posted by admin on Aug 29
You Just Got Your CDL License ? Now What?
Congratulations! You just completed and passed the instructional driving courses and earned your Commercial Driver?s License (CDL). So now that you are licensed to drive a truck, what is your next step? Unless you have a thing about big trucks and just wanted the license to say you have it, chances are you went to school and got your CDL because you want to be a truck driver. Luckily for you, there are a number of opportunities just waiting to be found. It is up to you to find the trucking jobs that best fit your needs. Think about why you wanted to be a trucker in the first place. Was it to see the country? The salary? Do you enjoy the driving? What kind of truck or payload do you want to haul? Writing down everything you are looking for in trucking jobs will solidify things in your mind when you start your job hunt. There are many avenues in which to pursue trucking jobs. First of all, check your local papers ? both the dailies as well as the Sunday issues which usually have an extra classified section just for employment. Often times, trucking companies in your area that are seeking qualified licensed truck drivers will advertise available positions. Keep your eyes and ears open too. Billboards are becoming more popular, with trucking companies sometimes purchasing billboard space if they are in a big hiring push. Television ads and even posters displayed at libraries and other public places are other areas to keep an eye on. The truck driving school where you trained and earned your CDL is another avenue to pursue in your quest for trucking jobs. Often times, a trucking company will post available positions in their company through the school?s connections. So you have to remember to ask because these are not always advertised! The internet is also a major source for trucking jobs. There are tons of employment websites that cater to helping you find a job. Most of them do not specialize in truck driving. However, with a few web searches, you can come up with some sites that do. Another internet option is researching the trucking companies themselves. Perhaps you know of a few trucking companies in your area. Look them up and see if they have trucking jobs on their website. Searching for trucking jobs is the easy part. The hard part is determining which trucking company is the right one for you. You might have to move to a different area or travel to places that you prefer not to go. Think about those issues as well as the reputation of the trucking company and the benefits and salary. Your decision will mark the start of a new life and career for you. Mike Dobson is the creator of the web's most comprehensive <A href="http://www.truckingbuddy.com">trucking</A> resource. Learn about <A href="http://www.truckingbuddy.com">trucking jobs</A> and on <A href="http://www.truckingbuddy.com">trucking companies</A>.
Source: www.ArticlePros.com
Igniting a Spark
Your Volvo has thousands of parts in it. Some play a crucial role in the car, while others do not. Some are used all the time, while some are needed only for a specific time. One of the latter is your Volvo’s ignition coil. Also called a spark coil, the ignition coil is an induction coil in the automobile’s ignition system. The Volvo ignition coil transforms a storage battery’s 12 volts into the thousands (which sometimes could reach as high as 120,000 volts) needed to ignite the spark plugs. Invented by A. Kent Atwater in 1921, the ignition coil is a simple transformer that has two sides: the 12 volt or primary side and the high voltage or secondary side. The primary side contains a few hundred turns of a large diameter wire and it builds up the magnetic field in the coils. On the other hand, the high voltage side contains thousands of turns of small diameter wire. The coil uses electromagnetic induction to create the high voltage. When the voltage in the primary side is turned off, the collapsing magnetic field in the secondary side induces a voltage in the secondary side, producing thousands of volts. In older vehicles, a single, large ignition coil would serve all the spark plugs, distributing voltage via an ignition distributor. In modern systems, the distributor is omitted and ignition is controlled electronically, instead. Much smaller coils are used with one coil for each spark plug or one coil serving two spark plugs (so two coils in a four-cylinder car). These coils may be remote-mounted or they may be placed on top of the spark plug (coil-on-plug or direct injection). Where one coil serves two spark plugs (in two cylinders), it is through the “wasted spark” system. In this arrangement, the coil generates two sparks per cycle to both the cylinders. The fuel in the cylinder that is nearing the end of its compression stroke is ignited, whereas, the spark in its companion nearing the end of its exhaust stroke has no effect. The wasted spark system is more reliable than a single coil system with a distributor and cheaper than coil-on-plug. Where the coils are remote mounted, they may all be contained in a single molded block with multiple high-tension terminals. This is commonly called a coil-pack. Your Volvo ignition coils are part of a larger system, which is the ignition system. The ignition system is part of an even larger engine system. The ignition system’s primary responsibility is the timely burning of the fuel-air mixture in the engine. Your Volvo user’s manual would carry the recommended service interval for your ignition system, including your Volvo ignition coil. Your Volvo engine might run rough, buck, surge, stall or even get poor fuel economy. These are signs that your ignition system might need servicing as they are potentially an ignition system problem. When this happens, drive to the nearest Volvo dealership and have a qualified technician take a look around. Your Volvo engine might be in problem in the long run. John Garrett is an automobile mechanic who knows every crook and cranny of his truck. He's also a vintage car enthusiast , and he's dedicated to fixing and restoring them. He is a motorist who believes in continuous research and improvement.
Source: www.ArticlePros.com
Tips on How to Save Gas
Fuel economy-maximizing behaviors or more popularly known as gas saving tips have been at the forefront of most drivers’ concerns thanks to the looming oil crisis. Basically, it is defined as a set of methods that drivers can utilize, in order to optimize their automobile’s fuel economy. There are many ways that energy is spent needlessly through driving. These include inefficient engine use, aerodynamic drag, friction, excessive braking, and many more. However, there are two general categories on how to save gas, which can be either basic or advanced. The former can be done by most drivers with little or no professional help, while the latter ought to be done by an experienced hypermiler. Basic Techniques The first thing that every driver should do in order to improve gas mileage is to inflate the tires to the maximum. This way, a smaller amount of energy is needed to move the automobile. In line with this, there should be minimum cargo as much as possible to remove the burden off the engine. Additionally, maintaining optimum speed should help significantly, which is usually measured in the 35 to 55 mph range. Aside from that, the driver should also pay attention to braking and acceleration. That means braking and acceleration should not be sudden and they should be minimized as much as possible. Another way to save gas is through coasting. That means the engine is still running, although the transmission is set to neutral. Bear in mind that fuel is still consumed when coasting, although far less than the driver would in normal driving conditions. These basic techniques are recommended for the average user and these are also far simpler to execute as opposed to the advanced techniques that are discussed below. Advanced Pulse and glide is one of the most commonly used fuel saving tips by the advanced hypermiler. This method consists of driving to a certain speed limit called pulsing, which is then followed by a period of gliding. These two steps are repeated in order to maximize fuel economy. However, it is advised that the gliding stage should be done when the engine is not activated. Another sophisticated fuel saving tip is called drafting, which is otherwise known as slipstreaming. This technique involves two or more vehicles that are aligned in a close group, in order to decrease the overall effect of drag. This happens because the lead vehicle’s slipstream is utilized by the ones that follow it. Drafting is an effective way to increase gas mileage both for the lead and tail automobiles. Most hypermilers use this method when trailing larger vehicles and has was shown to increase Miles Per Gallon(MPG) efficiency by at least 11 percent. Overall, it is imperative for each driver to learn different ways on saving gas without having to spend on another part or accessory to accomplish it. However, enough caution ought to be considered whenever these techniques are used to prevent accidents or costly engine damage.
Source: www.ArticlePros.com
