Last week, I found myself on the air with RoadDog Truck news on Sirius Channel 128. Host Mark Willis and I generally cover a wide range of topics whenever he has me on, but one topic that we always seem to come back to is the increasing complexity of modern big rigs.
It’s a topic that’s guaranteed to raise driver hackles. A case in point was Sean, who called in from somewhere out in the MidWest to observe that drivers today know every little about the rigs they’re entrusted with. He noted that older drivers were used to having a say-so in how rigs got spec’d. Moreover, experienced drivers understood that gauges did more than simply look cool: They gave drivers vital information about the health of a rig. And over time, drivers gained an almost mystical “feel” for their rigs and how they holding up on long cross-country hauls.
Sean has a point. Money flows from knowledge. And the more you know about your truck – and the separate systems that all must work together to make a cross-country trip both successful and profitable, the better off you’re going to be: You’ll make more money and save time when everything’s going right. And you’ll be better prepared to deal with problems when emergencies arise.
That’s why Overdrive has commissioned a new series of 30-second instructive videos for drivers. The goal here is straightforward: To provide drivers with quick and easy information on all sorts of topics.
One focus is vehicle systems. For example, one of the first videos is How to Spec an Inverter. It’s an excellent example of what we’re trying to do here: Boil down the basics – in this case, looking at the loads inverters can handle and still provide you with the power you need to get you through the night.
But because this is Overdrive, not all of these videos will be technical in nature. You can also find videos on lifestyle-oriented topics as well; something as simple as finding Podcasts to help pass those long hours behind the wheel.
In life, the more you know, the better off you are. So take a few moments next time you’ve got you laptop or tablet in hand and check out Overdrive’s new video series. You never know what you learn might come in handy.
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