My first case of 'user error'

[B_K]

I "grandfathered" on my CDL way back in 1988 or 1989 before they even became MANDATORY by law but the lady that owned the towing service I worked for wanted ALL her drivers to be CDL compliant well in advance of the requirement.

So I never had to take the skills test only the written tests which I passed ALL off and got ALL endorsements on my class A CDL.

But I do know that once during an inspection at the Truckee, CA scale house the only thing they found wrong was a trailer brake slightly out of adjustment and told me I'd have to call a service truck out to adjust it.
But while the officer was off doing his paperwork I crawled under the truck and adjusted it myself.
When I told him it was fixed he got angry and asked for my air brake adjustment certification card. I told him I didn't have one and had never even heard of one.
He told me that without it my adjustment was not only invalid but also illegal!
he then wrote me another ticket for unauthorized tampering with a commercial vehicle brake system.

I blew a gasket and came very close to going to jail before the superior officer overheard the commotion and came to see what was going on. After a brief period of me arguing with both officers, the superior officer asked me how I knew what I did to the brakes was correct and safe?!?!?
I told him "I had grown up working on vehicles, had been a class 8 wrecker driver and had worked on hundreds of trucks over my working career."
He agreed to check my work, and after doing so told the other officer to tear up the tickets and let me go.

After that the next time I heard of it was years later when our bus company was getting a safety audit by the TN Highway Patrol DOT Division. When the officer asked dad who did our brake inspections. Dad told him I did. The officer then asked for my "certification card" and I didn't have one. To which he asked how we knew that I was qualified to do so. Again I told him " I had grown up working on vehicles, had been a class 8 wrecker driver and had worked on hundreds of trucks and buses over my working career."
To our surprise to that he responded "Well let's get you a certification card then." And he started working on his laptop computer and asked several questions while typing answers. After a few minutes he excused himself for a minute and went out to the trunk of his car. When he returned he put a piece of "card stock" in his portable printer and printed off a copy of a "card" for me along with the supporting documentation for us to keep in the companies files.
He suggested I "cut" the card off the page and laminate it to carry in my wallet, but admitted he knew a lot of people just left it intact and in the company files. (which is what I did, and I have never been asked for it since!)
  BK 

[Zephod]

I hope you ain't driving kids around with that problem. I for one wouldn't drive something that has trouble stopping and all I use to drive around were cattle.

I do. It stops well enough just not gently enough for my liking.


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[brmax]

Its an advantage to be able to adjust the brakes, and or slack adjusters.
Here in the USA a CDL walk around inspection doesnt require one to describe how to do the adjustment on brakes.
You do however have to point to or touch the particular parts your inspecting and describe what they are and what your tested on in the written parts of the exam.
I.E. point to slack adjuster and describe what it is and how you may test the slack and the distance it can have. In this inspection some rods may have the colored plastic washers for this specfic, also to helps protect the chamber from debris. Getting on with it describing to pry by hand or in a safe way using a pry bar useful for the task, and taking the measure. Making sure to describe it is secure both structural and in its standard fasteners mounting.
Not required here but having aspectsof this in the great north one may have to perform securely a standard brake application with pressure, this starts to with chocking wheel. Then by using particular block they may have made or such equipment for holding pedal down.
In any event aplying treadle pressure to above 90psi and placing block or a secure method to keep the pressure. Getting out and to a particular test wheel and checking distance of slack, from a discussed place of measure. Hope this can help some, I would say as i have before the freinds up in the great north, Canada have been instrumental in their testing in more than just CDL type, In an engineering and mechanical way. Many of these particulars have been known here in the US but with their implementation they have since or in following made law here.
With that thanks
Floyd

[richard5933]

Lots of interesting information about air brakes in this thread, but I wanted to remind people who may not know that the hand brake in a 4106 is a mechanical drum brake mounted on the driveline and not part of the air brake system. The adjustment consists of turning a nut to bring the shoes within a specified distance from the drum. Pretty simple stuff. Problem is getting to it close enough to do a thorough inspection when I don't have a safe method of lifting the bus yet.

Richard

1964 PD4106-2412

[Zephod]

Lots of interesting information about air brakes in this thread, but I wanted to remind people who may not know that the hand brake in a 4106 is a mechanical drum brake mounted on the driveline and not part of the air brake system. The adjustment consists of turning a nut to bring the shoes within a specified distance from the drum. Pretty simple stuff. Problem is getting to it close enough to do a thorough inspection when I don't have a safe method of lifting the bus yet.

Richard

1964 PD4106-2412

Lifting it? You can't just roll underneath?
With my school bus I can sit upright once I'm under the skirt.


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[pabusnut]

My first case of "user error" I titled "My Shortest Most Expensive Trip Ever!"

I left my 50 AMP cord plugged into the garage, and... ripped the cord, and bent a baggage bay door beyond repair, and only went 15 ft!  If I hadn't backed onto the cord with the front wheel, all I might have needed was a new plug.

Luke had a good laugh when I bought the door from him a few years ago.

Steve

[Zephod]

My first case of "user error" I titled "My Shortest Most Expensive Trip Ever!"

I left my 50 AMP cord plugged into the garage, and... ripped the cord, and bent a baggage bay door beyond repair, and only went 15 ft!  If I hadn't backed onto the cord with the front wheel, all I might have needed was a new plug.

Luke had a good laugh when I bought the door from him a few years ago.

Steve

That's the only thing I don't like about the Hubble locking plugs that I've used.

A TT30 inlet can't be found under $80 and I'm not prepared to pay $75 over the odds just to line some $41ts pocket. Thus I have Hubble NEMA 6-30 inlet. Oddly, a TT30 connector is dirt cheap. Thus I have a short lead from my 6-30 that ends in a TT30 connector though what I use most of the time is a 6-30 to 5-20 adaptor and an ordinary extension lead.

I'm hoping that if I ever just forget that the plug and connector will just separate. Those 6-30s are hard to find!


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[richard5933]

Lifting it? You can't just roll underneath?
With my school bus I can sit upright once I'm under the skirt.


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Sounds like you've got a lot more clearance than I have. Even if I block the suspension to make it safe to get under, there is not enough room for me to see into the brake drum from the inspection end.

Now twenty years ago when I was younger and not moving like molasses on a winter morning, things would possibly have been different.

Richard


1964 PD4106-2412

[Zephod]

The only places I can't sit upright.... under the engine, the differential, the battery compartment, the fuel tank and the two grey tanks I installed. I can still roll underneath it all to work on it though.


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[B_K]

The only places I can't sit upright.... under the engine, the differential, the battery compartment, the fuel tank and the two grey tanks I installed. I can still roll underneath it all to work on it though.

Zephod you tend to forget that most of the other buses on this forum are OTR coaches with low ground clearance, large luggage bays and air suspensions.

Whole different animals than your skoolie.
But the fact remains we're all busnuts regardless of the bus we're nuts over!
  BK 

[Zephod]

Zephod you tend to forget that most of the other buses on this forum are OTR coaches with low ground clearance, large luggage bays and air suspensions.

Whole different animals than your skoolie.
But the fact remains we're all busnuts regardless of the bus we're nuts over!
  BK 

Yes lol. I think I can get my schoolbus over rougher terrain than most coaches. In fact I drive over one rail crossing in my work bus that has me wondering what kind of drugs the people that made it are on!

Try to get street view of this rail crossing!

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9770699,-81.1012986,20z/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en-US


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[eagle19952]

Exactly. I'm paid to drive, not fix schoolbusses. In fact we are told not to attempt roadside fixes.


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i can assure you...in a liability situ...the mechanic will say he did and the lawyer will say you should have.

there's a big difference between operator maintenance and repairs.
that said 99% of the people here aren't in and out of a shop every day...brakes can need adjusted (clutches too) 300 miles from a "mechanic" who probably looks at a slack adjuster and says..they're self adjusting...aren't they ?

if you can't adjust your brakes you would not drive for me.
typical lunchbox carrying attitude.

[brmax]

Don can you share what your career is or was like.
Im not sure if its joking or what, it sounds like your saying a mechanic would lie in that situation..
I could help some in their business's, I would Fire every dam wanna be mechanic that thought that way. And wonder who thought they were qualified highering them.
Honesty has alway been the first decision maker in my rule book.
A qualified mechanic will or should have and maintain records, if the business doesnt have them or make proper time to train that. Its not much of a business.
I mean in these days record keeping of the technical level as that is elementary.  I had to maintain records in "pen" in the early 80's and that did change quite a bit, I could go on extensively.

Labor day has been good, honestly!
Floyd

[Zephod]

i can assure you...in a liability situ...the mechanic will say he did and the lawyer will say you should have.

there's a big difference between operator maintenance and repairs.
that said 99% of the people here aren't in and out of a shop every day...brakes can need adjusted (clutches too) 300 miles from a "mechanic" who probably looks at a slack adjuster and says..they're self adjusting...aren't they ?

if you can't adjust your brakes you would not drive for me.
typical lunchbox carrying attitude.

It's not an attitude - it's instructions. Drivers are not permitted to do any maintenance whatsoever. No modifications and no maintenance. We are allowed to inspect but instructed to limit that to tires, lights, seats, doors, windows, mirrors, horn, brakes (operation only) and floor.


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