2208_TTJM_AllPages

Safety Series 

Know Your HOS: Mandates require drivers 

to use ELDs to track hours of service 

Along 

for the 

Ride 

Packer Pups: Canine companions make 

life on the road more entertaining for driver 

Behind the Wheel 

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2 THE TRUCKER JOBS MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2022 WWW.THETRUCKERJOBS.COM

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WWW.THETRUCKERJOBS.COM THE TRUCKER JOBS MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2022 3

8 

SAFETY 

16 

Trucker 

talk 

SERIES 

Know Your HOS 

Mandates require 

drivers to use ELDs to 

track hours of service 

BEHIND THE WHEEL 

Living the Dream 

Florida man follows 

family tradition as thirdgeneration 

trucker 

Affton................................................. 25 

Boyle Transportation.........................6-7 

East-West Express.................... 2-3 & 5 

Go Truckers....................................... 33 

KL Harring Transportation................. 29 

LOGiX................................................ 18 

Marten Transport............................... 29 

Nebraska Atlantic Transportation....... 11 

NFI Industries...............................34-35 

Oakley Trucking Inc........................... 23 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

22 

30 

FEATURED BUSINESSES 

ALONG FOR THE RIDE 

Packer Pups 

Canine companions 

make life on the road 

more entertaining 

OWNING THE WHEEL 

Safety Check 

Driver’s should be 

aware of brake issues 

before hitting the road 

PI&I Motor Express.......................14-15 

Progressive Commercial................... 36 

Red Eye Radio.................................. 31 

Reliable Carriers Inc.......................... 19 

Roehl Transport................................... 9 

Star Freight...................................20-21 

TMC Transportation........................... 26 

Tran Stewart...................................... 27 

U.S. Xpress....................................... 12 

Variant............................................... 13 

Do you prefer a tractor with a standard or 

an automatic transmission? Why? 

“ 

I like the automatics. I have arthritis in my shoulder 

from years of shifting a manual. The 12-speed auto 

is really smooth. Don’t have to many problems on slick 

roads. My company also has a policy (that) it’s up to the 

driver to run or not. When I did oilfield work I preferred 

the 18-speed. It was great for rough gravel roads.” 

— Brian Guthrie 

“ 

I’ll take a 

standard 

transmission any 

day.” 

— Mark Wild 

“ 

Manual. Period. 1. Automatics will shift on scales: illegal 2. Automatics will 

shift crossing RR tracks: illegal 3. You have to put them in manual to back with 

any grace. 4. Automatics grind through every friggin’ gear on mountains. Manual: 

I control the unit, it doesn’t control me. I can back into a dock so softly they don’t 

know I am there. I can skip shift, progressive shift, and slip shift for whatever 

applicable maneuver I need. MPG is the same or better with manual.” 

— Holly Dawn Hewlett 

EDITORIAL 

Managing Editor 

Linda Garner-Bunch 

Staff Writer and 

Social Media Coordinator 

John Worthen 

Staff Writer 

Joseph Price 

Production Coordinator 

Christie McCluer 

Graphic Artists 

Leanne Hunter 

Kelly Young 

Contributing Writers 

Cliff Abbott 

Dana Guthrie 

Dwain Hebda 

On the Cover 

Mary Peterson Norton 

Photo Courtesy of Mary Peterson Norton 

ADVERTISING & LEADERSHIP 

Chief Executive Officer 

Bobby Ralston 

General Manager 

Megan Hicks 

Director of Technology 

Jose Ortiz 

The Trucker Jobs Magazine is published 

monthly by The Trucker Media Group. 

For advertising opportunities, 

contact Meg Larcinese at 

megl@thetruckermedia.com. 

For The Trucker Jobs editorial inquiries, 

contact Linda Garner-Bunch at 

lindag@thetruckermedia.com. 

All advertising, including artwork and photographs, 

becomes the property of the publisher once 

published and may be reproduced in any media 

only by publisher. Publisher reserves the right to 

refuse or edit any ad without notice and does not 

screen or endorse advertisers. Publisher is not 

liable for any damages resulting from publication 

or failure to publish all or any part of any ad or 

any errors in ads. Adjustments are limited to 

the cost of space for the ad, or at publisher’s 

option, republication for one insertion with notice 

received within three days of first publication. 

©2022 Wilshire Classifieds LLC. Subject also 

to ad and privacy policy at www.recycler.com. 

Share your thoughts by sending an email to lindag@thetruckermedia.com or participating in one of the Driver 

Polls on The Trucker Facebook page. Who knows? Your input may be featured in an upcoming publication.

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WWW.THETRUCKERJOBS.COM THE TRUCKER JOBS MAGAZINE | MAY 2022 5

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TRUE WORK/LIFE BALANCE 

TRUE WORK/LIFE BALANCE 


SAFETY 

series 

Know your HOS 

Mandates require drivers to use ELDs to track hours of service 

BY CLIFF ABBOTT / CONTRIBUTING WRITER 

Love ’em or hate ’em, electronic logging 

devices (ELDs) are here to stay for 

the majority of drivers of commercial vehicles. 

Once ELDs became mandatory (for 

most drivers) in December 2017, tracking 

and reporting of drivers’ hours of service 

(HOS) was changed forever. 

Those changes began in the U.S. Legislature 

with the passage of a 2012 transportation 

funding bill known as Moving 

Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century 

Act, or MAP-21. A portion of that bill was 

the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Enhancement 

Act, which mandated the ELD 

rule. As directed, the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued 

the final rule in December 2015, and 

the rule was fully enacted four years later. 

Drivers are still required to fill out paper 

logs if their ELD system isn’t working 

or when driving vehicles that aren’t ELD 

equipped, or if they have ELD systems 

that can’t accept data from the system in a 

previously driven truck. There is a limit of 

eight days of operation unless the truck or 

the work is exempted. 

Another issue is that drivers can come 

to depend on warnings and alerts from the 

ELD rather than mentally tracking their 

hours. Those drivers may need a refresher 

on the hours-of-service rules when paper 

logs are used. 

The basics haven’t changed much in a 

decade or more. Drivers of property-carrying 

vehicles can’t drive after 11 hours of 

driving or after 14 hours of combined driving 

and working (on-duty, not driving). 

There are exceptions to both rules, such 

as additional time allowed if the driver encounters 

adverse driving conditions that 

could not have been reasonably known at 

the beginning of the shift or trip. 

The driver must take a 30-minute break 

before or at the eight-hour driving mark. 

Thanks to a September 2020 change to the 

rule, the break can be used for non-driving 

activities such as fueling or inspections, 

as long as no driving is done. Before this 

change, the driver had to log off-duty, 

sleeper berth or a combination of the two 

for the break. 

Drivers can’t drive after 60 hours of 

driving or working in a seven-day period, 

or after 70-hours in an eight-day period. 

The 70-hour rule is typically used for 

trucking operations that run seven days a 

week, while the 60-hour rule is used by 

operations that regularly shut down on 

specific days each week, such as weekends. 

When the limits are reached, drivers must 

Takeaway 

Hours-of-service rules do not prohibit working beyond the set limits; they prohibit 

actual driving (time behind the wheel) until the minimum rest requirements are met 


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SAFETY 

series 

wait until the hours fall under the 

limit or take a 34-hour restart to 

reset those hours at zero before 

driving again. 

It’s important to note that the 

14-hour rule and the 60 in seven 

and 70 in eight rules do not prohibit 

working beyond the set limits. 

The rules prohibit driving until 

the requirements are met, but nondriving 

work, such as loading or 

unloading, isn’t restricted. Drivers 

can work as many hours as they 

like, as long as no driving is done 

until the driver has had 10 hours 

off-duty or in the sleeper berth or 

the total hours fall below 60 or 70, 

depending on the rule used. 

The adverse weather provision 

is often misunderstood and misused. 

In order for a driver to drive 

extra hours under the rule, the circumstances causing 

the adverse conditions cannot have been reasonably 

known before the driving period began. For example, 

predicted rain can result in flooding over the roadway, 

or in certain conditions can quickly turn to snow and 

ice. An argument that those conditions could not have 

been reasonably known might be a solid one. However, 

if weather reports predicted freezing precipitation for 

several days, it becomes harder to argue that the driver 

couldn’t have known the roads would be bad. 

In another example, a traffic jam caused by an accident 

can’t be known beforehand ‏— but claiming adverse 

driving conditions because of rush hour in a large 

city might not work as well. 

There are also specific regulations that govern ELDs. 

The first is that the device used must be registered with 

the FMCSA. That’s a process that begins with the manufacturer 

following the necessary registration steps, including 

a “self-certification” that the ELD meets all the 

requirements. 

The carrier must verify that the device is registered; 

if the carrier is a one-truck owner-operator business, the 

owner/driver has the responsibility. Registration can 

be done online at eld.fmcsa.dot.gov/list. The page includes 

a list of more than 800 registered devices and 

also includes a link to a list of devices for which the 

registration has been revoked. 

Also, it’s helpful to make sure the most current version 

of the ELD software is being used. Check with the 

manufacturer for updates. 

There may be a current problem with ELDs that 

depend on cellular networks to transmit data. The 3G 

network has been retired by every major carrier except 

Verizon, and even that one will be retired in December. 

Owners of ELDs that depend on the Verizon network 

should make sure their devices will operate on 4G or 

5G networks. 

Smaller cellphone carriers such as Cricket, Pure Talk 

or Consumer Cellular contract to use the networks 

of larger carriers, so a phone-based ELD that works 

through another carrier could still use the Verizon 

network. 

There are rules that govern ELD capabilities, too. The 

device must be able to transfer the driver’s record-ofduty 

status (RODS) electronically to an inspector during 

a stop, confirm successful transmission and allow the 

safety official to enter a comment. 

During an inspection, some officials will be satisfied 

with looking at the driver’s record on the screen of the 

ELD, but many will want either a printout or a copy of 

the record. This can be accomplished in several ways. 

The safety official can connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, 

or the ELD system can transmit via fax or email. Another 

option is to record the data on a thumb drive that 

the official inserts into his or her own device. 

Instructions for operating the ELD, and for transmitting 

data must be carried by the driver and provided to 

the safety officer on demand. Often, written instructions 

are included in the ELD program so that it isn’t necessary 

to carry printed materials. 

Knowing the provisions of the HOS rules and the 

workings of the ELD that records them is a vital part of 

any driver’s job. 


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BEHIND 

the wheel 

living the 

DREAM 

Florida heavy-hauler 

follows family tradition as 

third-generation trucker 

BY JOHN WORTHEN / THE TRUCKER JOBS MAGAZINE 

Bubba Branch was just knee-high to a grasshopper, as they say in the south, when he first climbed 

aboard his granddaddy’s big rig in Florida. His earliest memories include rowing through the 

parked semi’s gears, turning the wheel and pumping all the leftover air out of the brakes. 

“I drove a million miles and never left the yard,” he said with a laugh. 

Branch says he’s proud to still live in Florida as “one of the few who are originally from here.” 

Most of all, though, he’s proud to be a trucker — like his dad and granddad before him. 

“I have been around trucking all my life,” he said in a husky southern drawl. “Grandad and 

Dad were in it for 40 or more years. I like to say I was born in a truck. I was one of seven kids, 

but I was the only one that took to trucks. I would ride with dad anytime I could.” 

Branch said he also has special memories of riding along in his grandad’s truck. 

“You could do no wrong with Granddaddy,” Branch said. “He was the cat’s meow with me.” 

At age 18, Branch earned his CDL. His first job was driving an old, run-down 1970s-model GMC Brigadier 

General for Miller and Sons in Central Florida. He had to work hard to land that job, he said, adding that he 

“pestered” the company for a long while before they finally gave him a shot. 

“They said all they had for me to drive was an old truck that had a lot of issues,” Branch said. “There were holes in 

the floorboard, and the fumes were so bad my eyes would turn red. I took it home, washed it, and Dad and I patched 

up the holes. I drove it for a while before I got caught by the DOT.” 

After the truck was red-tagged and ordered out of service by the DOT, Branch didn’t have to worry about it 

anymore, and in the ensuing two and a half decades he moved up the ladder of success in the trucking industry. 

Now, at 44, he and his wife, Krystal, operate Atlas Heavy Haul out of Lakeland, Florida, his hometown. The 

company primarily hauls heavy equipment. 

“I wanted to haul equipment all my life, so I got some good experience and started on my own,” he said, adding 

that his heaviest haul so far was a massive electrical box that he delivered to Heinz Field, home of the NFL Steelers 

football team, in Pittsburgh. 

The load weighed 200,000 pounds, and it took Branch nearly 15 days to make the run from Miami. 

These days, Branch enjoys spending time working on his show truck, a 1996 Kenworth W900 dubbed “Just a 

Phase.” When he picked it up the truck was white, but he knew he wanted to paint it red so it would stand out. 

The entire interior had been stripped, down to the bare metal, so a new hush mat was put in the cab and sleeper, 

then new floors, seats, an SH Tube twisted shifter and new door, roof and sleeper panels. Bubba’s son, Kolt, painted 


PHOTOS COURTESY OF BUBBA BRANCH 

Some of Bubba Branch’s earliest memories are of climbing into his 

grandfather’s big rig and going on ride-alongs with his father. Today, 

he and his wife, Krystal, operate Atlas Heavy Haul, based in his 

hometown of Lakeland, Florida. The couple’s 10-year-old son, Kolt, 

is also fascinated with the trucking industry. Branch’s rig, “Just a 

Phase,” has won numerous awards at truck shows. 

the dash, and all the accent pieces were painted by his wife. 

Once the interior was complete, SH Tube crafted all the 

stainless-steel accent pieces on the rig, along with the speaker 

boxes in the cab. Other custom pieces include the mirror 

brackets, exhaust pipe holders, the dipstick and gear shifter, 

and more. 

The Kenworth is powered by a CAT 3406E engine with 

an 18-speed transmission. The entire truck has taken Branch 

about a year and a half to build, but he said it still isn’t 100% 

complete. 

In June, at the annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs event held in 

Branson, Missouri, Branch’s rig won the categories for best 

chrome and best engine, and he placed second in the working 

truck with limited mileage category. 

“I have wanted to be at Shell Rotella for so long, and this 

was my first time,” Branch said. “I am so grateful to have the 

opportunity.” 

As for the future, Branch said Kolt is the one of his three kids 

who is most likely to follow in his footsteps. Kolt rides with 

Branch in the big rig any chance he can get, just as Branch did 

with his dad and granddad. 

“Kolt is hooked on it,” Branch said. “He said he wants my 

rig one day, and he said he is going to paint it blue. I told him 

to make sure I’m gone before he goes and does that.” 

In talking about the industry he loves, Branch said he sees a 

lot of room for improvement and hopes some changes will be 

made before Kolt gets his CDL and hits the road. 

“Lack of parking is critical,” Branch said. “There is nowhere 

to go. Now you are told by a computer when you are tired, 

even if you are not, so you have to get off the road when it says 

so. You have to have a place to stop that’s safe, and there just 

aren’t that many.” 

Like many drivers, Branch has had to park illegally to meet 

hours-of-service requirements. 

“I was in Jackson, Georgia, on an on-ramp one night. The 

two nearby truck stops were packed — like they always are 

— and the ramp was the only place I could park. I got woken 

up by the Georgia Highway Patrol to a Level 1 inspection. He 

told me I couldn’t park there, but he let me stay for the night 

because I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” 

Most of all, though, before his son becomes a professional 

driver, Branch said he hopes the profession will be seen as one 

of honor. He wants those who aren’t in the industry to respect 

truck drivers and the jobs they do. 

“Do you realize what this country would be without people 

choosing to be truck drivers?” Branch said. “Do I think 

they owe us something? No. But we should get a little more 

respect.” 

Looking back on his career thus far, Branch says he feels 

blessed. 

“I am doing what I love, and I am so beyond grateful for 

it,” Branch said. “I am thankful to be a truck driver, and I 

just want to say thanks to all my fellow drivers. You have my 

respect.” 



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ALONG 

for the ride 

the 1980s rolled around she was driving her own truck, a used 

Peterbilt. In 1985, she bought her first brand-new truck, an International 

Eagle. In the early days, she mainly ran west coast 

routes from Wisconsin to California for ATX, a division of Snyder 

National. Those runs are still her favorites to this day. 

Today, as an owner-operator leased to Bob Erickson Trucking, 

Norton hauls refrigerated poultry products from Minnesota 

and Wisconsin to Los Angeles, usually returning with a load of 

fresh produce. 

“Even though I basically run the same route all of the time, I 

always try to find something new,” she said. “(In springtime) I always 

like to see the baby animals being born and the leaves coming 

back on the trees. I love the flowers and the different scenery, 

especially the cactus when they are blooming in the desert. 

Norton relishes the freedom she feels on the road. 

“After 40-something years, I’ve made a lot of friends on the 

road, and I’ve met a lot of interesting people,” she said. 

Norton also shared the feeling of family that has grown over 

her years in the trucking industry. The people she has met over 

the years were there for her during one of the most heartbreaking 

times in her life — the death of her husband Jack in 2015. 

The couple had driven as a team for three decades. 

“We did a celebration of life for him. We didn’t really have a 

lot of friends in the neighborhood, but so many of our trucking 

friends made it up here for the celebration of his life,” Norton 

said. 

“It was unbelievable. Even the local people commented on 

how we had friends there from all over the country. We had 

people fly in from as far away as Arkansas and Texas,” she said. 

We had grown into such a big family. It was such a nice feeling.” 

Norton is doing her part to inspire the next generation of 

truck drivers, partnering with local schools to visit thirdand 

fourth-grade students a few times a year. Norton, Karhma 

and Casey Aaron, along with their eye-catching rig, 

are always popular with both the youngsters and faculty. 

“I give all the kids a treat and they get to tour the truck,” 

Norton said. “It’s funny, because as shy as Casey Aaron is, he always 

picks one person there and that’s his person. Karhma will 

just run from person to person, but Casey Aaron will pick just 

one. This last time, it was the teacher. He wanted the teacher. He 

fell in love with her, and the kids were so jealous.” 

Norton collects different trinkets throughout the year to make 

sure she has something to give each student at the school. The 

treats range from pencils and pens to coloring books to handcrafted 

items created by Norton. Each student receives a goodie 

bag. 

“I always try to make something that they can keep for a long 

time,” Norton said. “This year I made blankets. Last year I did 

beach towels.” 

Because she enjoys embroidery, she often stitches her name, 

along with Karhma and Casey Aaron’s, onto the items she 

shares with the kids. 

“I also make the kids ornaments at Christmas time — just 

something they can keep if they want to,” she said. “I see these 

kids grow up. Whenever they see me later, they always come up 

and give me a hug and tell me about the time I visited their class 

when they were little.” 

Although she only brings the truck at the end of the school 

year as a special treat for the students, Norton and her fourlegged 

friends stop by a few times a year to visit the kids and 

answer questions about both her dogs and her travels. She also 

sends pictures and postcards from her travels throughout the 

year. 

“Sometimes this is the only way some of these kids will get a 

chance to see faraway places,” Norton said. 

One thing is for sure, this Packer proud family loves their 

time together on the road — and they are always ready for the 

next adventure. 


You’re not a number with us, but a member of the family 

Class A CDL - 

Local, Regional & 

OTR Company 

Drivers 

PAY & BENEFITS 

Now offering a 

$2,500 Sign On Bonus 

REQUIREMENTS 

Offering Local and 

Regional Driving 

Positions 

• Local: $900 - $1,200/week. Home Every Night. 

• Regional: $1,100 - $1,400/week 

• OTR: $1,200 - $1,600/ week. Plus $50 per 

night out per diem (tax free) 

• $2,500 Sign-On Bonus 

• Health, Dental & Vision Benefits 

• Paid Holidays & Vacation 

• Company-match 401K Retirement Plan 

• Assigned Trucks 

• Family Oriented Environment 

• Quarterly Safety Bonuses 

• Reimbursements for Endorsements 

• CDL-A 

• 24 years old minimum 

• Two years OTR experience 

• Hazmat & Tanker Preferred but not Required 

888.832.9969 

thetrucker.com/affton 


WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER! 

FIRST YEAR DRIVERS EARN UP TO $88,000 

We can 

help you get 

your CDL! 

Call and ask 

how! 

TMC Transportation needs Class A CDL Drivers to grow our team 

of professional flatbed drivers. This is a regional position getting you 

home on the weekends! 

TMC is the largest employee-owned flatbed freight carrier in 

the nation. We are looking for drivers who want to be home every 

weekend but still reap the rewards of an over-the-road driver. For 

those who love driving but don’t like the sedentary lifestyle that 

often comes with trucking, flatbed is a great solution. 

Give us a call at 855-957-2841! 

TMC Flatbed Driver Benefits 

4 Our top 1st year drivers earn up to 4 Performance-Based Pay 

4 

$88,000 

4 Employee Ownership 

4 $1,350-$1,600 average weekly pay 

4 

4 

4 Paid Training 

4 

4 

4 

Up to $5,000 Sign-On Bonus with 

Quicker Payout for Experienced Drivers 

4 Consistent Weekly Home Time 

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) 

*What does it mean to be employee 

owned (ESOP)? Drivers who have 

been in the plan since ESOP began in 

2013 had an average account value of 

$84,998 by the end of 2020. 

Health Insurance (Medical, Dental, 

Vision, Prescription) 

Latest Model Peterbilt Equipment 

School Tuition Reimbursement 

No Experience? No Problem! Ask a 

recruiter how TMC can help you get 

your CDL. 

Driver Qualifications 

4 Class A CDL 

4 No recent DOT-reportable 

accidents or DUIs 

4 Minimum 23 years of age 

4 All experience levels 

welcome! 

thetrucker.com/TMC 


REGIONAL & 

LONG DISTANCE 

AVAILABLE! 

As an owner operator with Tran Stewart, you enjoy industry-leading pay as well 

as a host of additional benefits that OOs need to succeed. 

OWNER OPERATORS ENJOY: 

Receive 80% of total billed 

Great Fuel Discounts at the pump 

No Touch Freight 

New Model Trailers 

Passengers and Pets Welcomed 

24/7 Live Dispatch 

And More! Ask a recruiter for details. 

855.869.3430 

Plenty of Pre-booked freight 

Pre Pass program 

Free IFTA Taxes 

Plate Program 

Weekly Pay 

www.thetrucker.com/transtewart 


GUARANTEED 

$70,000/YR 

MINIMUM PAY 

Now Hiring Dedicated, Regional and OTR Drivers 

Top Drivers Earn $100,000+ Yearly 

Guaranteed Weekly Pay 

Detention pay, inclement weather pay, stop pay, breakdown pay and more 

Late-model equipment with APUs - average 2 years or newer 

Call to join the Marten Team: 

866.869.3151 





Owning 

the wheel 

Scan the code 

to visit 

thetruckerjobs.com 

to search for 

truck-driving jobs 

by state, driver type and more! 

likely to have violations. That’s good for highway safety, but can 

reinforce public perception that trucks are dangerous. 

To ensure a positive experience during an inspection and to maximize 

the vehicle’s safety, the driver needs to know the condition 

of the entire braking system, including its individual parts. 

Because of vehicle movement, reinforced rubber or thermoplastic 

hoses are used where the lines are expected to move around. 

Supports and brackets are often used to keep them separated so 

they cause damage, known as chafing. These supports and brackets 

can break or move. In addition, lines used to replace old or damaged 

lines may not be of the same length as the original, allowing 

for more movement or contact with other hoses or parts of the 

vehicle. 

Identifying chafing isn’t difficult, but frequent inspections 

should be made. This may require a flashlight to see lines in shadowy 

areas or at night. Lines that contact an object, including other 

lines, should be moved or adjusted to prevent contact. Lines should 

be replaced when chafing become obvious. 

Air leaks are another issue that is easy to overlook, especially on 

trailers. Service brake lines are charged with compressed air when 

the brake pedal is depressed or a hand brake, if equipped, is pulled. 

Unfortunately, an air leak in a service line toward the rear of a 

trailer can be difficult to hear from the cab of the truck. To compensate 

for this, try opening the cab windows while depressing the 

brake pedal and listening for leaks. It’s even better if two people 

work together, one depressing the brake while the other listens. 

Brake hoses that are kinked or that have improper repairs are 

also cause for concern. Occasionally an emergency brake line repair 

might consist of a splice made with a piece of metal pipe and a 

couple of heater-hose clamps. While such a repair might be enough 

to get the brakes working and get the truck out of the road, they 

can be dangerous and are cause for being placed OOS during an 

inspection. 

Beneath the truck, slack adjusters should be checked for proper 

travel when brakes are applied. Travel distances can differ based 

on the size and the manufacturer of the parts, so the driver may 

need to research to determine the correct travel measurement to 

look for. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and 

most manufacturers recommend that adjusters that fail NOT be adjusted 

to bring them into compliance. If they are out of adjustment, 

they should be replaced. 

The thickness of brake shoes or pads is another item that can 

result in an OOS order. Generally, brake shoes must have a quarter-inch 

remaining. Pads for disc brakes can be an eighth of an 

inch. On many trucks, the pads are exposed and easily visible. On 

others, there may be an inspection plate that must be removed to 

observe thickness. 

Check drums and rotors for cracks, too. Small “check” cracks in 

the drum surface that contacts brake shoes are normal, while any 

cracks elsewhere can be grounds for being place out of service. 

Knowing the condition of the braking system can help ensure 

drivers are getting maximum stopping power and help them keep 

rolling in the event of an inspection. 


LOOKING TO GET 

YOUR CDL? 

Check out 

.com’s 

ALL NEW comprehensive TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL DIRECTORY to 

find the best CDL training facility near you. 

.com is your source for: 

4 truck driving schools with easy to use search functionality 

4 the latest CDL training regulation changes starting February 2022 

4 truck driving job listings 

4 truck driving job resources 

4 truck driving job news articles 

Visit 

GoTruckers.com/schools 

If you are a representative from a truck driving school or CDL training facility and would like to add, update or enhance 

your school’s complimentary listing with additional information, please contact us at info@GoTruckers.com. 




FOR EVERY HERO ON THE FRONT LINES, 

THERE’S A TRUCKER IN THE BACKGROUND. 

Progressive Commercial offers affordable insurance options 

to protect the heroes behind the scenes. Call your local agent 

or visit ProgressiveCommercial.com 

Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & Affiliates.

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