!

Fleet Manager Tips: Preventive Maintenance Protects Your Truck Investment

You already rely on the use of a powered trailer mover to protect your trucks and trailers from damage, but are you dropping the ball on maintenance? Keeping your fleet in top shape ensures productivity, safeguarding your organization’s sales and service goals.

Keeping Your Fleet Road-Ready with Preventive Maintenance is a Worthwhile Investment

With regular preventive maintenance, unscheduled downtime and unexpected repairs are easily avoided. This includes pre-travel safety checks (fluid levels, tire pressure) to ensure a road-worthy vehicle. Sadly, this is often the only time the vehicle gets an all-over once-over!

Keep Drivers In-the-Know

Fleet managers are not the only ones responsible for preventive maintenance (PM). Make sure all drivers know their PM responsibilities, including scheduling and policies on how to handled the need for repair, roadside assistance, or accidents. Common areas of concern include:

Proper Spec’ing: Usage, operating conditions, and the nature of the goods carried must be carefully considered to control cost. Operating an over-spec’d vehicle will inflate costs. Under-spec’ing leads to roadway incidents and damage to goods.

Tire Pressure/Wear: Heard often and practiced rarely, adjusting tire pressure is essential. Affecting tire wear, gas mileage, handling, and vehicle/driver safety, tire pressure should be regularly adjusted for weather.

Use Preventive Maintenance to Protect Your Investment Dollars

When a preventive maintenance schedule is routinely followed, it’s easy to see when maintenance and repair needs rise with vehicle age. The way manufacturers’ warranties cover maintenance and repair will affect your total cost of ownership. Comparing maintenance with vehicle worth will help you realize when selling the vehicle makes more sense than the cost of repairs.

Wish everything worked as easily as your powered trailer mover? Simplify things with the help of the industry experts at DJ Products today.

Fleet Manager Tips: Using In-Cab Video to Improve Safe Driving

Are your drivers equipped with the intel they need to navigate the highway battle zone they face daily? It’s a jungle out there, and without the right preparations you could be sending them unprepared into an extremely hazardous situation.

WATCH OUT!!

Drivers face a host of tactical hazards. In a University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study, the actions of 81% of motorists in investigated collisions were identified as ‘assigned factors’ in accidents. The study found automobiles the ‘encroaching vehicle’ in 89% of head-on collisions, 88% of rear-end crashes, and 88% of opposite-direction side-swipes.

WATCH THIS!

Unlike a motorized semi trailer mover, which requires little-to-no training for accident-free operation, safely operating a semi requires a unique skill set, especially in a world of auto-driving ‘amateurs’. To circumnavigate an on-road ambush, Custom Ecology Inc. fleet safety director Rob Arbeiter is turning to in-cab video training.

Mimicking the infamous movie, Arbeiter’s ‘Top Gun’ style training is highly-effective. Using DriveCam-captured in-cab video clips to showcase hard-braking and other incidents, pre and post ‘flight briefings’ are administered to enhance driver skills, protecting drivers, reducing accidents, and saving money.

Show-and-Tell

The in-cab videos often exonerate drivers, such as those involved in accidents where other autos run stop signs or worse: Purposefully ramming into tractor-trailers falsely claiming driver negligence for a payout. Here, a simple ‘I’ve got it on video’ eliminates shenanigans. Videos can likewise help correct driver habits, such as when a driver isn’t at-fault, but could’ve prevented an accident with more frequent mirror checks, helping sharpen skills and ultimately protecting the livelihood of drivers.

Emerge victorious in the battle zone at your loading dock. Eliminate accidents, protect workers and speed the process with a semi trailer mover from DJ Products. Learn more today.

Hybrid AI Models May Be Best for Supply Chain Planning

As technology continues to impact warehouse equipment and other facets of supply chain, artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as the next wave of the future. AI is being used to pilot industrial vehicles and make predictions based on data gathered from containers and machinery.

Some predict the eventual arrival of a fully autonomous supply chain, but is that actually possible or even desirable? Experts say a hybrid AI model is the best solution for optimum efficiency and productivity.

The Role of AI in Supply Chain Operations

While the popular concept of AI is tied to machine learning, supply chains have already been using AI in applications such as operations research and fuzzy logic. The common denominator is that all involve gathering and processing historical data.

Where AI comes up short is decision-making. Based on the quantity and high level of data amassed, AI can make accurate predictions related to customer demand and other variables. But making a final decision requires context, something only humans can provide.

Combining AI and Human Intelligence

Analytics fall into four broad categories with increasing degrees of difficulty and importance:

– Descriptive (What happened?) and Diagnostic (Why did it happened?) are where historic data comes into play.

– Predictive (What can happen?) and Prescriptive (What should we do?) involve processing available data to determine how best to move forward.

AI is invaluable in the first three steps. When it comes to decision-making, a human can take data and apply external factors, such as weather or season, to determine the optimum course of action.

Cutting-Edge Warehouse Equipment for Today’s Supply Chain Operations

Make sure you have the right warehouse equipment to implement more productive processes. Contact DJ Products for information about our selection of electric tugs, movers and pushers.

Learn How to Reduce Warehouse Inventory Damage with an Eye on Boosting Profits

Quality material handling equipment improves productivity, but those gains can be offset by inventory loss, eating away at profits. Between damages, poor inventory control and theft, losses that seem insignificant on a daily basis can add up to considerable amounts.

While some loss is unavoidable, you can take steps to limit inventory shrinkage. Incorporate these tips in warehouse day-to-day operations to reduce inventory loss and protect profits.

Reduce Risk of Damages

Inventory damage occurs primarily due to packaging or handling. Review incidents of damage over time to see if you can discover a pattern.

– Make sure packaging materials are sturdy enough to accommodate products and stand up to specific warehouse conditions, such as extreme heat or cold.

– Limit the amount of headspace in packages to prevent boxes becoming crushed, especially when they’re stacked on a shelf or pallet.

– Train employees in proper loading techniques.

Improve Inventory Control

High-tech warehouse management systems (WMS) allow for greater precision when tracking inventory. Traditional methods such as inventory auditing and cycle counting programs also minimize the risk of lost products.

Increase Security Measures

No one wants to think about in-house theft, but it’s an unfortunate fact of life. Strategically placed video cameras can serve as deterrents while providing a means of investigating instances of pilferage. If your warehouse stocks products with a high value on secondary markets, consider instituting a consistent and fair inspection program in which all bags are searched.

Upgrade Warehouse Safety with Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products

Are workers struggling with heavy loads? Our battery-powered material handling equipment reduces risk of both inventory damage and workplace injury. Visit our website and let our knowledgeable sales engineers help you find the perfect tug, pusher or mover for your application.

C-40 Clippers Are a New Upgrade for the Marines

The U.S. Marine Corps is turning to GSA listed suppliers for an upgrade to their 1970s-era transport planes. Boeing’s C-40 Clipper is the USMC’s choice to replace two of its C-9B Skytrain executive transports.

C-40 Clippers are also expected to take over for C-9s currently in operation with the U.S. Naval Reserve and U.S. Air Force. Here’s a look at this 737-based aircraft and where it fits in with military programs.

Overview of C-40 Clippers

C-40s in use by the military come in three different models:

The C-40A is a Navy aircraft created by adding a larger cargo door along with stronger wings and landing gear to a 737-700C frame. Its robust navigation system is an advantage in Third World airports with older ground systems.

The USAF’s C-40B has superior technological capabilities, serving as an “office in the sky” for military and government leaders. Its primary feature is a Connexion system that provides secure in-flight broadband connectivity.

The C-40C, another USAF aircraft, is a counterpart to the Navy’s C-40A. Both models can serve as all-passenger, all-cargo or passenger/cargo combination transports.

USMC Order for C-40 Clippers

The USMC’s order for two C-40 Clippers comes amid concerns about continued durability of their aging C-9 aircraft. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is supporting a survey conducted by the USMC to find a supplier for the C-40s. While NAVAIR is expressing willingness to consider used aircraft, experts believe Boeing will ultimately receive the order.

DJ Products: Proud to Be One of the GSA Listed Suppliers

Reduce costs and improve safety with our full line of GSA listed military and defense material handling equipment. Visit our website for more information about products such as our AircraftCaddy and BombCaddy.

The Unexpectedly High Cost of Warehouse and Forklift Injuries

Damages to warehouse equipment are easily resolved by repair or replacement, resulting in a fixed cost. But workplace injuries create a financial ripple effect that goes well beyond medical expenses.

Data shows the average work-related injury costs $188,000, with $150,000 of that amount coming from indirect costs. Here’s a look at some eye-opening facts about warehouse and forklift accidents and the different ways they impact operations.

Causes of Warehouse and Forklift Accidents

– The three most common warehouse injuries result from slip-and-fall; musculoskeletal activities such as pushing and lifting; and use of forklifts and other material handling equipment.

– Most accidents occur in, on or around docks, forklifts, conveyors, material storage and manual lifting and handling.

– Approximately 20,000 workplace injuries are sustained in forklift accidents, with 25 percent resulting from an overturned forklift.

– An average of 100 forklift accidents each year end in fatalities. Roughly 42 percent occur when the operator is crushed by a falling vehicle. In many cases, the seatbelt was not used as per OSHA regulations.

– Pallet jack failure is most often caused by poor work habits such as overloaded or improperly configured racks and operator error.

Employer Costs

Primary direct costs of workplace accidents are medical expenses for the injured employee and repair or replacement of damaged warehouse equipment. Indirect expenses include salaries of temporary workers, changes to insurance premiums, legal costs and lost productivity and business opportunities.

Employee Costs

Injured employees also incur direct and indirect costs. These can include reduction or loss of salary, overtime pay and savings; unreimbursed medical expenses; and ongoing treatment for chronic pain.

Warehouse Equipment Designed for Safety

Our battery-powered warehouse equipment reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury incurred by handling heavy or awkward loads. Contact DJ Products for more information.

Tips for Storing Your Small Aircraft Over the Winter

With winter underway, it’s important to make sure that your small aircraft is properly stored for the season. This helps reduce the risk of damage to it and ensures that your aircraft will be ready for you to use again when the weather improves. If you need to move your plane into storage or move it to a different area of your storage facility, keep in mind that an aircraft caddy makes this process go much easier.

Protect Against Rodents and Other Pests

Mice and other pests can make your airplane their home in winter if it provides them with shelter and warmth. When you put your plane into storage, make sure that it doesn’t give these pests any entry points. Cover or close up holes that rodents and other pests can use to get inside.

Fill the Fuel Tanks

Even if you won’t be using your plane in winter, you should still keep the fuel tanks filled up. Doing this lowers the amount of moisture in the tank, which reduces the risk of condensation building up.

Remove the Battery

Keeping the battery inside your plane means that it could end up being exposed to conditions that are too cold. Storing the battery in a location that keeps it safe from extreme cold can help prevent it from being damaged.

Do an Oil Change

Giving your airplane’s engine a fresh oil change, which will help to ensure that it runs smoothly when it starts up again. This will eliminate contaminants that may affect its performance.

If you’re looking to get an aircraft caddy for your small plane, please visit DJ Products. We have a fine selection of these products available. Contact Kari Koznick for more information on our aircraft products.

Stuck! Tips for Clearing Your Big Rig Wheels and Getting on the Road Again

Big rigs tend to run on tight schedules in order to get supplies delivered. Getting stuck in mud or snow can cause big rig drivers to fall behind schedule, which can affect your business. While you can easily move trailers in your warehouse with

semi trailer movers, getting them unstuck out on the road is a different story. Keep these tips in mind for getting stuck big rigs back up and running.

Tire Chains

Using tire chains can help get big rigs out of snow. However, these chains won’t be able to do the same for big rigs that are stuck in mud.

Manual Transmission

Big rigs with manual transmissions can be rocked into becoming unstuck. Getting a big rig to rock in a back and forth motion can help it get out of mud or snow.

Tow Trucks

In situations where you’re unable to get a big rig unstuck, you’ll need to consider using a towing company. Tow trucks can easily get these rigs out of snowy or muddy ground.

Keep Moving

You can lower the risk of having a big rig become stuck in snow or mud by checking the ground and avoiding staying parked in one spot too long. Avoid parking on soft ground that can turn into a mud pit. When it’s snowy out, move the big rig to a different parking spot from time to time. Heat from the tires will prevent snow and ice from accumulating and getting the big rig stuck.

If you need more information on semi trailer movers, contact DJ Products. We have a wide range of high-quality movers available that can move semi trailers that weigh up to 100,000 pounds.

For-Hire Truckload Freight Technology is Projected to Crash by 20% in the Next Decade

The freight markets for for-hire carriers are expected to begin experiencing a significant decline in the near future. It’s important to understand the reasons behind this prediction and what you should do to protect your freight business.

Cost-Cutting Measures

With a decline expected, it’s important for for-hire carriers to look into cutting costs. Products such as a powered trailer mover can help many companies reduce their expenses in terms of manpower hours and a lower risk of injuries in the workplace. Reducing costs in these areas can make it easier for companies to adjust to any declines that may occur in the near future.

Reasons Behind the Expected Freight Market Decline

Why are the freight markets expected to have a decline? Experts cite competition from Amazon, changes in agricultural practices, and the automotive industry as the main reasons that are driving the markets toward this drop.

Amazon has been moving in the direction of building an internal freight network that they can rely on for transporting products to customers. Experts also warn that Amazon could make arrangements with an airport-to-airport owner-operator network rather than relying on for-hire carriers.

The move toward indoor agriculture in urban and suburban areas is expected to lead to less demand for for-hire carriers to bring produce to these areas from rural farms.

Lower demand and a growing trend of only purchasing one car per household could also impact the freight markets when it comes to transporting automobiles. This could end up resulting in a dramatic decline for for-hire carriers who transport vehicles.

If your warehouse needs a powered trailer mover or similar products, please contact DJ Products. Our company carries several high-quality products for warehouse owners.