Another day another dollar. Mo’ plows, mo’ problems. What do you think about this Freightliner M2 112V setup for plowing the streets of Herkimer, NY? I happen to like it. The fender guards are a nice touch. As you can see from the photos below it is teamed up with an Everest plow and a Hi Way E2020XT spreader.
Freightliner M2 112V Snow Plow – Click to Enlarge
Enjoy the multiple angles, soak it all in.
Many of the large national carriers operate their own driver training programs to help fill the ranks of their growing companies. Most of the time instruction is provided using their experienced staff and company trucks. After all, finding a skilled driver to learn from a truck to drive can be the largest obstacles to obtaining a CDL. Swift Transportation had one such “academy” in Millington Tennessee. The Millington location even contained a satellite DMV office. Talk about one stop shopping. Swift and the Tennessee State government became so close that road tests eventually stopped using state personal in favor of Swift trainers. Soon, the road test dropped from a open road 45 minute exam to a quick five minute drive around the block. Fearing that a terrorist could gain easy access to a license from these methods the Federal government invalidated nearly 9,000 CDLs earned by graduates. WOW! Many of the graduates were no longer employed by Swift and thus lost their jobs and careers when their licenses were terminated. A class action lawsuit soon followed. Swift eventually agree to pay for retesting, retraining and equipment rental to the drivers but some feel that is not enough. What do you think? CDL Life.com has the full story which you can view by clicking here.
I really enjoy the look of this truck, the International Paystar 5900i. I guess I am just a sucker for steel wheels and the color yellow. The chrome bumper, dual air cleaners and lighted mirrors work well together. Nothing too fancy but this is destined to be a government truck, Tompkins County to be exact.
Internationa Paystar 5900i – Click to Enlarge
International Paystar 5900i – Click to Enlarge
I’m sorry but I just can’t get enough of old product promotional films from years past. Hopefully you feel the same way. Check out this gem displaying the forest harvesting products from Koehring Waterous. The lineup covers machines from the late 70’s timeframe. The video starts off to the tune of spacey music with alternating images of equipment blue prints and spinning lathe. The first piece of equipment showcased is the Short Wood Harvester, a truly impressive piece of equipment that performs the role of feller, processor and loader all in one machine. If you stick with the video until the 3:57 mark your reward will be footage of a fully loaded Autocar screaming through the “Load Alinger.” If you were feeling this video like I was your ultimate reward are shots of engineers using drafting tables to design the forest product of tomorrow. Drafting tables! Times have changed for sure.
Below you see an example of a well maintained older dump truck. It happens to belong to the Town of Lysander. After staring at this truck for a few minutes I began to think about the differences between public sector (government) and private sector trucks. The White/GMC below is a good starting point. You’ll notice it is fairly plain. No fancy graphics or pin striping. No aftermarket bumpers, lights or horns. In fact, this truck doesn’t even have a displayed DOT or weight numbers. Must be a case of do as I say, not as I do. 😉
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In contrast take a look this International 9900 operating for King’s Quarry. Aluminum rims, hood visor, graphics, pin striping, beacon lights, tag axle, diamond plate storage boxes. The list is nearly endless!
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Of course these trucks are not the rule or standard when it comes to private versus public. You can find variations in either direction if you take a moment to look. At the end of the day I happen to like both!
I have a Magic 8 Ball on my desk at work. I use it to make all my critical decision. Should I have chili for lunch? Should a take a nap in the conference room? The majority of the time the 8 Ball is worthless, responding with insights like “outlook unclear” or “ask again later.” There must be a better way! When it comes to trucking for the new year of 2013 the editors at TruckingInfo.com have attempted to take the guess work out of a new year. Using their industry connections they have boiled down the new trends and equipment that could possibly change the scene for the coming year. Some highlights include…
You can check out the full TruckingInfo article by clicking here. It’s well researched, well informed and well worth the read.
Modern firefighting is equipment intensive. Without fire engines and other support vehicles the brave individuals who responsed to desperate 911 calls would be at a serious disadvantage. When a piece of equipment is down for repairs or service the window to return it to service is very small. To keep the rigs on the road you may need the help of trucks like the Internationals below.
Dallas Fire Rescue International S-Series – Click to Enlarge
Contributor Thomas sends us photos of two old work horses used by Dallas Fire Rescue. He tells us…
I estimate them to be 1980-81 S1900 chassis. These are both units still in service for Dallas Fire-Rescue (Texas) at their maintenance and service center. The first truck is a small tow truck for transferring disabled vehicles around the shop. The large three axle is used rarely if there is something like a engine or transmission that needs to be swapped quickly or at a station.
Dallas Fire Rescue S-Series International – Click to Enlarge
Do you know of an old truck that is still earning it’s keep? Email Me!
I stopped to photograph this loader because it was very large. That is pretty much the story behind this one. Browsing through the specs for this 744K online I noticed it has keyless start as standard option. A security code is still required to start the machine so don’t think you can just cruise away with this beast if you spy it at the local job site.
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Click to Enlarge
In the snowflake world this plow must seem like jaws. I’m not sure if the white triangles on the blade skirt are meant to be some sort of safety marking or just a decal that raises the level of coolness on this WorkStar. Either way, it works. I guess the wing man in this truck must be the bashful sort or was expecting to do some pretty aggressive shelving!
Onondaga County DOT – Click to Enlarge
And as usual, video.
Well this sure looks like fun. Check out the exciting video of The Tombstone Run, a now annual event held on the twisty mountain roads of Oregon. Plenty of eye and ear candy here as old Peterbilt, Mack, Autocar and Kenworth logging trucks churn up the steep mountain passes. The video is nearly 30 minutes long but contains numerous view points of the trucks as they make their way down the road to an eventual BBQ lunch.
If you need more the local paper produced an excellent write up of the 2012 event complete with photos and driver interviews. Check it out by clicking here.
