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Show 5 1301 010193 KSTS2N HICEOSRAPtllv; 2712 SOOTH 3600 baT VISST VALLEY CITY UT 12 i 8tli9 Rolling down the highway Forty of the 45 Robinson TransOperating these trucks is differport trucks never travel more than ent than other trucks on the road 60 miles from home, but that doesnt because of their weight and size, mean vehicle stress are any less than said Robinson. The trucks are In addition, drivers are actively i involved in the maintenance of their trucks. They are assisted by five mechanics and a tire repairman. Drivers review any problems with then those on interstate carriers. beefed up with big two-axrear ends Last year, the company hauled and re designed to pull 126,000 after each run. Mechanics rotate 2.5 million coal shifts so at least one is on call 24 tons of nearly nearly pounds instead of the typical 85,000 seven million miles, many back and pound payloads. hours a day. forth miles over the singlelane, This team effort pays off. Most enHie transmissions and rear rads mountain road leading to the local on our trucks are very heavy duty gines reach one million miles with coal mine. Around the clock, drivone complete overhaul before trucks compared to trucks on an average ers negotiate their tractordouble freight haul, Robinson said. Over are traded in. The company trades trailer combos up and down these 8-percent grades pulling 126,000 company, 130 miles south of Salt Lake pounds loads, often in heavy snow le 10 The has a safety record that well exceeds the national average. Last year they drove nearly seven million miles. City, conditions. Going downhill in one of these trucks is like throwing an arrow backward. said a veteran driver. The back of the truck wants to pass the front. Still, the company, 130 miles south of Salt Lake City, has a safety record that well exceeds the national average, said Kim Robinson, vice president :Last year, driving nearly seven million miles, we had only one accident and the year before that we hade none. The company attributes this success to heavy emphasis on driver training and equipment maintenance. Robinsons preventive maintenance program depends heavily on Phillips 66 lubricants. This kind of operation is a real test for the engines and the oil, said Robinson. Attention to maintenance has practically eliminated unscheduled downtime for the trucks and reduced the number of costly engine overhauls. The bottom line has benefitted, said Robinson. While the average operating ration (percentage of revenue used to pay for operational expenses) for the trucking industry is 94 percent, Robinsons is 86 percent Robinson Transport operates con- ventional Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks with 425 Caterpillar and Cummings (400, 460, and 500) entransmisgines and Fuller sions. Each tractor pulls two aluminum trailers known as Rocky Mountain 15-spe- ed special- ly-designed Doubles. The full length of the tractor plus two trailers is 92 feet the maximum local allowance. The trailers are capable of holding a combined weight of almost 43 tons. Gross weight is 63.21 tons. the years we learned getting the right gearing puts less stress on the transmission and rear end. The Route Most trucks in the Robinson fleet round trip make the same 160-mithat Kims father. Art Robinson, company founder, made 50 years ago. In the 1940s, Art bought his first coal truck, a 1934 International C40 for $700. The 70 horsepower truck could haul six tons of coal Today, trucks travel from the home office in Salina to the Southern Utah Fuel Company coal mine (30 miles east) for loading and then to the railhead facility in Levan, Utah (50 miles north). Elevations reach 9,000 feet. Average time the round trip haul is three hours and 15 minutes, with drivers making about three trips per shift Art Robinson said he has five new Peterbilts on order now. When they arrive, four older trucks (five years old) will be taken out of service. le off-loadi- ng to Safety and Maintenance Two drivers are assigned to each truck. They alternate hours day and night driving shifts. Each truck is driven nearly coal-hauli- 8-- 1,000 miles per day. Were very selective about drivers, said Don Anderson, safety manager. Each new driver is taken on a test drive through the entire 160-mimine and dump route. Ive seen a lot of new driver get white knuckles on that mine road. All drivers are continually monitored for speed, proper distances bele trucks after five years of service. Oil is changed every 13,000-15,00- 0 miles. Transmission fluid is changed every 50,000 miles. All grease fittings on the tractors and trailers are lubricated with Philube L--2 Plus EP. Consistent use of a quality extreme pressure grease is pretty inexpensive insurance on maintenance, Kim Robinson said. At 300,000 miles, the main and rod bearings are pulled and inspected. Ive seen some at 300,000 miles that look like weve just put them in and that show the lubricants are doing their job, Robinson said. At about 500,000 miles, engines are pulled and sent out for a com- -' plete teardown, Robinson added. We find virtually no engine deposits, ring groove carbon or crankcase sludge when we open up the engines. Harsh Conditions Everyone at Robinson agrees winter is the toughest time for the equipment mainly because of unpredictable weather. It can start snowing in a hurry at the mines, a driver said. Sometimes the conditions on the mountain road which reaches elevations of 9,000 feet are so slick that company pickups are used to help pull tractors and their empty trailers up the mine road. People dont believe it until they see it, Robinson laughed. Robinson added that in cold weather, the engines running the multiviscosity oil start easier. During the coldest months of the year, our trucks sit out over the weekend, tween trucks and overall performance. he said. But on Monday morning, they start right up. I think the oil helps a lot It takes a few minutes for the oil temperatures to get up but with the multiviscosity oil, we know were getting complete lubrication. When I was younger we had just a couple trucks and used the 30 weight oil. Sometimes we couldnt get them started all day. Block heaters are used when temperatures drop below 0 degrees F. The oil provides equal protection in the heat of the summer when temperatures can reach 100 degrees F, said Robinson. Since most trucks have engine brake retarders, they need to pump an additional two to three gallons of oil to keep the engine cool. On a hot day, itll head the engine oil if you lay on the brake long enough, Robinson said. Oil temperatures during full operation average 200 degrees F. Oil pressure is 65-7- 0 psi in the Caterpillar engines and 4045 psi in the Cummins, always staying in the green, he added. Twice a year, the company sends its own tanker truck to Denver to pick up engine oil for use in all vehicles. Oil is stored in two 1,000 gallon tanks and one 3,000 gallon tank inside the 12,000 square foot maintenance shop. Gear oil and transmission fluid are stored in 55 gallon drums. Waste oil is pumped outside to a holding than and then collected. Robinson is also equipped with a single bay truck wash. Quality Equipment Kim Robinson got his start in the 1970s hauling coal from Utah to the Navajo Power Plant in Page, Ariz. He said the 240-mitrip carrying 20 to 28 tons of coal represented the most tonnage moved by truck to that distance in the United States Thats before we went to these double trailers, Robinson said. le Everyone at Robinson agrees winter is the toughest time for equipment, because of unpredictable weather. have an advantage over steel trailers because they are lighter and also wear better. One of Robinson Transports Peterbilt trucks negotiates the single lane mountain road leading from the local coal mine to tne site at the railhead. This route requires the tractor to climb and descend grades known as Rocky Mountain Doubles. A comprehensive preventive maintenance program and use of Phillips 66 lubricants helped the fleet haul nearly 2.5 million tons of coal nearly seven million miles last year. (Photo by Phillips 66) -- off-loadi- ofThe aluminum trailers used today ter Lorraine manages the home own trucks which he uses to haul coal for fice, son Scott owns two of his the company and son Lee is involved with maintenance. mine that on Drivers seem to be like part of the We get a lot of snow road in the winter and the salt just family too. The average tenure is 10 eats away at steel, Robinson said. years. Drivers say the greatest advanWe have about 100 aluminum trailtage is that you are home every ers now, some more than 10 years night and weekends and the equipRobinson has the ment is first-rat- e. old. -- - as near best equipment perfect as Robinson added that the trailers you can get, Don Anderson said. are aerodynamically designed to reIt is that commitment to quality duce drag, improving fuel economy. drivers, equipment and maintenance Robinson Transport is a fully owned and operated family business. Besides Kin, Art, and Norma, Arts wife, other family members are involved in the business: Arts daugh that has kept Robinson Transport rolling for more than 50 years. Sevier has second thought on tax hike The Sevier County Commission had second thoughts about a proposed tax increase, but opted to take a wait and see attitude about a looming $239,000 budget deficit that would have meant an 18 percent bump in property taxes. The net result is that the county will stand by its certified tax rate and hope Salina City cracks down on water usage A a recent Salina City Council meeting, the aldermen voted to enact watering restrictions during three days of the week. According to the restrictions, no watering will be allowed on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays until further notice. If citizens are caught citations will be issued. Join celebration Come join the celebration at Centerfield Park, Friday, July 22 at 6:00 p.m., to the dinner and Saturday July 23, at 7:00 a.m. for the breakfast. Activities going on during and after meals. Bring your own dishes. POOR COPY theres a check in the mai- l- mainly in the form of increased Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and or a rebate from the Central Utah Project (CUP). Sevier County is currently in the process of withdrawing from the multicounty water project and could realize a return of between $2.2 and $550,000 depending on what the CUP executive board decides. County officials have asked for $800,000 during the opening round of negotiations. During Mondays discussions, it was learned that if Sevier County is successful in withdrawing, the CUP payments could be refunded in four annual installments of about $240,000 starting with the 1994 taxes collectable on the $800,000 plus interest The commissioners also affirmed a planning commission decision regarding the applications of Cox Rock products and Hales Sand and Gravel for asphalt mixing plants in Elsinore. The agreement requires the companies to follow seven different stipulations including a speed limit installation of an asphalt work surface, are prohibited from using compression brakes in the business district use flashing rather than beeping back-u- p lights at night, not encroach on adjoining landowners property, main , tain noise and dust standards and not operate mixing plants after sunset The commissioners met with Frank Biagi, Monroe, regarding his proposal to photograph the county for the centennial. Biagis preliminary cost estimate was $7,455 and would involve about 1,100 pictures. The commissioners said that due to budgetary restraints they could not consider the concept and referred the photographer to the economic development commission and or the arts council The commission received a grant application from the Black Hawk Arena Committee for an electronic sign. The sign will cost between and would come a $290,000 statewide Business and Economic Development program. The commission agreed to Write a Tetter of en$25-30,0- dorsement In a related matter, the board went on record as preferring to seek individual county grants through this program rather than adopting a six county approach that some neighboring counties have proposed. In other action, the commission: approved several tax rebates, declared e and sold a surplus sprayer for $100, met with Kenja Lewis, tank-fram- Elsinore about business permits, and met the new state fire warden. They also would like to remind the public that the new landfill is open for business and the old facility is closed. Sheriff's office nabs two after wild chase The Sevier County Sheriffs Office apprehended two suspects in a gas skipping incident at J.R. Munchies in Richfield on July 14. The suspects vehicle was spotted by a deputy on near Joseph shortly after the incident took place. High speed chase reaching as high as 115 m.p.h. resulted before the vehicle was stopped after blowing a tire. A juvenile fled the scene, but was apprehended about 45 minutes later with the assistance of the Utah Highway Patrol and aBeaverCounty deputies. The adult was booked into the Sevier County Jail and the juvenile was taken into custody at the Central Utah Juvenile Detention facility. I-- 70 A good crowd was on hand Sunday night when the Snow College concert series put on its second summer concert at the Victorian Inn. |