4/24/22

The Real Dangers of Running Out of Gas


Letting your gas tank run close to empty can put you in a dangerous situation and cause long term damage! Watch this video to learn why you should never risk running low on gas.

4/21/22

RV Towing at A & T BIG RIG TOWING SERVICES



North Bay Truck Center and A&T Road Service heavy-duty towing. We think this is the most flexible and useful rig to tow the biggest trucks on the road, along with big buses and large RV units.

Adding a heavy-duty truck and trailer towing service to our existing North Bay Truck Center full-service heavy and trailer truck service and repair shop and A&T Road Service’s onsite 24-hour minor repair service seemed like a perfect fit. It has proved to be true. We are adding to our fleet of tow trucks and outfitting them for maximum flexibility to handle almost any job. We also offer short and long-distance heavy-duty trucks, trailer towing, and trailer transport. Anywhere in Northern California or locally in Solano County, A&T Road Service has the towing capability and fleet strength to get you to your destination.

Call us 24/7 at 1-800-434-1205

4/17/22

Safety Tools Truck Drivers Need to Have

Garmin - DriveAssist 51 LMT-S 5" GPS with Built-In Camera and Bluetooth, Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates - Black

Truck drivers perform an important but dangerous work. Safety then should always be a top priority whether on the road or loading and unloading the boxes and crates they're required to deliver. The task proves to be more tiresome particularly if the driver works alone with no companion to help in the loading and unloading aspect.

In the U.S., trucks are among the vehicles that often get involved in road accidents. In 2000 alone, the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that more than 450,000 big trucks encountered accidents.

Currently, there are approximately 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S. handling different types and sizes of trucks. These people should have undergone the necessary CDL or commercial driver's license training that is one of the important qualifications considered by companies when hiring truck drivers.

Trucks need to have the right safety tools that will allow them to fix problems during their travel and navigation devices to guide them when locating their destination. For those who transport huge boxes, they also need to have the proper equipment such as levers for loading and unloading purposes.

GPS navigation device - This is a very important tool that helps drivers locate the place they're going to. With its small monitor, drivers will be able to view a map of their area of destination. There are also units that have voice features and tell drivers the streets they can take.

Vehicle backup camera - As it's hard to monitor a truck's blind spots, having a backup camera is very helpful. This is normally attached on the top part of the license plate and is connected to a monitor positioned on the dashboard or sun visor. With this tool, a driver can easily check what's behind the truck while backing up or moving along the highways before changing lanes or making turns. It's an affordable device that's a must today for all types of vehicles.

Jack and tire iron - You never know when you'll get a flat tire or your tires experience low pressure the reason why having a jack in your truck is very important. The CDL training course will teach you the right way of changing tires so this should not be a problem in case you encounter flat tires during your travel.

Tire chains - Also known as snow chains, these devices are meant to provide traction when you're driving through snow and ice. These are fitted in the drive wheels of the vehicle and are required by transportation authorities during snowy conditions. Usually, they are sold in pairs. When these are in place, you have also to reduce your speed to ensure the safety of your vehicle.

Other than these devices, a truck driver traveling on long hauls should also bring along water, food and extra clothing. There are times when you need to travel through desert areas or places wherein there are no restaurants along the highways so it's always best to be ready.

Getting your CDL training should provide you with the appropriate knowledge on truck driving safety and the tools you need to have while traveling. So never ignore its value for it will benefit you for the long term.

By

For great information on CDL training, visit Truck-School.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kalyan_Kumar

4/15/22

AAA StartSmart - Distracted Driving


Follow a group of six high school students and their parents as they attend the AAA StartSmart Academy where they learn how to develop safe driving habits from an over-the-top instructor named Crash — short for "Creating Responsible Automobile Safety Habits".

4/10/22

Towing Overview | Ford How-To | Ford


This informative video will help explain some of the features your vehicle may have that can help with towing a trailer.

4/07/22

What Happens To An Engine Without Oil?


in this video we’re going to be discussing what happens when an engine has no oil. As a demonstration, we’ll be viewing an engine with and without oil running. This is the exact same engine on the left and the right, on the left with oil, and on the right without. Both engines will start at the exact same time, but the video on the right was filmed 24 hours after the video on the left, allowing for the engine to completely cool. This is a 212 cc air-cooled single-cylinder Harbor Freight engine.

There are five points we’re monitoring on each engine. Point one is the crankcase, below the level at which oil will rest. Point two is the top of the crankcase, where there obviously won’t be any oil resting near. Point three is the air-cooled cylinder bore. Point four is the exhaust pipe exiting the cylinder before entering the muffler, and point 5 is the valve cover. This is a pushrod style valve train with overhead valves.

Opening the crankcase reveals the permanent damage which occurred. First of all, look at the small amount of oil that didn’t quite make it out while draining. It’s quite dark, and this is after a 15 minute run with oil, and 15 minutes without, in a brand new engine. The oil which remained in the drained engine is clearly quite dirty, and actually it has quite a bit of metal content in it, as you can see reflecting as I move around the towel.

Examining further, I removed the connecting rod cap from the crankshaft. This is the bearing the crank rotates on. You can see the scored, less reflective surface of the cap. Indeed, you can see the scratches on the crankshaft as well. I would expect to see similar issues with the camshaft and cylinder bore as well.

4/04/22

At A&T Road Service, we not only do we provide reliable 24-hour road service; We Also Provide::

  • In-House TOWING
  • Fully Equipped Mobile Repair Units
  • Tire Replacement
  • Load Adjustments
  • Welding
  • Fuel Delivery
  • Lock-Outs
  • Vehicle Storage
  • Hydraulics
  • DOT & BIT Inspections
  • Crane Inspections
  • Glass Replacement
  • Vehicle Rentals
  • Liftgate Repairs and Service
  • Tens of Thousands of Parts In-Stock
We are centrally located in Fairfield CA which is approximately 45 miles from San Francisco or Sacramento and about 50 miles from Stockton. We regularly service Fairfield, Vallejo, Rio Vista, Napa, Vacaville, Travis AFB, Winters, Dixon, Davis, Benicia, St. Helena, Calistoga, Suisun City, Green Valley, Crockett, Hercules, San Pablo, Richmond, Concord, Walnut Creek, Martinez, Boyes Hot Springs, Sonoma, Allendale, Cordelia, Pleasant Hill, Pittsburg, Antioch, Novato, American Canyon, Truck Scales and much more. We’ve even gone as far as San Jose, the South Bay and the Peninsula because we always answer the phone 24/7. Solano County is our home turf, but readily service Napa County, Yolo County, Contra Costa County, Sonoma County, Sacramento County, and San Joaquin County, Alameda County and Marin County. We also have been known to travel to San Francisco County, Santa Clara County and San Mateo County. In fact, if you need immediate service, we will travel where ever we need to in order to take care of your problem. We are at your service and we mean that sincerely.

A&T “Mobile” Truck Road Service is a part of the BIT Inspection Program and is able to do inspections for you on-site. We are DOT Certified and all BIT inspections are performed utilizing DOT/BIT Inspectors. A&T “Mobile” Truck Road Service meets all requirements under Title 49 of the DOT Inspectors Guide.

You can find more information about the CalBit Program and the requirements at their website
Contact A&T Road Service at: 707- 427 - 1386

Need a tow? Call 1-800-434-1205


4/01/22

10 Things Everyone Should Know About Tires

 By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist

You probably know tires are made of rubber — but how much more do you know? Here’s a run-through of some important tire-related terminology:

1) Aspect ratio

This technical-sounding term refers to the relationship between the width of a tire and the height of the tire’s sidewall. High-performance “low profile” tires have “low aspect ratios” — meaning their sidewalls are short relative to their width. This provides extra stiffness and thus better high-speed handling and grip — but also tends to result in a firmer (and sometimes, harsh) ride. “Taller” tires tend to provide a smoother ride and better traction in snow.

2) Contact Patch

As your tires rotate, only a portion of the total tread is actually in contact with the ground at any given moment.  This is known as the contact patch.  Think of it as your tire’s “footprint.” Sport/performance-type tires are characterized by their wider footprint — more tread is in contact with the ground — which provides extra grip, especially during hard acceleration on dry pavement and during high-speed cornering.

3) Treadwear indicators

These are narrow bands built into the tread during manufacturing that begin to show when only 1/16 of the tire’s tread remains. Also called wear bars, treadwear indicators are there to provide an obvious visual warning that it’s time to shop for new tires.

4) Speed ratings

An alpha-numeric symbol you’ll find on your tire’s sidewall that tells you the maximum sustained speed the tire is capable of safely handling. An H-rated tire, for example, is built to be safe for continuous operation at speeds up to 130 mph. Most current model year family-type cars have S (112 mph) or T (118 mph) speed ratings. High performance cars often have tires with a V (149 mph) or  ZR (in excess of 149 mph) speed rating. A few ultra-performance cars have W (168 mph) and even Y (186 mph) speed-rated tires.

5) Maximum cold inflation load limit

This refers to the maximum load that can be carried in a given vehicle with a given type of tires — and the maximum air pressure needed to support that load. In your vehicle’s owner’s manual, you should be able to find the recommended cold inflation load limit. It’s important not to exceed the load limit (or over or under-inflate the tires) as this can lead to stability/handling problems and even tire failure. Always check tire pressure “cold.” Driving creates friction which creates heat; as the tires warm up, the air inside expands, increasing the pressure. Measuring air pressure after driving can give a false reading; you may actually be driving around on under-inflated tires.

6) Load index

This number corresponds to the load carrying capacity of the tire. The higher the number, the higher the load it can safely handle. As an example, a tire with a load index of 89 can safely handle 1,279 pounds — while a tire with a load rating of 100 can safely handle as much as 1,764 pounds. It’s important to stick with tires that have at least the same load rating as the tires that came originally with the vehicle — especially if it’s a truck used to haul heavy loads or pull a trailer. It’s ok to go with a tire that has a higher load rating than the original tires; just be careful to avoid tires with a lower load rating than specified for your vehicle, even if they are less expensive. Saving a few bucks on tires is not worth risking an accident caused by tire failure.

7) Radial vs. bias-ply tire

Bias-ply tires have their underlying plies laid at alternate angles less than 90 degrees to the centerline of the tread; radials have their plies laid at 90 degrees to the centerline of the tread. That’s the technical difference. The reason radial tires are dominant today is that they help improve fuel efficiency and handling; they also tend to dissipate heat better than bias-ply tires. No modern passenger cars come with bias-ply tires these days and their use is generally not recommended. (Exceptions might include older/antique vehicles that originally came equipped with bias-ply tires. Some RVs also used bias-ply tires, etc.) It is very important never to mix radial and bias-ply tires; dangerously erratic handling may result.

8) LT and MS tires

These designations indicate “Light Truck” and “Mud/Snow” — and are commonly found on tires fitted to SUVs and pick-ups. LT-rated tires are more general purpose, built primarily for on-road use — while MS-rated tires typically have more aggressive “knobby” tread patterns designed for better off-road traction.

9) Temporary Use Only

Many modern cars come with so-called “space-saver” tires which are smaller and lighter than a standard or full-size spare tire. They are designed to leave more room in the trunk and be easier for the average person to handle when a roadside tire change becomes necessary. However, they are not designed to be used for extended (or high-speed) driving. Your car will probably not handle (or stop) as well while the Space Saver tire is on – and you should keep your speed under 55 mph and avoid driving on the tire beyond what’s absolutely necessary to find a tire repair shop where you can have your damaged tire repaired or replaced.

10) Treadwear, Traction and Temperature ratings

Each tire has three separate ratings for Treadwear, Traction and Temperature.

Traction ratings run from AA to A to B and C — with C being the lowest on the scale. The ratings represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement under controlled testing conducted by the government. C-rated tires are marginal and should be avoided. Never buy a tire with a Traction rating that isn’t at least equal to the minimum rating specified by the manufacturer of your vehicle.

Temperature ratings from A to B to C — with C being the minimum allowable for any passenger car tire. The ratings correspond to a given tire’s ability to dissipate heat under load; tires with lower ratings are more prone to heat-induced failure, especially if driven at high speeds (or when overloaded). As with Traction ratings, never buy a tire with a Temperature rating that’s less than specified for your vehicle.

Treadwear ratings differ from Traction and Temperature ratings in that they aren’t a measure of a tire’s built-in safety margin. Instead, these ratings — represented by a three digit number — give you an idea of the expected useful life of the tire according to government testing. A tire with a Treadwear rating of 150, for example, can be expected to last about 1.5 times as long as a tire with a Treadwear rating of 100. These are just guides, however. Your tires may last longer (or not) depending on such factors as how you drive, whether you maintain proper inflation pressure and rotate the tires per recommendations — and so on.

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