51444 U.S. ARMY SIGNAL CORPS MILITARY TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING INSTRUCTION & INSPECTION

This is No. 11-553 The Motor Vehicle Driver, a 1942 black and white official training film for the War Department and produced by The Signal Corps. It provides “elementary driving instructions and inspections” INSPECTION BEFORE OPERATION. A Sergeant and three men put on their side caps and leave a classroom setting. They go over to a military truck (W-424716) (:48-1:15). They look under the truck for leaks (1:16-1:29). The Sergeant opens the hood and takes off the cap to check the coolant. He sticks his finger in it. He checks the radiator air passages are open and the fan belt has proper tension. He pulls out the bayonet gauge to check the oil level and checks the engine for loose connections (1:30-2:22). He unscrews the gas tank cap to check the level (2:23-2:35). A soldier gets in the driver’s seat. He sets the parking brake and verifies the gear shift levers and power takeoffs are in neutral (2:36-3:04). He sets the hand throttle, pulls out the choke, turns on the ignition, and disengages the clutch before stepping on the starter (3:06-3:28). The amps and oil dashboard gauges are shown, followed by the water and fuel gauges, followed by the entire gauge dashboard (3:52-4:03). The windshield wipers, mounted to the top of the frame, are turned on and off (4:32). The “Driver’s Report- Accident” card is shown up-close (4:41) and a 1941 Army Motor Vehicle Operator’s Permit (4:56) before putting them back in the glovebox. He blows the horn twice and turns the headlights on (5:15-5:23). He pops the hood and checks the fan and steering linkage and springs (6:04-6:22). He checks the tires and spare with an air pressure gauge (6:33). The poppet latch on the winch is checked that the plunger is down and the front axle examined (6:54-7:07). The gas cans must be full and secure (7:22-7:39), the tools secured on the Pioneer equipment bracket (7:40-7:52), and the pintle hitch locked (8:12-8:25). He inspects the tools in the toolbox and the wheel nuts (8:32-9:02). DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS. The truck is moved slightly forward to check operation (9:20-9:42). They practice starting a truck on blocks, going through the previous instructions (9:53-11:15). Proper driving posture is explained and the rearview mirror adjusted (11:27-12:27). A soldier drives the truck, and learns shifting and how to double-clutch (13:15-14:57). The instrument panel is shown and explained (14:59-16:00). The transfer assembling shifting lever is shown and explained for climbing hills (16:29-17:42). Proper braking is shown and explained (18:02-18:28). He kicks the tires to inspect them at the halt (19:03-19:51). How to parallel park is shown and explained (20:13-21:10), as is parking on a hill (21:11-21:41), and backing into a restricted space (21:42-22:22). A truck backs and parks into a tight space with a towed gun behind it (22:27-23:32). The final inspection is given after operating the truck (23:42-24.08).

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