Over the years, I have received reports from customers who arrived at their destinations safely because of their Onspots. However, the most humbling accounts are from people who were saved because someone else had Onspots or the realization that they wish they had Onspots.
Guest Blog, no 2 from the Haaks
After quite some vacation we’re on tour again! In a way, the winter is our favourite season when we perform in the different ski resorts, and the audiences are always wonderful. Our first week of the tour was spent in the classical hotel Sälens Högfjällshotell, in Sweden. The sun was shining, the slopes were filled with skiers, and already by four o’clock, the after ski was crowded with partygoers. A very special thing about this week was us co-arranging a corporate event, resulting in 250 happy hairdressers on the show.
Maybe you’ve been there? The road is becoming icy and slippery and you ought to get out there to mount the snow chains. But you’re in a hurry, so mounting time would cost you another hour of delay or so. And besides, you don’t feel like leaving your warm cab for the freezing cold roadside… So, is there a trick to get traction anyway? Actually, there is a trick that many experienced drivers know of. Yet, it’s a controversial trick. Here’s why!
Nothing is a direct route in trucking and we had to attend a recertification class in January. We carry a lot of hazardous materials, hazmat for short. As a result, we are required to attend classes every two years, have a background check, provide fingerprints, and take a hazmat test to keep our commercial driver’s licenses compliant. This year we had to attend the class which was held in my birthplace of Tucson, Arizona. We had to be in class on January 13th and our route was anything but straight.
Guest Blog
In this week's post we'll get a glimps of how it is to work in the expedite industry as a team truck driver. A way of working that is quite common in the USA, but not so familiar to us outside the USA. A team truck driver drives with another driver. While one driver operates the truck, the other rests or sleeps. Drivers on a team can work out their own schedule and hours. Using a driving team allows a truck to be on the road continuously, resulting in faster delivery of the products on board. This week's writer, Linda Caffee, is an industry leader and a well known team truck driver in the USA. She will share her experience from the roads on the Onspot blog. We think that Linda's experience is of great value for all of us in the haulage industry.
/The Onspot team.
Getting started as truck drivers was not as easy as it sounds. After twenty years as a diesel mechanic Bob decided he wanted to start driving trucks instead of working on them. I, Linda at the time worked at our local county courthouse and we were facing the “empty nest syndrome” as our youngest daughter was heading off to college. The idea sounded appealing and we started our research.
"When I get a call from a driver saying 'Today I was saved by Onspot' it's already paid off"!
This quote is from Rolf-Olav Tenden, owner of Thor Tenden Transport AS in Norway. It is a quote that sums it all up quite well. When you, as an owner of a transport company can relax, knowing that your drivers are using vehicles with the right equipment. Equipment that is reliable and makes sure that the driver makes it to the delivery point regardless of the weather. And also brings them home safe.
Guest Blog
Although Onspot automatic snow chains are mostly used in transportation trucks and rescue vehicles, of course there are other users who also need to make it in time. This week’s guest blogger, Jonas and Henrik from the Haaks band, points out that also showbiz has the very same need. Enjoy! / the Onspot team
We’re Haaks, a show band who have been playing full-time for the past 24 years. It’s me Jonas (bass & vocals), my brother Johan (guitar & vocals), Mattias (keyboards), Roger (drums) and me Henrik (sound & light).
From being mostly a night club band, we’re now doing more and more company events and happenings. Especially, we look forward to the after beach gigs in the summer and the after ski gigs in the winter. Nothing compares to entertaining people who are on vacation. Summertime, we’re mostly in Swedish Tylösand and Tanumstrand and wintertime is mostly about Swedish and Norwegian ski resorts. All gigs also mean that we spend a lot of time out on the roads and it requires good planning.
We all know that friction and traction is crucial to avoid sliding vehicles and spinning wheels. (To learn more, read the blog post What is traction, friction and road grip?) When driving, we have a sense of whether road friction is high or low. But is there a measure for road friction? If so, how could that be calculated since there are several different variables summing up as road friction? Let’s have a closer look at this “road friction”.
We should pay special attention to bridges and overpasses when driving in temperatures around freezing point. We’ve learnt that bridges may be icy while the road isn’t, and that’s all we need to know to for safety reasons. But, giving it a second thought, how could the bridge be icy when the road isn’t? Here’s why.
From all of us to all of you:
Happy New Year!
2017 will be an even better year