3/18/24

Top 5 Work Truck Safety & Security Trends


By James Muiter, Product Line Manager, Reading Truck Group

With a pulse on the customer needs and innovation in the work truck sector, James Muiter, Product Line Manager at Reading Truck Group, shares his top five industry trends on safety and security.

  1. Operator safety. Employers are carefully considering how to keep their operators injury-free, so avoiding accidents around the truck is just as important as on the road.  Proactive measures on a work truck can include installing safety steps and grips so that the operator can maintain “three points of contact” at all times when entering and exiting the vehicle.  At Reading, we’ve begun to see these concerns migrate from the very largest fleet operators and governments, into corporations and vocational fleet buyers.
  2. Visibility. Keeping the truck and its surroundings well-lit and visible helps protect workers from accidents on the side of the road and keeps crews productive when they’re working after sundown, especially in the winter months.
  3. 360° coverage. Chassis OEMs are bringing safety innovations like 360° cameras, and accident-avoidance technologies like collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and blindspot monitoring, which used to be only on luxury cars, into the commercial truck segment.  For example, every Ford Transit is now shipping with lane-departure warning and forward-collision warning camera systems.
  4. Securing tools and gear. A typical work truck now provides at least two layers of ‘locking’ protection.  Compartment doors will use power locks or three-point locking for additional points of contact and pry-proofing.  And these measures can be augmented with a “bar lock” or master locking feature, where a single padlock can secure all of the compartment doors to keep tools and equipment safe.  Additionally, Reading’s remote keyless entry locking system, called Latch-Matic, can now be integrated with the power locks on the chassis.  A driver can now lock and unlock both the body and chassis with a single key-fob.  Using just the chassis fob, for example on a Ford Super Duty or Ford Transit, gives our customers the convenience they have been asking for.  
  5. Ergonomics. For better ergonomics, handles and steps are no longer considered a special add-in, they’re becoming a standard offering across the board.  As an example, fixed steps that don’t have to be manually unfolded by the operator will help meet evolving safety requirements and might even lower insurance costs.

By James Muiter, Product Line Manager, Reading Truck Group as published in Fordpros magazine




3/16/24

Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch | A Ford Towing Video Guide | Ford


Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch are 2 great features that can help you properly load your Ford truck when towing. Learn more in this video.

3/14/24

How to use your Fast Charging Adapter


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3/10/24

Auto Crane Video Series 10 Summary

 


This concludes the Auto Crane NexStar crane training video. Here is a recap of the main point that we covered. First, read and understand the entire owner’s manual that came with your crane as well as the regulations mandated by OSHA, MSHA, and other government and safety over-site.

How to Use a Ratchet Strap - Tips and Tricks!


Ratchet straps are incredibly handy devices, and they are even harder workers when you team them up with some helpers and clever techniques. #ratchetstrap #ratchet #loadsecurement Get your DirtFarmerJay Hat, Mug, or T-Shirt at www.dirtfarmerjay.com! It's a GREAT way to say JUST DO IT YOURSELF! In this episode, DirtFarmer Jay will quickly demystify setting up and using ratchet straps and then share several tips we’ve received from viewers as well as some techniques we’ve developed to get more out of our ratchet straps. Come along on this rapid-paced string of how-to’s ranging from better attachment gear, securing plywood loads flat on the bed of your short-bed truck, combining threaded links and carabiners for convenience, cool accessories, securing excess straps, and protecting your straps in use. Finally, you’ll learn how to loosen a ratchet strap properly, how to untangle a ratchet strap and a couple of methods of neatly stowing your straps so they are ready to go to work the next time they respond to the call of duty. With the skills you’ll learn in this episode, you’ll be even MORE self-reliant. Don’t you just love it when you can JUST DO IT YOURSELF? Follow us on Social Media to know when we’re building projects or releasing new episodes! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtfarmerj Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dirtfarmerjay You can help support this channel by buying our merchandise or supporting us on Throne or Patreon Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dirtfarmerjay

3/08/24

NHTSA’s New SaferCar App


Our new SaferCar app allows you to save your vehicles, car seats, equipment, or tires in a virtual garage on your smartphone. If a recall is issued, you’ll get an alert.