Cab cleanliness

[muckaway]

Tony Saprano:
Had one driver that was covering for the driver who I share with tell me that dust in the cab was part of the job. My question to him was “was there any dust in it when you got in it after me”. His reply, “no”. End of argument.

I spend some of my working day driving our JCB or 360, both of which have dusty interiors (who drives a digger with the door closed?). I’m not bothered whether the interior’s clean or not I can use an old bit of rag to clean what’s necessary. Just because I have no interest in polishing does not mean I can’t drive the bloody thing.

[norb]

Pat Hasler:
I spend at least 4 nights in my truck sleeping and insist it is spotless, I always have done on every driving job I have had since I started in 1975, I will brush the floor each time I get out for any reason. Now here’s a tip …
I have been stopped at several times for DOT checks, or in your case VOSA and have been supprised to be let go very quickly and given the all clear. I was told by one cop that it was because my cab interior is clean, it seems the very fist thing most inspectors, be it VOSA or DOT look for is a clean floor, if there are food wrappers or other rubbish on the floor it shows the driver has no regard for taking care of the vehicle and therefore probably does not do pre trip checks etc. One DOT cop in particular commented to me as he handed me an ‘all clear’ inspection sheet that he wasn’t going to waste time doing a full inspection because the floor was so clean and if I take that much care of the interior the rest of the vehicle would have been looked after. I was stopped once at the same time as some other driver, the driver concerned had a cap on and a pony tail, I was given the all clear within minutes and they went to town on his cab, I asked the cop why he was being held up and the answer was “He is scruffy and has a pony tail, if he doesn’t care about his image he certainly doesn’t care about the truck”

You will find the same attitude to an extent in a dealers ,You know the customers who don’t care and the vehicle comes in covered in mud etc …They will hen complain about paying for a steam clean so the inspection can actually be done ,and will authorise he minimum of repairs…Then you have the customer who looks after his motor ,which generally have very little wrong with them ,generally normal wear and tear …Though they can be probmatic .eg it needs a new valve ,they then get upset because the new one doesn’t come panted the colour the old on was

For Juddian ,you said you like to wash your vehicle before hand ,and as you say nothing will be no trouble …If yu have the old style ZF 16 speed box with the flat top which is ribbed ,the water sits there and corrodes the box mainly at the reverse switch and 1 or 2 other spots

[juddian]

norb:

Pat Hasler:
I spend at least 4 nights in my truck sleeping and insist it is spotless, I always have done on every driving job I have had since I started in 1975, I will brush the floor each time I get out for any reason. Now here’s a tip …
I have been stopped at several times for DOT checks, or in your case VOSA and have been supprised to be let go very quickly and given the all clear. I was told by one cop that it was because my cab interior is clean, it seems the very fist thing most inspectors, be it VOSA or DOT look for is a clean floor, if there are food wrappers or other rubbish on the floor it shows the driver has no regard for taking care of the vehicle and therefore probably does not do pre trip checks etc. One DOT cop in particular commented to me as he handed me an ‘all clear’ inspection sheet that he wasn’t going to waste time doing a full inspection because the floor was so clean and if I take that much care of the interior the rest of the vehicle would have been looked after. I was stopped once at the same time as some other driver, the driver concerned had a cap on and a pony tail, I was given the all clear within minutes and they went to town on his cab, I asked the cop why he was being held up and the answer was “He is scruffy and has a pony tail, if he doesn’t care about his image he certainly doesn’t care about the truck”

You will find the same attitude to an extent in a dealers ,You know the customers who don’t care and the vehicle comes in covered in mud etc …They will hen complain about paying for a steam clean so the inspection can actually be done ,and will authorise he minimum of repairs…Then you have the customer who looks after his motor ,which generally have very little wrong with them ,generally normal wear and tear …Though they can be probmatic .eg it needs a new valve ,they then get upset because the new one doesn’t come panted the colour the old on was

For Juddian ,you said you like to wash your vehicle before hand ,and as you say nothing will be no trouble …If yu have the old style ZF 16 speed box with the flat top which is ribbed ,the water sits there and corrodes the box mainly at the reverse switch and 1 or 2 other spots

I wish…

Bloody Arsetronic, and i hate autos in lorries at the best of times.

However, should i find myself with a ZF 16er again i shall look out for said problem…a blast with wd40 in the affected areas after a wash worth it?

Ok now and again circumstances will dictate i can’t wash it immediately before the mechanics get it, but its normally so clean chassis wise that you’d never know unless it’s in the depths of winter, discourteous in my opinion to expect some skilled tech to work around 10 lbs of bloody ancient filthy grease under and all around the fifth wheel and ingrained muck everywhere else.
If the driver can’t give a toss why should the mechanic put themselves out to do their best?

[norb]

the design was in your words so bloody awful,i remember an instructor pointing it out in the mid 90s…that wd 40 won’t help …As is normal ZF blamed everyone bar themselves …

I feel your pain with the as tronic ,I have to fix it … As a gearbox it is perfect mechanically ,it is a crash box ,only synchros are on the split and range …It’s the electronics that let it down ,tryng to get it to work with various manufacturers engines . Which is where Volvo have solved the issue ,the engines and gearbox are designed to work with each other.Well that is my opinion Obviously with as tronic manufacturers have input on the software they want ,but it is never the same as doing both in house…As tronic is more of a generic set up.it does a lot of vehicles but not great ,a jack of all trades but not great at anything ■■?.Obviously it has improved ten fold since it’s conception ,but it till isn’t any great shakes .And there is a knack to getting the best out of it .It relies on the driver more than I shift …A driver who isn’t in a rush and can read the road will get the best from it…So it does need help from a driver…Now here is a question ,with the advent of them being used more and more on tests ,is there a bigger chance of failing your test with as tronic than passing ■■? ie pulling out at junctions and roundabouts ,where it likes to have a siesta

[norb]

Another small point juddian ,it is nice to get vehicles in that are looked after …We have a customer who after a vehicle is 6 weeks old looks like a 3 year old vehicle ,it is soul destroying …With the advent of wraps I feel sorry for the poor sod who ends up with it ,as guaranteed ,if they knew the previous owner they would avoid it like the plague

[newmercman]

In my experience there is a direct correlation between how clean a driver keeps his lorry and how he does the job, a driver that keeps a clean lorry is one that will keep up on defect reporting (usually found at the start of a shift) they usually find trailers with missing mudflaps or curtain buckles, rather than drop them, they will hand in paperwork that’s neat and tidy and not screwed up into a ball, their fuel consumption tends to be better, as does tyre and brake life.

Another good indication of this is how they park, if it’s all in a straight line with wheels pointing straight, there’s a good chance they’re doing everything else professionally too.

I have two lorries, mine is OCD clean the other, not so much. I had the second lorry from brand new and when I got out of it after 18months the sweet spot percentage reading in the computer was 99%, 6months later it’s down to 96% and to put that into perspective, I was pulling two trailers at up to 63.5tons with it, my driver runs around with one trailer at 36tons.

Sent from my SM-T805W using Tapatalk

[radar19]

newmercman:
In my experience there is a direct correlation between how clean a driver keeps his lorry and how he does the job, a driver that keeps a clean lorry is one that will keep up on defect reporting (usually found at the start of a shift) they usually find trailers with missing mudflaps or curtain buckles, rather than drop them, they will hand in paperwork that’s neat and tidy and not screwed up into a ball, their fuel consumption tends to be better, as does tyre and brake life.

Another good indication of this is how they park, if it’s all in a straight line with wheels pointing straight, there’s a good chance they’re doing everything else professionally too.

I have two lorries, mine is OCD clean the other, not so much. I had the second lorry from brand new and when I got out of it after 18months the sweet spot percentage reading in the computer was 99%, 6months later it’s down to 96% and to put that into perspective, I was pulling two trailers at up to 63.5tons with it, my driver runs around with one trailer at 36tons.

Sent from my SM-T805W using Tapatalk

I must be the exception. My lorry isn’t a pit but its not exactly “clean”. You can tell its lived in but it doesn’t reek of smoke, I give it a good blast of Oust at the end of each shift. The outside is cleaned by a local two man crew that come in on Saturday and pressure wash everything. I make sure my POD’s aren’t screwed up. I still can’t park right after two years, I can get it on a bay no problem but ask me to get it in the middle of a parking space all straight and such, I got no chance.

[newmercman]

Radar, there are always exceptions to every rule. However you sound as if you’re at least trying to get it straight, so the effort is there, that’s the important part of it.

I’m not a dash polisher, I don’t like a shiny dash in fact, my cleanliness comes from being lazy in fact, I can’t be arsed cleaning my cab out all the time, yet I can’t stand a dirty cab, so I try my utmost to keep it from getting dirty in the first place.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[the_nodding_donkey]

Pat Hasler:
I spend at least 4 nights in my truck sleeping and insist it is spotless, I always have done on every driving job I have had since I started in 1975, I will brush the floor each time I get out for any reason. Now here’s a tip …
I have been stopped at several times for DOT checks, or in your case VOSA and have been supprised to be let go very quickly and given the all clear. I was told by one cop that it was because my cab interior is clean, it seems the very fist thing most inspectors, be it VOSA or DOT look for is a clean floor, if there are food wrappers or other rubbish on the floor it shows the driver has no regard for taking care of the vehicle and therefore probably does not do pre trip checks etc. One DOT cop in particular commented to me as he handed me an ‘all clear’ inspection sheet that he wasn’t going to waste time doing a full inspection because the floor was so clean and if I take that much care of the interior the rest of the vehicle would have been looked after. I was stopped once at the same time as some other driver, the driver concerned had a cap on and a pony tail, I was given the all clear within minutes and they went to town on his cab, I asked the cop why he was being held up and the answer was “He is scruffy and has a pony tail, if he doesn’t care about his image he certainly doesn’t care about the truck”

Yeahaa. . The land of the free. As long as you conform to our narrow set of racist, homophobic, misogynist, double standards.

(Yes, I am scruffy. Yes, I have a ponytail. Yes, I am a professional driver. With a spotless cab. Clean exterior. Polished alloy diesel tank. And clean tacho and no defects. So pffffft… )

[andrewg]

Being completely ocd with my house the truck is the same, as well as spotless to the eye its also bacterialogically clean. Didnt buy it new but it was still in virtually new shape…even so, out came both seats and the bunk to be wet vac deep cleaned as well as the carpets/ curtains and any other fabrics. Also removed all the vents and trunking to be washed out as well as the pollen filter box. I keep Dyson battery vac on board and its done every day in every ■■■■ and cranny. The place i use will pressure wash and then hand wash and dry the outside and once a month it has a complete paintwork/ ally polish. Maybe OTT but to me keeping my truck clean is always top of the list…

[whiplash]

007 (7) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
008 (8) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
009 (7) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
010 (8) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
011 (9) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
6 year old Raba,going back from whence it came!
Dare I say,cleaner than the way I got it from the dealers.

[pat_hasler]

the nodding donkey:

Pat Hasler:
I spend at least 4 nights in my truck sleeping and insist it is spotless, I always have done on every driving job I have had since I started in 1975, I will brush the floor each time I get out for any reason. Now here’s a tip …
I have been stopped at several times for DOT checks, or in your case VOSA and have been supprised to be let go very quickly and given the all clear. I was told by one cop that it was because my cab interior is clean, it seems the very fist thing most inspectors, be it VOSA or DOT look for is a clean floor, if there are food wrappers or other rubbish on the floor it shows the driver has no regard for taking care of the vehicle and therefore probably does not do pre trip checks etc. One DOT cop in particular commented to me as he handed me an ‘all clear’ inspection sheet that he wasn’t going to waste time doing a full inspection because the floor was so clean and if I take that much care of the interior the rest of the vehicle would have been looked after. I was stopped once at the same time as some other driver, the driver concerned had a cap on and a pony tail, I was given the all clear within minutes and they went to town on his cab, I asked the cop why he was being held up and the answer was “He is scruffy and has a pony tail, if he doesn’t care about his image he certainly doesn’t care about the truck”[/quot
Yeahaa. . The land of the free. As long as you conform to our narrow set of racist, homophobic, misogynist, double standards.

(Yes, I am scruffy. Yes, I have a ponytail. Yes, I am a professional driver. With a spotless cab. Clean exterior. Polished alloy diesel tank. And clean tacho and no defects. So pffffft… )

WTF are you on about ? I just pointed out what a cop had told me, nothing racist, homophobic or misogynistic about it. I don’t care if you are a scruffy homosexual and it upsets you, you just carry on your homosexual life driver.

[dipper_dave]

Well my interest level has gone up a couple of notches.

[tony_saprano]

whiplash:
007 (7) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
008 (8) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
009 (7) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
010 (8) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
011 (9) by Niall Daniels, on Flickr
6 year old Raba,going back from whence it came!
Dare I say,cleaner than the way I got it from the dealers.

You speaky my language. 10/10.

[juddian]

norb:
the design was in your words so bloody awful,i remember an instructor pointing it out in the mid 90s…that wd 40 won’t help …As is normal ZF blamed everyone bar themselves …

I feel your pain with the as tronic ,I have to fix it … As a gearbox it is perfect mechanically ,it is a crash box ,only synchros are on the split and range …It’s the electronics that let it down ,tryng to get it to work with various manufacturers engines . Which is where Volvo have solved the issue ,the engines and gearbox are designed to work with each other.Well that is my opinion Obviously with as tronic manufacturers have input on the software they want ,but it is never the same as doing both in house…As tronic is more of a generic set up.it does a lot of vehicles but not great ,a jack of all trades but not great at anything ■■?.Obviously it has improved ten fold since it’s conception ,but it till isn’t any great shakes .And there is a knack to getting the best out of it .It relies on the driver more than I shift …A driver who isn’t in a rush and can read the road will get the best from it…So it does need help from a driver…Now here is a question ,with the advent of them being used more and more on tests ,is there a bigger chance of failing your test with as tronic than passing ■■? ie pulling out at junctions and roundabouts ,where it likes to have a siesta

Well funnily enough i’d had Volvo autos before, including a Geartronic circa '92, and to be fair they got it about as right as anyone has, and got better since.

However i had the misfortune to get a 3 pedal Scania Opticruise thingy in 2006 under a car transporter body, bloody nora what a thing that was, about three weeks into having it i approached a set of traffic lights on a steep hill and had to trun left onto the main road, i’d been using it in auto, of course it set off at its own leisurely pace and then decided to change gear sloooooowwwlllyyyy half way round and the engine promptly stalled out…cue me spitting me dummy out.
Since that moment i’ve never driven a Scanny or Arsetronic in anything other than manual mode, as you rightly say they do need a bit of help to perform well, better fuel better engine/exhaust braking better control of the revs at junctions and smoother progress overall…but despite doing all you can they still frustrate regularly causing lots of cussing…

The Scanny box responds really well to manual input, the Arstronic still tries to fight you all the way reluactant at the best of times, and as you will well know none more so than in the latest Daf’s which (and i daresay you know a way round it) default back to auto after about 30 seconds no matter what you do as a driver, and i’m dreading getting a Daf to replace the MAN when it goes back in about 18 months…nothing against Daf’s as such, this MAN replaced a CF 460 with the 16 speed manual, cracking little motor that which pulled like a train and sipped fuel.

Never thought about the implications of a driving test with one, it takes months to fully synchronise the feathering of the throttle at take off so you don’t lurch off up the road when you’ve been driving years, so could easily imagine a trainee after a whole 3 days bloody ‘‘training’’ snapping the examiners neck if they happen to be in an MAN and launch…

[desypete]

There are so many men who should of been born a female in the driving game these days they don’t want to work long hours. They don’t want to drive trucks with gears . They don’t know how to use a map and would get lost if there sat nav ran out of power and they want there cabs to smell like perfume shop bunch of bloody fairy’s drivers are these days class 2 numb nuts I bet

[juddian]

Dear Desypete, you are Windsor Davies as in It Aint 'Alf Hot Mum’s Sarn’t Major role, and i claim my five pounds.

Say ‘‘i am a man and you are a bunch of poofs’’ in yer best Welsh lilt to confirm please…

[radar19]

desypete:
There are so many men who should of been born a female in the driving game these days they don’t want to work long hours. They don’t want to drive trucks with gears . They don’t know how to use a map and would get lost if there sat nav ran out of power and they want there cabs to smell like perfume shop bunch of bloody fairy’s drivers are these days class 2 numb nuts I bet

Sshhhh, no more tears.

[pat_hasler]

Personally I like to see a pony tail on a man, it reminds me of real horses, when you lift it up there’s an a$$ hole underneath LOL

[sumsmeister]

Dipper_Dave:
You could always tell where the previous drivers have had their sat navs. This ranged from in the middle of the screen to the passenger side, even once there was a ring on the outside drivers mirror.

Stick-on extra-wide mirror? Mind boggling here…