Safety Tips for Truck Drivers

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Shiotsu

Tips for Safe Truck Driving

Truck drivers face an excessively high risk for crash and even of serious health issues. Many crashes on highways can be avoided if truck drivers take appropriate care while driving. This care includes the handling of your truck, maintenance of your truck, taking care while your truck is in parking etc. The most important is taking care of your own health, as you are the most important part of the truck. Here are a few safety tips for truck drivers. Make safe truck driving your top priority.

1. Inspect your Truck Parts

Inspecting your truck before every trip is always a must. You can avoid unnecessary stress by checking each and every part before you take your vehicle on the highways. This way you are sure about the functioning of your truck. If any defects or repairs are detected, you can get them fixed before you start your trip.

Brakes
Good brake system is equally essential for safe driving.
Your truck can be easily controlled with perfect braking system. Check brake fluid regularly.

Safety Belts
Safety belt is very important for safety truck driving. It stops you being thrown from truck during crash. It also lessens the likelihood of you bumping with the interior.

Mirrors and Wipers
Check that nothing is blocking your visibility like glare windows or tinted windows. The easily adjustable mirrors are convenient to suit different driving positions. Good mirrors are helpful while parking, reversing and changing lanes. Good working condition of wipers helps maintain clear visibility.

Truck Exhaust System
Taking proper care of exhaust system will definitely help in fuel efficiently.  Good exhaust system emits less pollutant gases. Maintaining engine also helps to fewer emissions. Taking care of your truck is indirectly taking care of nature as less smoke, less noise means less air pollution, less noise pollution.

2. Take Care of Your Health

You, as the truck driver, are the most important part of truck, so do not neglect your health. Take enough amount of rest before driving. If you feel drowsy then you should not drive. Take a nap and start driving after you find yourself fresh and energetic. You should keep yourself fit and healthy while you are on highways.

3. Take Care while Driving

Follow Speed Rules
Always follow the suggested speed rules or limits. Do not drive too slowly blocking other vehicles. Keep the safe distance between your truck and the other vehicles. Usually a truck requires more stopping distance compared to other vehicles. Stay away from aggressive drivers.

Be alert at NO-ZONE areas
You are aware about blind spots of your truck, but not the other vehicle drivers. Use proper signals while changing lanes or turns, which will help the other vehicle drivers. Most of the crashes occur in no-zone area, so be careful in such areas.

Reduce Speed in work zone
You may find that lanes get redirected due to reconstruction or any other work being carried on the highways. Slow down and adjust your truck in such work zones. This will help you to follow the instruction provided there, which will help to other drivers and yourself too.

Follow Load limits
Carrying excess load is dangerous. Avoid heavy equipments in your truck. It might cause a serious injury during crash. More care is needed if you are carrying dangerous goods like flammable liquids.

Help Others
Help trapped motorists. Inform about crashes and unsafe road conditions to traffic safety agencies. Participate in public safety programs. Your helping nature and performance will help to change the perception of others regarding highway safety.

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Isuzu Trucks – Top Position in Africa

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Shiotsu

High demand steers Isuzu Trucks to top position in Africa

There is a huge demand for trucks & buses in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. This helped Isuzu Trucks to acquire the top most position in exporting vehicles to Africa. This increase in demand is clearly visible in the very first week of the year 2013. General Motors, Isuzu’s marketing agency for Trucks has given a positive estimation of prospects for company’s sub-Saharan African sales.

The Kenya Motor Industry Association’s data shows that out of 97 units sold, 72 units were of Isuzu buses, trucks and pick-ups. This market share of Isuzu units sold was around 74%.

Popularity of Isuzu Trucks in Africa

Commercial vehicles by Isuzu are accepted in this province as the activities in manufacturing, construction and transportation industry are increased.  As the high prices of cars affected saloon division, the demand for second hand vehicles increased. Various factors like slowing inflation, legislation changes and improvement in infrastructure have affected the Isuzu’s sales. Continue reading →

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Hino cabover 195 Truck gets New Air Suspension

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Shiotsu

New air suspension system for Hino Cabover 195

Hino trucks had introduced its cabover model 195 into the automotive market this year. This new model gave a record breaking success to Hino. Around 55% sales were of model 195 among the total sales. The company has also plans to introduce their new double-cab option next year. Hino recently displayed a model 195 truck with newly designed air suspension system at ExpoCam show held in Montreal, Canada.

This new air suspension is specially designed for Hino cabover 195 and will be available since August this year on the engine 19,500 GVWR cabover model. However, this air suspension will not be available on other models of Hino trucks. Link Manufacturing Co. designed this new system in Sioux Center at Iowa. This air suspension system consists of dual air bags & a 12v compressor. It also consists of a magnetic sensor for controlling height which will help to balancing frame height. All these features makes the transportation of goods and cargo smoother especially for shock sensitive items.

Delicate commodities like eggs, special electrical parts & flowers need to be transported safely. Also glass products and hazardous materials need special care while transportation. And this new air suspension is a boon for transporters of such delicate items The system senses deflection over 10 mm & then adds or removes air from air bag. Continue reading →

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Women Better at Buying Used Cars

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Shiotsu

Want a Better Used Car? Buy like a Woman

Are women actually good in pickings better car? Increasing evidences shows that it is indeed true that women are better than men when it comes to buying used cars . A recent research about used car buying preferences has also confirmed this.

A recent study of habits regarding buying used cars suggests that women have a tendency to do more research and have more practical choice of a used car they prefer to buy. Women ask tougher questions while buying a used car and insist on having a mechanic inspect before buying. The survey has also found that men generally buy considering visceral aspects whereas women make more realistic choices.

woman buying used car

Women’s Used Car Buying Habits

As per the survey 27% of men consult with their family members or friends before buying used cars; whereas about 51 % of females consult with their friends and family members before buying used vehicles. Men generally get cheated in used car deals as they don’t generally like to take advice. On the contrary, women are keen to take advice & plan before confirming their car options. This obviously helps them in taking precise decisions. This also helps women to be happy with their decision of purchasing a used car.

Approximately 65% of women are satisfied with their used car purchase deal and very few women says that they did not get a good deal. If we consider the ratio, you will find that 43 % of men are not satisfied with their used car buying deal.

It is just surprising that many buyers of used vehicles are still taking risks by neglecting the basic checks before buying. The survey says that nearly 30% of the used car and truck buyers do not perform the basic checks like cross checking V5 and MOT to verify the ownership and the vehicle details. Just taking this step can save the used car buyer from lot of troubles.

Which used cars women prefer?

The survey also throws light on the gender gap while selecting a used vehicle. Continue reading →

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Hitachi’s Self-driving Robotic Car ROPITS

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Shiotsu

Hitachi Unveils ROPITS -  Tiny Car Drives Itself

Hitachi Ltd. has recently revealed a driver-less tiny electric car to assist elderly citizens & citizens with mobility disabilities. This one seater self-driving robotic car uses GPS system to carry its single passenger. Hitachi displayed a prototype of this car recently in the Tsukuba city to demonstrate how this car is designed to automatically pick up & drop passengers. Hitachi has named this self-driven car ROPITS or Robot for Personal Intelligent Transport System.

Many automakers and researchers are working on autonomous vehicles technology. Google car is a great example of this. This self driven car ROPITS by Hitachi resembles to Toyota i-Road which was revealed recently at Geneva Motor Show. Both these car prototypes from Toyota and Google promise fewer accidents, safe highway driving and less traffic jam. However, this tiny car by Hitachi doesn’t require direct control by the passenger.

This narrow car is designed to aid the needs of aging population as well as physically challenged individuals in Japan. The course & transport time of ROPITS can be programmed through map-loaded tablet computer. This is the unique factor of this self driven car. ROPITS can be used on sidewalks. Once the passenger uses the tablet PC to summon the car, it reaches to the location of the passenger. And passengers just need to indicate their destination using a touch screen. ROPITS is ideally suitable to move in & out of pedestrian spaces and even in crowded streets.

This tiny car ROPITS is equipped with a laser distance sensor, special stereoscopic camera & laser ranger finder. Continue reading →

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Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks in Malaysia, Australia

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Shiotsu

Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks in Australia and Malaysia

Japanese commercial auto maker, Mitsubishi Fuso truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC)  has developed their sales networks in more than 150 countries. And now the company is concentrating to sustainably reinforce their export business in Asia Pacific auto markets. Mitsubishi Fuso has received a large order of light weight and medium weight trucks in the first quarter of this Year. Fuso’s global bus and truck brand has to supply more than 650 Fuso Fighters (medium duty truck) and Fuso Canters (light duty truck) to Australia and Malaysia.

This large order includes 185 Fuso Canter (light-duty trucks) for Australia and 466 Fuso Fighter (medium-duty trucks) for Malaysian. Southern Waste Management is the top waste disposal company in Malaysia, who already has 474 Fuso trucks. With this new order, they will now have 950 commercial vehicles with them. The order of 185 Fuso Canter trucks is from Star Track which is also a top freight and logistics services provider in Australia. Star Track already owns 3000 commercial vehicles and now they have sent order for FUSO to supplement their existing truck fleet. Continue reading →

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No import duty on Japanese cars in Malaysia by 2016

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Shiotsu

Import duty on Japanese cars in Malaysia to be reduced by 2016

Malaysian Government is taking firm step to reduce import duties on cars from Australia and Japan. Government of Malaysia was so far imposing high import taxes to protect local auto manufacturers. This protection given to local car makers was a great hurdle for foreign automakers and resulted in high car prices for  the customers. With Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), Malaysian government will dismantle some of the duties levied on import of cars.

At present, Malaysia Government charges high import duty on vehicles imported from Australia and Japan. For Japanese cars the import duty is 15% whereas it is 13.6% for the Australian cars. Now, Southeast Asian Nations Association signed an agreement which will reduce the import duties on cars from these two countries. The measures announced by AFTA shows that it will eliminate the import tax for cars from these two countries by 2016.

Imported Car Prices in Malaysia

Car prices in Malaysia have reduced by 3% to 5 % since Oct 2012. This reduction is a result of import duty on Southeast Asia cars being eliminated since Jan 2010. The further drop in the Malaysian auto prices will be seen as the Government is about to sign more Free Trade Agreements with other foreign countries. Continue reading →

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Toyota Lexus Most Dependable Car

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Shiotsu

Lexus tops J.D. Power’s most dependable car ranking

The luxury brand by Toyota Motor Corp – Toyota Lexus – is on top for the vehicle dependability as per the 2013 annual vehicle dependability survey conducted by the U.S. research firm J.D. Power and Associates. It is the second consecutive year Lexus has taken the top slot. The 2013 vehicle dependability rankings were decided on the basis of number of problems reported by the owners of 100 cars of each make and model.

toyota lexus j d power award

According to the J.D. Power survey, Cars, trucks and other vehicles are becoming more reliable than in the years before. Overall, the Japanese automaker Toyota is on the third position on the list. While other Japanese automakers also stood above the average in solving car problems. These automakers are Honda, Suzuki and Mazda. Honda is on the 7th position, Suzuki is at 10th position and Mazda is at 11th position for vehicle dependability. The survey also says that other Japanese car makers like Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru are making their best efforts to become the choice of American vehicle buyers.

History of Lexus as the Most Dependable Car

Lexus was every time on the top of the survey for last 14 successive years, however, it just dipped in rankings from from 2008 due to vehicle recall. Continue reading →

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Suzuki Mini Truck Production in Myanmar

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Shiotsu

Suzuki to Manufacture Mini Trucks in Myanmar

Suzuki Motor Corp. is one of the major Japanese auto manufacturers that builds subcompact trucks also called as mini trucks or Kei trucks. Suzuki will soon start manufacturing mini trucks in Myanmar. Suzuki has received Myanmar government approval for the establishment of its new subsidiary to start production of mini trucks in Myanmar. Suzuki has plans to start its mini truck manufacturing in Myanmar,  from May 2013.

suzuki mini trucks japan myanmar

Why Japanese Mini Trucks?

Japanese mini truck is the perfect choice for those who want a 4WD light utility vehicle that is flexible, reliable and economical. These mini trucks from Japan are ideal for Construction sites, farms, horticultural businesses, light manufacturing businesses, hunting, Parks and Zoos, Golf courses, Resorts, Hotels, Educational as well as corporate campuses. That is the reason why Japanese mini trucks or kei trucks have a huge demand.

Suzuki is the biggest auto manufactures in Japan and stands forth in total auto sales in the home country. And, Suzuki is well known especially for small cars and mini trucks. Mazda mini trucks are also essentially manufactured by Suzuki itself.  Suzuki also shares common components of Mazda mini trucks with slight cosmetic changes.

With the new subsidiary in Myanmar, Suzuki plans to enter the mini truck market Southeast Asian countries. Continue reading →

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Hino Truck model 195h named Medium Duty Commercial Truck of the Year

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Shiotsu

Hino Trucks 195h Awarded ATD Medium Duty Commercial Truck of the Year

The Hino Trucks Class-5 diesel-electric hybrid model 195h was rewarded as the top commercial truck of the year in the medium duty class 3-7 category by the ATD (American Truck Dealers). Again for one more time in this year, Hino truck is privileged by American Truck Dealers Association with this prestigious reward. Each time when a truck is entered into annual competition, Hino has taken the American Truck Dealer’s Medium Duty of the year award. In the year 2010, Hino’s model 268 and in 2011, Model 338 has won this award.

hino truck 195h

Hino Trucks 195h has the features like fuel saving operation, smooth and high tech equipment, maneuverability, great visibility and comfort which impressed the judges to select it for the Medium Duty class 3-7 type. In its 4 years of subsistence, Hino was rewarded for the 3rd time by American Truck Dealer’s Medium Duty Truck award. In fact, from the field of 5 medium duty trucks type, the trucks were chosen.  In last October, a five member juries of reporters reviewed the trucks. While judging they included the categories like driving satisfaction, safety, design as well as innovation.

There were other trucks which are nominated for heavy duty truck and medium duty truck award. Continue reading →

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