The poll and thread about refusing to drive unsafe equipment was disturbing.
A lot of B.S. about determining this, Joe Union that, Management this, Family that and on and on.
We are supposed to be Professional Drivers of Commercial Vehicles (and from Tractor Trailer to p-500 qualify).
As Professional Drivers, there really is no discussion or question what is required because the D.O.T has determined all of this for us in Part 393 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rulebook. This section is titled:
Parts and Accessories required for safe operation
Lights, whether they be headlights, marker lights, clearance lights, tail lights, turn signals, hazard lights, or brake lights have to be operational at all times. All, not some, not most of them, not 75%, not high beams instead of headlights, ALL OF THEM.
This includes the license plate light.
Reflective devices are required (there are nice pictures in the book about where they have to be on your particular vehicle).
Tires have to be free of cuts, cracks, or exposed cords and must have the minimum tread depth (4/32" front, 2/32" rear) across the entire tread. This means if your inside edge of the right front tire is at 2/32" but the rest is 6/32" your vehicle is now "out of service". Wheels must be free of cracks and all lugs must be present and tight. Be sure to thoroughly check the inside tires on the rear. All tires must be properly inflated. If you get a flat on one rear tire out on road, you cannot continue until it is repaired.
Brakes must all work and have a minimum 1/4" of pad and be free of rust and cracks. You cannot always check the brake linings on package cars but you must be satisfied that they will work properly prior to going on road. This includes the parking brake. You can, however, inspect the brake lines which requires opening the hood to perform a proper inspection. I encourage every package driver to do so,every day. Tractor trailer drivers have additional tests we must make that I won't go into here.
Horn must be audible and reliable. If it stops working out on road, this is unsafe and you must place the vehicle out of service.
Wipers are required to be operational and the blades must have proper tension. It doesn't matter if it's going to rain that day.
Your steering must be work and not have excessive play. (~2" manual, ~4" power steering)
You are required to have a heater/defroster and it must work: no matter what time of year.
A fully charged fire extinguisher of the correct type , securely mounted is required. You are also required to have reflective triangles or flares.
All your mirrors have to be present and working properly (no cracks, glazing, or discoloration).
Your frame,leaf or coil springs, and spring hangers cannot have ANY cracks or welds. Become familiar with your suspension system so that you can recognize an overweight situation (when the frame is resting on helper springs that is a good indicator, as are flat springs)
The doors have to open and close and the bumpers must be mounted securely.
You must have a windshield free of cracks or glazing that obstruct your view.
So basically, if it's here: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/FmcsrGuideDetails.aspx?menukey=393
it's required. If there are interpretaions they can be found on the column to the right. Pre-trip inspections are required as are Post Trip inspections and they are both the same. (think about it, is it easier to fix something overnight prior to preload than in the morning when your car is loaded with NXDA's???) In addition, there may be other required equipment in your particular State, such as mud flaps. If you have a question about any of these regulations you can ask them here:
http://www.olblueusa.org/AskTheLaw/emailATL.html and get fast accurate answers.
There is no discussion, no wiggle room, no instructions Mgmt can put in writing, no interpretations by a mechanic, no threatening or intimidation should phase you. YOU, the driver, are responsible. OSHA will and has severely fined UPS for violating the driver's right to refuse to operate unsafe equipment. $50k last year in SF, $100k this year as we recently read. With the advent of CSA2010 it will be every drivers responsibility to maintain their driving safety record more so than ever.
FLEX YOUR RIGHTS.
A lot of B.S. about determining this, Joe Union that, Management this, Family that and on and on.
We are supposed to be Professional Drivers of Commercial Vehicles (and from Tractor Trailer to p-500 qualify).
As Professional Drivers, there really is no discussion or question what is required because the D.O.T has determined all of this for us in Part 393 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rulebook. This section is titled:
Parts and Accessories required for safe operation
Lights, whether they be headlights, marker lights, clearance lights, tail lights, turn signals, hazard lights, or brake lights have to be operational at all times. All, not some, not most of them, not 75%, not high beams instead of headlights, ALL OF THEM.
This includes the license plate light.
Reflective devices are required (there are nice pictures in the book about where they have to be on your particular vehicle).
Tires have to be free of cuts, cracks, or exposed cords and must have the minimum tread depth (4/32" front, 2/32" rear) across the entire tread. This means if your inside edge of the right front tire is at 2/32" but the rest is 6/32" your vehicle is now "out of service". Wheels must be free of cracks and all lugs must be present and tight. Be sure to thoroughly check the inside tires on the rear. All tires must be properly inflated. If you get a flat on one rear tire out on road, you cannot continue until it is repaired.
Brakes must all work and have a minimum 1/4" of pad and be free of rust and cracks. You cannot always check the brake linings on package cars but you must be satisfied that they will work properly prior to going on road. This includes the parking brake. You can, however, inspect the brake lines which requires opening the hood to perform a proper inspection. I encourage every package driver to do so,every day. Tractor trailer drivers have additional tests we must make that I won't go into here.
Horn must be audible and reliable. If it stops working out on road, this is unsafe and you must place the vehicle out of service.
Wipers are required to be operational and the blades must have proper tension. It doesn't matter if it's going to rain that day.
Your steering must be work and not have excessive play. (~2" manual, ~4" power steering)
You are required to have a heater/defroster and it must work: no matter what time of year.
A fully charged fire extinguisher of the correct type , securely mounted is required. You are also required to have reflective triangles or flares.
All your mirrors have to be present and working properly (no cracks, glazing, or discoloration).
Your frame,leaf or coil springs, and spring hangers cannot have ANY cracks or welds. Become familiar with your suspension system so that you can recognize an overweight situation (when the frame is resting on helper springs that is a good indicator, as are flat springs)
The doors have to open and close and the bumpers must be mounted securely.
You must have a windshield free of cracks or glazing that obstruct your view.
So basically, if it's here: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/FmcsrGuideDetails.aspx?menukey=393
it's required. If there are interpretaions they can be found on the column to the right. Pre-trip inspections are required as are Post Trip inspections and they are both the same. (think about it, is it easier to fix something overnight prior to preload than in the morning when your car is loaded with NXDA's???) In addition, there may be other required equipment in your particular State, such as mud flaps. If you have a question about any of these regulations you can ask them here:
http://www.olblueusa.org/AskTheLaw/emailATL.html and get fast accurate answers.
There is no discussion, no wiggle room, no instructions Mgmt can put in writing, no interpretations by a mechanic, no threatening or intimidation should phase you. YOU, the driver, are responsible. OSHA will and has severely fined UPS for violating the driver's right to refuse to operate unsafe equipment. $50k last year in SF, $100k this year as we recently read. With the advent of CSA2010 it will be every drivers responsibility to maintain their driving safety record more so than ever.
FLEX YOUR RIGHTS.
