If you are a one man in a van type of company, or you have a whole army of personnel and trucks, it is paramount you keep your vehicles maintained, and in many cases DOT compliant. That stands for Department Of Transportation, and let me tell ya, if you have ever ran into them, you probably do not want to run into them again. DOT's job is a necessary one - to make sure large freight haulers and utility vehicles adhere to certain standards and utilize components on their trucks that meet a certain criterion of performance and safety. To put it in simple terms, you gotta follow the rules of the road or you're gonna be met with a fine, and you're going to hope that's all that happens to you (gasp!).

Okay perhaps that's a bit dramatic, but the takeaway here is that keeping your fleet vehicles up and running can be a timely task, so making sure you put parts on that meet the needed specifications is something you want to be sure of. American Hose and Supply has DOT air and hydraulic components to keep your machines running like well oiled......machines. Below are the 5 most replaced parts on fleet service vehicles that require a DOT approval.

‍

1 - Air Brake Tubing

This tubing is typically made from nylon and per D.O.T, it is required to be nylon to meet the SAE requirement (SAE J844, if you want to challenge us on this one). There are two types of this tubing, DOT A and DOT B. DOT A is any nylon tubing 5/16 or smaller, and is used primarily on instrumentation that is connected to the air brake system.

‍

DOT B is anything larger than 5/16 that has a nylon braid embedded in the wall of the tubing. Air brake tubing comes in all types of colors for traceability, and American Hose and Supply offers both DOT A and B tubing. We can sell you a whole spool or just a few inches if you forgot your drinking straw.

2- Air Brake Fittings

Oh gosh. This is the part of the topic where the house gets divided. Air brake fittings come in two styles and also two materials. One material is brass, and the other is "composite" material, which is essentially polypropylene. the two styles are a compression style, where there is a ferrule that is basically crushed onto the tubing then secured into place with a threaded tube nut, and the other style is referred to by a few names, most notably being "push to connect." Other names for this style are push-lock, push / pull, and shark bite (it's not a shark bite fitting at all, but we can kinda see why you'd call it that).

‍

Some people swear by only using composite push to connect, while other's won't put anything on their fleet but brass compression, or some combination of that. All that matters is that little brass ring or nut is stamped with those 3 little letters, DOT. American Hose and Supply offers all combinations of push to connect and compression style DOT air brake fittings. If you do not see what you need on the site, please, call us!

‍

3- Fuel Delivery Hose

This can be a few products but most of the time it is referred to as "stratoflex" or you may know it as cloth braid hose.You guessed it, It's DOT rated and requires ends that are stamped DOT as well. You guessed it again, we have this product available! Over time this hose can become brittle due to big swings in temperature change over years of use.

‍

4- Brass SAE Fittings

SAE brass fittings are the most common in air applications. With limited exception, all brass SAE fittings are DOT approved, but we cannot say the same for steel fittings, so make sure the material you are using is not only correct for the job, but will pass any inspections you may face. SAE brass fittings have a cone seat that is 45 degrees, whereas JIC fittings are 37 degrees, and normally steel. Salt exposure and over tightening are both the mortal enemies of this type of fitting.

‍

5- Silicone / Radiator Hose

Hump hose, CAC hose, stick hose, heater hose, and coolant hose are all names you might hear this one called. These come in just straight and molded versions, so it's important to check with an American Hose and Supply customer service specialist to learn which one you might need. Typically this hose will split over time due to incredibly long periods of high heat exposure coupled with vibration.

If you need help keeping your fleet running, we are happy to lend a helping hose hand (or something like that.... that sounds odd, but you get it). Call or stop by, you'll be glad you did.

‍