guido4475
Not a Member
Can you provide any information on this Oregon Aero Safety seat?I'd be interested in this. Thanks in advance.
A Question for Van Drivers?
- Thread starter jjoerger
- Start date
Can you provide any information on this Oregon Aero Safety seat?I'd be interested in this. Thanks in advance.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
Here you go Guido, and thanks for the mentioning it Turtle, I will be ordeing thee portable combo asap monday when they open!!
The company:
Oregon Aero Product Listing
Where I will order:
(I checked a few other retailers and these were the best prices)
Coastal Aircraft Parts LLC
The company:
Oregon Aero Product Listing
Where I will order:
(I checked a few other retailers and these were the best prices)
Coastal Aircraft Parts LLC
whitewolf
Seasoned Expediter
Can you stop it.. leave the cargo vans alone...I was driving a cargo van 8 yrs ago for Panther and I never heard of accidents or swaps... In the last 3-4 yrs when they start taking all the retarded drivers because they need stupid people drive for their fleet owners I've heard horror stories about people sleeping after 1 hr drive...or forgot they way to the shipper...and with swaps is another story..I don't like to give away a nice run after I spent 3 hrs in Chicago and someone is waiting in Gary to take the good part because I was stuck in traffic...give us more time that's what we need...like Tristate does..after you left the shipper you know what time you deliver and if is a swap they told you in the load offer
OK, Here's what I learned so far.
Don't do it. (Greg and LDB)
Get a comfortable seat. (Turtle)
Where to get a comfortable seat. (ChefDennis) I want an ejection seat from there also to help get rid of cranky wife syndrome.
Pace yourself, build up time to take a break (OVM, Turtle, Charles D, gsmacker)
Stay clean and fresh (guido)
Skip the energy drinks (gsmacker, Turtle)
Could someone post where to get these special shorts. I already have the cape, mask and monkey butt powder.
Seriously I am enjoying reading these answers and my question was not meant to try to get the van drivers regulated. I am considering becoming one of them myself.
Don't do it. (Greg and LDB)
Get a comfortable seat. (Turtle)
Where to get a comfortable seat. (ChefDennis) I want an ejection seat from there also to help get rid of cranky wife syndrome.
Pace yourself, build up time to take a break (OVM, Turtle, Charles D, gsmacker)
Stay clean and fresh (guido)
Skip the energy drinks (gsmacker, Turtle)
Could someone post where to get these special shorts. I already have the cape, mask and monkey butt powder.
Seriously I am enjoying reading these answers and my question was not meant to try to get the van drivers regulated. I am considering becoming one of them myself.
Thanks for the concern but I have a great life. 500 miles in a day? Definitely doable almost any day of the year if one is suited for this business. Three times that in a day (Also called mean solar day. a division of time equal to 24 hours and representing the average length of the period during which the earth makes one rotation on its axis.)? Not sensibly or safely. That's a 62.5mph rolling average for 24 hours. That's part of the problem, that people think basically everything is manageable safely. Now if we want to say double then yes, that would often be doable, depending on circumstances since it only requires 41.67mph rolling average leaving plenty of room for fueling, eating, and most importantly resting.
guido4475
Not a Member
Thanks for the link, Chef !! Awesome seat cushion,,that will add hours of comfy driving for the SUPER VANNER !!
guido4475
Not a Member
The 2 main proponents of van regulation:
One is an EX van driver now straight, guess he didn't like the freedom and needed to be regulated...some poor people need more guidance then others ya know eh?
The other is an EX straight who has been so regulated by both DOT and carrier..seems to be having problems being free from his HOS bondage....
Problems being free from the hos bondage as in how? I feel like a eagle, seagull, etc, being this free after what I was in..kinda like the song Seagull from Bad Company...
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
All of the above post are together a good picture on what is needed to perform well in thi industry "no matter what the distance" being driven is....
We need good rest and proper route planning and timing to get from point "A" to point "B" in the bet fashion (and no OVM's Shorts are NOT in good FASHION!)
For me O have driven more then 1000 miles straight thru with no stops exactly 1 time, and i won't happen again. Now i will run any diatance as long a i can figure in the need sleep time to make the run safe....sleep while on a run can be anywhere from 2 hrs to 8 hrs, and we all understand that, but the want works for each of us is different and is also different each time for each individual...how rested were you before you took the load will indicate the need for sleep as whatever point
I do do energy drirks and while i haven't used it since early on in this job, i have a script for "Provgil" ( Provigil - the anti-sleepiness drug | Modafinil ) which was devoloped for the military pilots and is approved for use for Train engineers by the fed trans dept. not sure if the DOT as approved it for us but it works and you don't crash....but it is way expensive. I used it when i 1st started in this business, but found no need to since i can most always get sleep in on a long run....
Keep posting in this, the info from each is good stuff and informative, and Thanks Turtle for the Seat info, as i said it will be ordering the cushino combo in the morning....
We need good rest and proper route planning and timing to get from point "A" to point "B" in the bet fashion (and no OVM's Shorts are NOT in good FASHION!
) For me O have driven more then 1000 miles straight thru with no stops exactly 1 time, and i won't happen again. Now i will run any diatance as long a i can figure in the need sleep time to make the run safe....sleep while on a run can be anywhere from 2 hrs to 8 hrs, and we all understand that, but the want works for each of us is different and is also different each time for each individual...how rested were you before you took the load will indicate the need for sleep as whatever point
I do do energy drirks and while i haven't used it since early on in this job, i have a script for "Provgil" ( Provigil - the anti-sleepiness drug | Modafinil ) which was devoloped for the military pilots and is approved for use for Train engineers by the fed trans dept. not sure if the DOT as approved it for us but it works and you don't crash....but it is way expensive. I used it when i 1st started in this business, but found no need to since i can most always get sleep in on a long run....
Keep posting in this, the info from each is good stuff and informative, and Thanks Turtle for the Seat info, as i said it will be ordering the cushino combo in the morning....
greg334
Veteran Expediter
The 2 main proponents of van regulation:
One is an EX van driver now straight, guess he didn't like the freedom and needed to be regulated...some poor people need more guidance then others ya know eh?
Actually OVM, my comments come from hiring people who end up wrecking my trucks, having a van in my fleet and from seeing accidents up close and personal.
I don't apologize for worrying about safety of others, and the other night I wasn't p*ssed off by the fact I could have been killed but rather by the callousness of the people at the carrier who leased the van.
I can't say much about that incident other than the driver was tired, was late and 1400 miles ahead of him. It was his recklessnesses that is forcing the company to now act, which may (I hope) include firing some people on their dispatching staff. His contract has been terminated.
See OVM it isn't I want the vans regulated, I don't like that idea but it comes down to what Guido pointed out - we are all different. He makes a good case for common sense and limitations for the driver but the only way that can be done if it needs to be is regulating it as a truck.
The problem in this business is that we are all in a situation where the economy is poor, people are hurting and vans are an easy entry into a source of money. The companies take advantage of this, as indicated by the high turnover.
But the OP asked about putting people in a van, not driving it themselves which is two different issues. I wouldn't allow a driver to pull more than 750 miles a day regardless because I can't control them. I am liable for that van, I am the one who put them in the van and set them loose. If they get into an accident with a fatality, the carrier isn't liable but I can be.
I also had a lot of training for disaster recovery work, stress management and other areas where people have to work under a lot of stress and/or boredom and be useful when needed. It is not like I don't come to this issue without any knowledge, I have a lot of it and know (as Guido pointed out) everyone is different.
Just so you know, I have the 2" seat and the full back cushion. I first ordered the base and the lumbar support, but found that becasue of how the Sprinter seat is designed, I needed the full-back cushion instead of just the lumbar support. The full-back comes with a lumbar support, as well.
My seat cushion is the one with the non-skid strips, and the full-back with the lumbar support has the straps. The full-back zippers to the sat base, and the lumbar support can be positioned up and down vial Velcro strips.
On their Web site is ways the full cushion back is to "move a person forward", and that's certainly true in an airplane seat, but in a Sprinter and most van seats, because of the way the seat angles backwards, the full cushion back simply fills the void created by the lumbar support. Without the full cushion back, the lumbar support alone actually made my back hurt. Using the full cushion back with the lumbar support, and the base in combination, makes sitting there in the same place extremely comfortable.
A 2-inch base at $169, and the full cushion back at $169 (and in my case having paid an extra $51 for the lumbar that comes again with the full-back), makes for an expensive seat. However, it's a bargain at twice the price. I'm serious. Best money I've ever spent (with the possible exception of tinting the side windows).
Most сoсkpit seats can be moved forward or rearward, but cannot be raised and lowered like they can with, say, a Sprinter. The different thicknesses of the seat cushion base, for a сoсkpit seat, it is all about how much height you want the cushion to give you, since any thickness with give you about the same amount of comfort. Half inch, one inch, or two inches. They even caution against taller pilots from getting one too thick. However, a сoсkpit seat will not be subjected to the relentless bumping of potholes that a van will, so get the thickest seat cushion. Trust me.
My seat cushion is the one with the non-skid strips, and the full-back with the lumbar support has the straps. The full-back zippers to the sat base, and the lumbar support can be positioned up and down vial Velcro strips.
On their Web site is ways the full cushion back is to "move a person forward", and that's certainly true in an airplane seat, but in a Sprinter and most van seats, because of the way the seat angles backwards, the full cushion back simply fills the void created by the lumbar support. Without the full cushion back, the lumbar support alone actually made my back hurt. Using the full cushion back with the lumbar support, and the base in combination, makes sitting there in the same place extremely comfortable.
A 2-inch base at $169, and the full cushion back at $169 (and in my case having paid an extra $51 for the lumbar that comes again with the full-back), makes for an expensive seat. However, it's a bargain at twice the price. I'm serious. Best money I've ever spent (with the possible exception of tinting the side windows).
Most сoсkpit seats can be moved forward or rearward, but cannot be raised and lowered like they can with, say, a Sprinter. The different thicknesses of the seat cushion base, for a сoсkpit seat, it is all about how much height you want the cushion to give you, since any thickness with give you about the same amount of comfort. Half inch, one inch, or two inches. They even caution against taller pilots from getting one too thick. However, a сoсkpit seat will not be subjected to the relentless bumping of potholes that a van will, so get the thickest seat cushion. Trust me.
AMonger
Veteran Expediter
When I started in a van, I was surprised at how less fatiguing it is, how much more alert and comfortable I was after a long drive as opposed to a TT or ST.
Does your van have reclining seats? I've never had to resort to that, but mine do recline fully. I'd do it if I had to.
As far as extending alertness, I use sunflower seeds. Not the hulled kind, but the kind that you have to hull yourself, in your mouth. I put 15-20 in my mouth at a time and work on them, with a spit cup in the cupholder. It always keeps me awake. And if you get a spicy brand, like Giant Salt and Pepper flavor, the pepper lights your mouth on fire. That will really do it. I suppose if you had something else that involves a lot of chewing or work to eat it, and is very spicy, like peppered beef jerky, that might do the trick, too.
And there's always coffee, the high-octane stuff found at various truck stops.
Greg..Thanks your explanation helps me understand where you are coming from on this topic..
I don't want anyone regulated regardless of vehicle size. I want everyone to do the right thing on their own with no outside regulation. That doesn't happen because some people are bad people. Bad people have to be regulated. Figure out a way to identify only the bad people and regulate only the bad people and take the regulations off the rest. Laws/rules/regulations don't bother those who are honest/legal/good. They only bother those who want to be dishonest/illegal/bad.
Have to disagree, Leo: laws/rules/regulations bother me, if only the 'presumption of guilt' [ie: drug screening]. It bothers me very much that I can't legally afford to take a nap [using the split sleeper log rules] without violating the 14 hr limit, too.
The laws/rules/regulations that require a fee, such as drug tests, are especially bothersome.
Some of the most experienced van drivers in our community have given their opinion and it is an overwhelming NO for the need to regulate....
hondaking38
Veteran Expediter
Personally i dont have to worry about mudane things like a 1000 mile load....with panther, there obsolete anymore.....havent had one in 6 months...