Comments By SCWZ

First of all, the politicians shouldn't be forcing everyone to use electric vehicles when the current renewable energy sources don't provide enough electricity and aren't reliable. They're also against fission reactors, which would be the only reliable way to provide massive amounts of power. Their goals should instead be promoting technology that further offsets, but doesn't eliminate, fossil fuels.

All electric semi trucks that match diesel trucks are out of the realm of possibility for at least the next couple decades. They should instead focus on hybrid technologies and reefer trailers. Reefer trailers could have solar panels on the roof, utilize excess power from a truck's alternator and have power cells equally distributed on the undercarriage. All the old, nasty and loud reefers could be phased out. Also, all the obnoxiously loud lawn mowers strapped on the back of trucks (diesel generators) could be replaced by electric inverters. There will be less pollution and way less noise pollution in truck stops.

The main questions are: 1. Can you use the utilities while transporting (probably not) 2. How do you get back after you've finished the delivery?

And note to people wanting to buy new trucks. DON'T get them with adaptive cruise control or collision prevention. They cause way to many headaches and don't really help either. Maybe the radar showing the speed of vehicle ahead of you helps some, but that's pretty much it.

I keep getting a "forward radar blocked" error on my International LT. It now happens within half an hour every time and it always disables cruise control. The OnGuard radar unit in the front of the truck has been completely clean when the error occurs. So effectively I can't use cruise control pretty much the whole day and I can't stop every 20-30 minutes to restart my truck to make the error go away. I stopped at a Schneider OC and told them about the issue but they never fixed it either. How do I fix this issue because it's really starting to **** me off???

About a month ago and in the span of a couple weeks: Two people pulled out in front of me on the highway on seperate occasions. Some dumb hillbillies ran a red light and almost ran me over at a pedestrian crossing when I was off duty. A car passed me in a no-passing zone almost getting into a head on collision which would killed them and wrecked me.

The most I've got was 3,400 miles going from Washington to Florida with 2 stops total.

I was wondering what triggers those signs to turn on. Is it a weather station that sends out the signals to turn on the signs? Also, what conditions cause the signal to be sent out? I see the 'chain required' in pretty much all the icy parts of Cali, but Colorado doesn't appear to have those signs. In Colorado, should I automatically put on chains if the temperature goes below a certain temperature? Is there something I should be looking for besides ice or snow?

And I've seen the 'commercial vehicles prohibited due to high winds' signs on stretches of the 93 in Nevada. What makes that part of the desert need those signs? The 58 in Cali or the I-40 seem to get just as windy but they don't have the wind advisory signs...

The bottom line here folks is that if a man dares to help a female without her express consent and/or gives the wrong look, he should be dragged away in handcuffs.

I forgot to mention that it records as well. The footage from it could be invaluable if you're rear ended. And technology in semis has always lagged behind compared to what was in cars. Do you think backup cameras will catch on at some point in commercial vehicles?

I would continue to use the original forum post I made on this topic, but you can't edit posts here so I will just link it:

https://www.truckingtruth.com/truckers-forum/Topic-33429/Page-1/wireless-back-up-cameras

I ended up buying some back up cameras from Amazon. The first two wouldn't work as the Garmin one had to be wired and the other one was limited by bluetooth. The 3rd one I got appears to be the best option on the market right now for semi trailers or 5th wheels (https://a.co/d/cE4t9Ta).

What makes this one work is that it has very strong magnets to keep it in place and has longer antennas that can reach over 100'. If you stick this thing to solid metal, it won't be going anywhere, even if you go over nasty potholes or have an accident. This camera will be very hard to lose even if you drop and hook (ppl discussed this in the last post). Your monitor will turn blue if you drive off without it...

It has night vision too to let you see in the dark (see photo below). My truck has pretty good back up lights and I can assure you this camera was still useful.

I deliver using liftgates which is why I wanted a backup camera. In high traffic urban areas, you can GOAL as much as you like, but that doesn't prevent something from getting into your blindspot as you get back into your truck. I'm mainly using the camera as an extra level of safety. For example, cars have the same blindspot directly behind them and backup cameras have save kids from getting run over in a driveway. As discussed in my last topic about CBs, they can be useful few and far between, however when they are useful they can be a lifesaver.

I will keep experimenting with the backup camera and report my findings in another post. FYI, if you want to try this on a regular swing door dry van, you will need a clamping cargo door lock to mount it to the trailer. That will keep it centered and at a good height. Needless to say, it won't stick to an aluminum frame or fiberglass door.