#apex trucking school Utah

[apexmovers]

TRAINING FOR YOUR CDL LICENSE

Due to a significant driver shortage, companies are willing to increase salaries and offer extra pay for longevity and safety records. A job in the trucking industry can provide you with both financial security and the ability to travel on a regular basis. This type of consistency and flexibility allow you to know in advance what you will do each day and where you will work. With the right license, truck driving can turn into a lucrative, fearless career. However, you have more important experience and knowledge on the paper credentials that you accumulate during your training. CDL training is offered by numerous truck driving schools across the country as well as community colleges and specialty companies. The instruction program you choose is very important for tracking and finding an organization that has a solid knowledge base that you can employ for a long time. In addition, although some employers train applicants from within the company, being directly affiliated with a particular organization cannot be beneficial long-term. The reason is that if you only get a Class B or Class C license, you will have very little validation available and many restrictions to deal with. This is why it is important to enroll in a program that can effectively prepare you for unexpected situations, as well as provide you with reliable licenses and extensive opportunities when it comes to commercial vehicles. ۔ Proper CDL training will not only teach you how to handle large vehicles but will also give you a wider range of training options and guide you when it comes to cost-effective driving and safety techniques.

A qualified CDL training program will cover the basics of road safety regulations, commercial driving and inspection procedures. Courses should teach you about the sophistication of the air brake system (including pressure gauges and dual air brakes). In addition, you should also be aware of how to arrange and inspect combination vehicles. We, at APEX MOVERS, provide over 10 years of expertise and a full range program, tailored to students' needs and flexible schedules. Courses include theoretical information and your field will precede the training. You will be provided with study material and comprehensive learning tools, including resource lectures and introductory demonstrations. In addition, our CDL training program ensures that you have the opportunity to practice the procedure before taking the final exams. Our trained instructor will guide you through safe operating procedures, emergency procedures, skid control and loading maneuvers as well as monitor your progress. When you're ready, the instructor will cover you in the city driving areas and allow you to practice driving, visual search, safety techniques and traffic changes. So, what are the requirements to enroll in a proper CDL training program? They vary from company to company, but generally include owning a driver's license over 21 years and submitting a DMV driving record. The cost of the courses will also vary from school to school, which is why you need to consider carefully how much you have to pay for a career that can become 40,000 annually. When it comes to CDL training, APEX MOVERS offers several options - a full program (which includes 160 hours of comprehensive, in-depth courses, plus wide range and road training), a 3-week program. (Designed for candidates with basic driving experience), 120 hours), a 2-week program (fast and efficient, includes 1 week of course and 1 week of range and road training) and an express program ( Suitable for experienced drivers looking for a fast, reliable certification, including 3 (practice days) if any of these CDL training programs If Mum appeals to you or meets your current professional needs, then take a closer look and apply!

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[lasvegaslynn]

Thirty Three Years (and a Day) Gone

On May 4th, 1988, a loud explosion rocked the entire Southern Nevada Valley.  The ground rumbled, windows shook and, in many places, shattered completely.  Residents at first thought it was an earthquake.  Others who saw a mushroom cloud rising over  Henderson thought a nuclear nightmare might be unfolding in the industrial city.

In reality, it was an industrial disaster that occurred  at the Pacific Engineering Production Company of Nevada which was commonly referred to as PEPCON.  The plant, located in Henderson, was one of two American producers of ammonium perchlorate which is an oxidizer in solid rocket fuel boosters for the Space Shuttle and the military's Titan Missile  program.

The other American manufacturer, Kerr-McGee, was located less than five miles away from the PEPCON plant and well with-in the area that suffered blast damage.

A little background information:  After the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster in January, 1986, the United States government continued their contract with PEPCON for ammonium perchlorate.  Despite the freeze on the Space Program, the company continued to manufacture the product at the same rate as before the Shuttle disaster.  Since there was no delivery of the product going on due to the freeze and no guidance from the government as to where to ship it to, the company stored the compound on site in plastic drums. These drums were housed on the parking lots around the plant.  The Las Vegas Review Journalreported in the aftermath that "nearly 9 million (yeah, you read that right) pounds of the chemical was consumed by the flames or explosions."

According to Wikipedia, a fire started by "a cigarette that had been discarded into a barrel of scrap ammonium perchlorate."  Nearby, workers were repairing a steel frame with fiberglass walls that had suffered damage in a recent windstorm.  They were using a welding torch.  The fire spread quickly once it reached the fiberglass material.  This led, according to the Las Vegas Mercury account by Gregory Crosby, to the first small explosion:

This small explosion raised the alarm "that enabled most workers to escape before a second larger explosion occurred on the heels of the first." 

Company comptroller Roy Westerfield "was on the phone reporting the emergency, explaining the urgency of the situation, "We've had an explosion and everything's on fire" he told a dispatcher.  (Las Vegas Review Journal)

The Henderson Fire Department responded to the fire.  When the Fire Chief arrived he saw a massive white and orange fireball and dozens of people running across the desert towards him.  The second explosion happened at 11:54 and the shock wave shattered the windows in the Chief's car.  A heavily damaged vehicle approached and its driver advised the chief that the danger was growing.  The Chief turned around and headed towards safety.

Inside the plant, Roy Westerfield was still trying to herd people to safety.  He was talking by phone to a dispatcher when  few seconds later he said "Get 'em all out of here".  These were quite possibly his last words. 

It was the third massive explosion that sent Henderson and Las Vegas residents running for their windows, radios and television news.   Local Channel 3 anchor Gwen Castaldi went on the air and began letting Valley residents know what was happening.  "It was a real moment of urgency and tragedy in the community." (Personal interview with Castaldi, 2005).

It was the third blast, according to Gregory Crosby, "that sealed the plant's fate when that 9 million pounds of chemical literally went up in smoke."  

The blast was so forceful that it knocked an arriving fire engine over two lanes.  Another arriving fire truck had its windows shattered.  Cars were overturned.  The explosion created a visible shock wave.  This explosion almost destroyed the Fire Chief's car but he was able to drive to a nearby hospital to seek treatment for his passenger and himself.

Inside the plant, Roy Westerfield and Bruce Halker, two employees who were shepherding people out of danger were killed.   More than 300 people were injured.

The marshmallow factory next door, Kidd and Co., suffered the brunt of the explosion.  Due to faulty equipment there were fewer employees working that day.  Those employees who were there evacuated at the first sign of trouble.  The marshmallow factory was destroyed. 

"The final explosion went off and PEPCON basically disappeared.  Boulder Highway looked like a war zone.  There was glass everywhere.." Eyewitness  and PEPCON employee Joe Hedrick.

The last explosion registered 3.5 on the Richter scale by the National Earthquake Information Center 600 miles away in Colorado.  A crater estimated at 15 feet deep and 200 feet wide was left in the storage area. 

A 747 on approach to McCarran Airport was reportedly buffeted by the shock wave.  The Airport, 11 miles away from the blast, suffered cracked windows.  An analysis later estimated the blast damage the equivalent of 250 tons of TNT. 

Nearby Basic High School suffered serious damage and damage was reported at McDoniel Elementary, Burkholder Middle School and Southern Nevada Vocational-Technical Center.  The last blast blew out the windows at Basic High School.

"We thought someone was out there with a shotgun" remembered teacher Michael Neighbors, "Like fools, we went right for the windows.  We literally pushed the kids out of the building.  It was like an air pocket.  The back of my hair parted." (Las Vegas Review Journal). 

The large plume of smoke could be seen around the valley and residents throughout the valley worried about chemical fall-out.   Luckily, the wind that day was only 20 to 25 mph and kept much of the chemical from settling in the valley.  Local health officials predicted that lives were saved because of the winds.

Damage was estimated at $74 million dollars.  The nearby Fire Station was heavily damaged and there was structural damage to a nearby warehouse.

PEPCON, renamed Western Electrochemical Company, relocated to Iron County, Utah.  Now some 14 miles northwest of St. George, they began the relocation a mere three months after the devastating explosion at the Henderson plant.  Kerr-McGee moved their plant 17 miles northeast of Las Vegas to Apex.   For awhile Kerr-McGee continued to manufacture the more stable liquid form of the chemical on site.  But in 1998, ten years after the disaster, the parent company of PEPCON/Western Electrochemical Company bought out the remaining ammonium perchlorate contracts and moved all production to Utah.

Senior Company official, Fred Gibson, Jr tried to shift blame from PEPCON to Southwest Gas by saying that a ruptured gas line caused the fire.  However, this conflicted with eyewitness testimony by employees.  PEPCON attorney told the Las Vegas Review Journal, three days after the disaster, "Nothing ignites ammonium perchlorate.  It does not burn.  It is not flammable."  Chemists from around the world immediately disputed the attorney and called the product "unstable and highly flammable." 

After the explosion it came out that the facility had been cited numerous times since 1974 for safety violations.  There had been a small explosion in 1980 that had injured a worker. 

More than 50 law firms represented dozens of insurance companies and corporations in lawsuits.  The case ran up tens of millions of dollars in attorneys fees and produced 1 million pages of depositions.

The case wound its way through the judicial system from 1989 to 1992 when a $171 million settlement was reached before going to a jury trial.  Insurance companies that had reimbursed some 17,000 claimants received almost 100 cents on the dollar.

Clark County agreed to pay $3.8 million to insurance companies as a result of shoddy inspections that had taken place at the plant over the years. 

Southwest Gas also agreed to settle because according to their attorney "it was a practical decision made because of the uncertainty of what a jury might do at trial." (Las Vegas Review Journal).

Southwest Gas later found out what a jury would do.  In a trial that lasted a little over a month, PEPCON's insurance company argued that gas, which is lighter than air, had leaked from a pipe then moved horizontally underground toward the plant 670 feet away.  The gas was then to make a 90-degree turn upward and ignited with an unknown source. (Emphasis added)

Following final arguments, the attorneys hadn't even gotten back to their offices before the call came from the court house that a jury had reached a verdict.  It took less than a half hour for the jury to laugh that idea out of court.

The disaster was a turning point for the development of Henderson.  The city began to shift from being the "City of Industry" (its slogan) to a bedroom community of Las Vegas.  A few years after the disaster, Green Valley subdivision, a master planned community, took off with home buyers and changed the dynamics of Henderson forever.

Though many industries remain in Henderson, the city is now a growing hub of suburban dwellers looking to escape Las Vegas.

[itsworn]

Behind the wheel of a Focus RS at the Utah Motorsports Campus

Ford Motor Company’s line-up of performance vehicles is pretty stout. Enthusiasts can select between the affordable 197-hp Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Focus RS, the 526 hp Shelby GT350 or the new 450-horsepower 2017 F-150 Raptor. And in addition to offering such a wide palate of performance, Ford also want its specialty car and truck owners to understand and experience the full capabilities. So with performance in mind, the Detroit automaker offers owners a free specially designed driving course at the Ford Performance Racing School at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah.

The UMC, which was formerly named Miller Motorsports Park, is home to a variety of tracks designed for instruction and all-out racing, and it houses the Ford’s Racing School that’s headed up by Dan McKeever and his team of professional instructors.

Ford wanted us to experience the program since this week it will be introducing two new courses, the RS Adrenaline Academy for the Focus RS and the Raptor Assault, which incorporates an amazing off-road experience for Raptor owners.

Invite in hand, we headed to UMC and spend a day flinging the Focus RS and climbing and descending with the Raptor. “This is what we want to provide our owners so they feel like a part of the Ford Performance team.” says Jim Owens of Ford. “You get to experience the vehicle in the environment the engineers designed it for and this lets owners tap into the capabilities,” he added.

Ford’s on-track programs began in 2012 with the Boss 302 Track Attack and it was wildly successful. Ford VP Jim Farley, a performance enthusiasts himself, wanted to give Boss owners something special, so they came up with a course tailored to giving enthusiasts a fun and educational day at the Ford-specific school. Boss owners seized the opportunity and came away impressed and today Ford offers this training at no cost to anyone who purchases a Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Focus RS, Shelby GT350 and starting this year, the Ford Raptor. And in addition, it offers add-on days and options to allow a guest to join in on the fun.

Utah Motorsports Campus is located about 20 minutes from Salt Lake City and the facility is a wonderland of hot cars, bikes, karts, trucks and tracks. The full road course is 4.48-miles with 23 turns and the longest straight in North America. Corners have cool names such as Sunset Bend, Dreamboat, Work Out, Scream, Black Rock Hairpin, Right Hook, Knock Out, Demon, Devil, Diablo, Indecision, Precision, Fast, Faster, Gotcha, Mabey Y’ll Makit, Satisfaction, Agony, Ecstasy, 1st Attitude, 2nd Attitude, Bad Attitude, Tooele Turn, Kink, Club House Corner, Wind-Up, and Release. The track can be broken into different configurations, as well. And the garages and other facilities are all first-class.

Our small media group had a special program set up that enabled us to experience the RS Adrenaline Academy and the Raptor Assault courses all in one day. In this blog I’ll give you the goods on the RS program, check back to learn about the Raptor Assault.

Like the students, we simply showed up, as the school provides everything necessary for a fun track day. This included a driving suit, helmet and even the car—which in this case is a Focus RS equipped with a roll bar and driver harness.

Upon arrival, students are treated to a reception and dinner at the Ford Performance Racing School Welcome Center the evening before a full day of events. The Welcome Center houses an example of each vehicle in the program, but also a few museum-quality Fords that add to the ambience. During our trip, we spotted an original Ford GT-40, a pristine 1965 Shelby GT350 and a rare Escort RS200.

The actual track day begins with classroom instruction where students learn the finer points of track safety and vehicle dynamics. Instructors explain the importance managing the vehicle’s sprung weight to maximize loading at the contact patches, how to prevent and correct over- and under-steer and how to link corners together on the race track. It’s all designed to help you build a foundation or understanding so you can translate to the track with the useable information.

Before you know it, you’re behind the wheel, where an instructor will help you find the best seating position, show you how to strap in and how to shift effectively. On track, you’ll be taught how to brake, nail and apex, and exit a corner with control and speed. Owens emphasized that this program is designed for owners to gain experience, he called it “challenge-by-choice” meaning you basically go at your own pace, with no pressure to push beyond your comfort zone.

We began on the road course, in “Track” mode, first with a lead-and-follow, then with solo hot laps followed by laps with an instructor in the car. Lastly, we rode with the pros, who took the Focus RS to a much higher level.

In just a few short laps I was blown away by the capabilities of the 2017 Focus RS. With 350hp and all-wheel drive, the RS is a beast, but one that is balanced perfectly and was remarkably easy to drive fast. Cornering was neutral, but you could force a slide with a jab of the throttle on corner exit. The Brembo brakes were a dream, too, I liked the firm pedal feel and didn’t experience any fade. What did I learn? Patience. Letting the RS rotate in the corners and looking far ahead, netted me the greatest exit speed and the smoothest transition between corners.

The 2.3L EcoBoost has torque in all the right places, so I was able to use Third and Forth gears for the entire track. It even makes that cool, popping-through-the-pipes gaggle when you decelerate for the corners.

With my adrenaline still pumping, we headed to the Urban Street Course. There, we tried Launch Control, which allows you to mat the throttle on the line and dump the clutch for quick starts. Once LC is activated, you’re set and ready to launch. The computer lets you go up to 5,000 rpm, and you just dump the clutch and go. Using LC, we could record 0-60 times in the 4.6-second range. In the right hands this is a 12-second quarter-miler, but that’s another story.

Next, we zipped through a Figure 8 course, testing the RS’s ability to accelerate, brake, rotate around a tight arc, and accelerate in the opposite direction. While that was fun, everyone was itching to try the “Drift” mode on the FPRS Drift Circle.

Now in Drift mode, I slid the RS around and around, which was huge fun. To achieve a 360-plus degree drift, I started in First gear, cranked the wheel to the left and floored the throttle. As boost came on the RS broke free, the whole car slid in a four-wheel drift and I countered with a touch of steering input to control the arc. To keep it going, I simply modulated the throttle and the steering. Getting a few laps with the tail yawed out took a few tries, but I quickly got the hang of it. This is clearly something owners will try once they master it at the school.

Our last stop was back on the Urban Street Course, where we ran an autocross-style track for time. Each media guest got a few practice laps then we went for a timed lap. The course incorporated two tight 180-degree turns, a quick straight that led to a slalom, then the Figure 8, then another slalom and finally we had to nail a quick stop. How’d Hot Rod do? We grabbed a podium with a second place finish, only falling short of the win by a couple of tenths to an SCCA Pro.

Those attending the RS Adrenaline Academy will experience a full day of this educational madness and walk away with the building blocks for real performance driving, not to mention a really cool Brembo brake caliper trophy and a certificate. You’ll also have the desire to push yourself and learn more which is why I highly recommend adding a day of training if you’re making the trip, or just heading to the school for one of it’s performance driving courses.

Source:

Ford Performance Racing School 435-277-7333 Utahmotorsportscampus.com

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