Ontario Trucking News, Issue 114, January 2013

Simple & Affordable Help for Pre-Trip Inspections
By Marek krasuski
There is an aphorism
which says
“truly elegant design
incorporates topnotch
functionality into a
simple, uncluttered form.”
This is a nostrum that the
Calgary-based distributor,
Ron Murphy, has embraced
and applied to the
transportation industry.
Murphy is the exclusive
distributor of a product
both simple in design and
practical in application.
Enter The Extra Foot!
Recently introduced to
the Canadian Marketplace
at Truxpo 2012, The
Extra Foot has attracted
attention from fleets and
owner--operators alike for
its use in performing pretrip
inspections and reinforcing
health and safety
procedures. Unique to the
industry, its primary function
is to safely depress
the brake pedal to allow
drivers to inspect trucks
and trailers for air leaks
and lighting malfunction.
This product, similar in
basic design to a squeegee,
comprises a handle
with adjustable sleeve and
a grooved-head, U-shaped
adaptor. Before vehicle
inspection, the base of the
handle is pressed against
the brake pedal. The handle
is then adjusted to the
optimal length to allow
the driver to firmly lock
the adapter on the other
end of the shaft around
the steering wheel. It’s a
simple solution, Ron Murphy
says, to
ensuring
that
a pre-trip inspection is
conducted efficiently and
safely. “This device frees
drivers from the risk of
employing an improvised
and potentially dangerous
method of holding down
the brake pedal while
checking the vehicle.
Drivers no longer have to
resort to placing a cinder
block on the brake, or
gerry-rigging other unsafe
procedures.”
An era of heightened
safety regulations and
the attendant penalties
for non compliance calls
for additional equipment
that reduces risk and Ron
Murphy envisions The
Extra Foot as another tool
in meeting this objective.
“This device, the first of its
kind to be offered to the
industry, enables drivers
to efficiently perform what
they are required to do. As
an industry the trucking
community across Canada
is committed
to the
CCMTA
Canadian Road Safety
Strategy 2015 with the
vision of making our Canadian
roads the safest in
the world. Incorporating
devices like The Extra
Foot into each company’s
safety policies and putting
one of these in every truck
Branchburg, New
Jersey - Continuing
a long history
of taking a proactive approach
to product development,
Kinedyne recently
revised its chain/
load binder product offering
in an effort to make
them fully compliant with
newly released indus-
in Canada can hopefully
achieve this goal.”
Murphy’s convictions are
supported by testimonials
from transportation
businesses in the United
Kingdom where,
since its
introduction
there three years ago, The
Extra Foot has garnered a
groundswell of support.
“We use The Extra Foot
in all our lorries at Sherling
Steel. It’s a great job.
No more fines for faulty
brake lights or air lines,”
confirms company representative
Gary Sloan.
Included with The Extra
Foot adaptor is a window
scraper and squeegee
which, when used on the
adjustable handle, easily
reach all cab and trailer
windows and lights. Constructed
of plastic and
aluminum, the device is
rated for minus- 40 degree
C temperatures, is
lightweight, and easy to
store by affixing to a cab
panel or trailer wall when
not in use.
Adding to The Extra
Foot’s functionality and
simple design is yet another
distinguishing feature:
Price! A cost of just
$50 includes the adaptor,
adjustable handle, squeegee
and scraper – an oper-
ational expense easily
absorbed by any owneroperator
or fleet intending
to include The Extra Foot
as part of their health and
safety program.
Functional, affordable,
and crucial to safety inspections,
The Extra Foot,
concludes Ron Murphy, “is
another tool for getting
the job done better.”
Contact Ron Murphy,
exclusive Canadian distributor,
for purchasing
and product information
at: ron@shamrockagency.com.
You can reach
Ron at Tel: 403-293-7688,
Cell: 403-585-9234, Fax,
403-452-9288, or www.
theextrafoot.com. V
Load Binder Enhancements
try standards. The Web
Sling and Tie-Down Association
(WSTDA) - for
the first time in its history
- recently published
a set of recommended
standards for load binders.
In the spring of 2011,
the association released
the publication, “WST-
DA T-6 Recommended
Standard Specification for
Load Binders Used with
Chain Tie-Downs,” after a
lengthy review of the matter.
WSTDA is a technical
association dedicated
to the development and
promotion of voluntary
recommended standards.
Members of the WSTDA
include a wide variety of
manufacturers and suppliers
of synthetic lifting
and tie-down products as
well as transport chains
and load
binders.
T h e
new standard
will
help ensure a
minimum level
of quality and
traceability for all
load binders. The
changes to Kinedyne
load binders
were made in anticipation
of action by federal and
local enforcement agencies
to eventually adopt
the new standard into
existing cargo securement
regulations.
All new production of
Kinedyne load binders will
now offer the following
features and benefits:
• Manufactured & tested
neW PrODuCTs & serViCes
per the new WSTDA T-6
Standards for Load Binders.
• Stamped markings on
the binder with the Kinedyne
logo, a manufacturer
code and reference to
the date the binder was
manufactured.
• Tags attached to each
binder with Warning &
Operating Instructions in
trilingual (English, French,
Spanish) language formats.
Kinedyne customers will
eventually receive shipments
of the improved
binders – featuring
all new marking
and
labelingenhancements
– once current
inventories are
depleted from stock on a
part number specific basis.
Customers should
contact one the company’s
Customer Service
centers by telephone
at 800.848.6057
in the United States or at
800.268.3530 in Canada,
or by visiting kinedyne.
com for more details on
all Kinedyne cargo control
products. V
January 2013 17