Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/661456
18 | Overdrive | April 2016 LOGBOOK A U.S. Department of Transpor- tation-sponsored report concludes the connection between hours of service regulations, truck driver fatigue and accident frequency is hard to make based on available data and that there are barriers in researching such connections. The researchers also suggest that current hours regs are limited in their ability to eff ectively man- age fatigue due to their limitations in managing drivers' rest when they're off duty. The National Academies Press report could help stimulate research to bolster potential future enforcement as it relates to truck operator fatigue. Although considerable data at various levels of private industry and government are collected on drivers who work for large carriers, much less information is avail- able on those who work for small carriers, especially independent owner-operators, the report found. The authors recommended several improvements in data and research methods by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Adminis- tration to support a more com- prehensive understanding of the relationships between operator fatigue, highway safety and long- term health. – Todd Dills Study: Hours regs, fatigue connection is not clear The report found that data gaps exist surrounding driver fatigue and sleep, and those gaps limit understanding factors that affect crash risk. Why do I have to top-off oil in my engine? Most of you probably check your oil level each day or when you fill your fuel tank. Low oil level can lead to faster degradation (oxidation) of the oil, faster consumption of the oil additives and potentially shorter engine life. When discussing the issue of oil consumption, we must keep in mind that there are only two ways oil is consumed in a diesel engine: oil is either burned in the combustion chamber or it leaks through seals or gaskets. There are also a number of factors or conditions that can affect the amount of oil an engine consumes. Some of the factors that affect oil consumption include engine idle time, driving conditions, load, terrain, engine operating temperature, oil volatility, fuel dilution, and miles on the engine. Another important point to remember is that no two engines are alike. You may have noticed that engine oil consumption has been reduced with late model trucks. New oils help control piston deposits which results in better oil consumption control. Newer piston and piston ring designs, along with changes in engine operating conditions, are also factors. Oil formulation can help provide the best oil consumption control. Premium motor oils are formulated to exceed the most current requirements of all North American truck engine manufacturers, as well as those of the American Petroleum Institute. Shell Rotella ® engine oils are formulated with a careful balance of detergent, dispersant, anti-oxidant and anti-wear chemistry designed to maximize engine protection. Adding a gallon of oil every few thousand miles was once common. We now see late model engines that will go an entire drain interval without requiring that any additional oil be added. However, we still recommend you check your oil daily and top-off as required. To further help monitor conditions in your engine, we recommend having an oil analysis program. It is one of the most effective ways to monitor the condition of your engine. A regular oil analysis program helps you build a historic database and watch for trends in a variety of areas. Ideally, you want to analyze a sample of used engine oil after every oil change. By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants The term "Shell Lubricants" refers to the various Shell Group companies engaged in the lubricants business. This monthly column is brought to you by Shell Lubricants. Got a question? Visit ROTELLA.com, call 1-800-BEST-OIL or write to The ANSWER COLuMN, 1001 Fannin, Ste. 500, Houston, TX 77002. After pulling down the so-called "ab- solute" scoring measures in the pub- licly available Safety Measurement System carrier scoring dashboard in December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has returned those absolute scores within the Behavior Analysis Safety Im- provement Categories to public view. The SMS is part of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program. FMCSA spokesperson Duane DeBruyne said the agency's ac- tions are well within the confi nes of the FAST Act highway bill. The absolute scores represent a time- and severity-weighted calcula- tion of a carrier's violation perfor- mance in each BASIC; the higher the number, the worse the performance. The percentile ranking carriers re- ceive in each BASIC is directly based on comparing the absolute measures among groups of carriers. The FAST Act called for remov- ing from public view carriers' per- centile rankings in each BASIC, which FMCSA did in December. The agency can still use the per- centile rankings internally to target carriers for intervention. – Todd Dills Some CSA scores return to public view