2011 Truck Sales Boom

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Eric

2011 was a great year to be a truck manufacturer. The industry as a whole saw a nearly 60% increase in sales over the prior year. Although each OEM was able to move more units Volvo and Peterbilt were the percentages winners with increases of 108% and 89% respectively. For the full breakdown check the story at FleetOwner.com by clicking here.

New Mack's waiting for their new owner - Click to Enlarge

Following on the heals of the good news above one manufacturer was dealt a potential dangerous regulatory blow. Yesterday it was announced that Navistar’s lawsuit to force an EPA recall of 2010 diesel engines using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) was dismissed from a U.S. district court. Navistar is the only company that does not use SCR as emission reduction and control device instead using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). To make matters worse the the company is running out of engine credits that allow it to sell non compliant engines. Credits for California sales are expected to be depleted by the end of next month. Navistar stock piled credits back when their engines exceed Federal standards. Company officials announced they are close to unveiling a new EGR based engine that will meet all current EPA standards.

To read the Courthousenews.com story relating to the failed EPA lawsuit click here.

To read the WSJ story about engines credits click here.

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Road Gators, Scourge of the Interstates

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Eric

Road gators, AKA the large chunks of rubber left on the road after a semi truck blows a tire.  Just like their natural born namesakes they can be extremely dangerous.  If you’ve ever had to swerve to avoid a shredded tire or worse yet, hit one, you know what I mean.  DOT crews usually try to clean the fragments as soon as possible but this usually requires lane closures with two or three trucks and crews working along high speed traffic.  Enter the Gator Getter.  A large drum looking device attached to the front of your standard dump truck.  Moving at high speed and from their safety of their cab a DOT crew can remove road obstacles in seconds flat.

Gotta say, this looks like fun.

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Tow Plowing and Snow Blowing

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Eric

Ever take a look at the inside of plow truck? Let’s put it this way, if you enjoy levers and switches you will be right at home. To begin you have all the normal heavy duty truck controls. Stuff like the shifter, air brake controls, dump box etc. Then you probably have a set of controls just for the sander. Most likely it is full of buttons and dials to regulate the flow of sand or salt. Last but not least you have the levers for the plow, maybe ten or more depending on the setup. Now take a moment to imagine coordinating all of these controls while driving the truck…in traffic…during a blizzard. Not enough for you? Okay, how about pulling a trailer at a 45 degree angle behind the truck? Welcome to the world of tow plowing. It may look like a trailer jack knifing behind a plow truck but it’s actually a highly controlled process. Tow plowing is a quick and economical way to clear two lanes of traffic with just one truck and one driver. Gotta save those government pennies whenever possible. I can only imagine that this setup introduces a whole new set of levers and switches to the cab. Better keep those mirrors clean!

And here is the old fashioned way to move tons of snow, throw it.

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Ford L9000

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Eric

Even though heavy duty Ford trucks like this L9000 have not been produced in nearly fifteen years you can still find a decent number of them running the hi-ways and bi-ways of the United States. Take this fine truck as an example. It was at the local spring shop prepping for the coming paving season.

Ford L9000 Click to Enlarge

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Australian Road Trains…seriously, it’s a train.

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Eric

We’ve talked about Australian trucking before on the Daily D but this takes it to a whole new level.

According to the poster…

On February 18, 2006, an Australian built Mack truck with 113 semi-trailers, 2,865,980 pounds (1,299,987 kg) and 4,836 ft 11 in (1,474.3 metres) long, pulled the load the longest road train (multiple loaded trailers) ever pulled with a single prime mover. It was on the main road of Clifton, Queensland, that 70-year-old John Atkinson claimed a new record, pulled by a tri-drive Mack Titan
In the extreme outback of Australia, consisting of Western Queensland through to Central Western Australia, there is technically no limit to how long a road train can be. if the authorities granted permit for a truck to be a 1000 trailers long, its legal.

Not impressed? Okay then, what do you think about a semi than can parallel park itself?

Yes, it’s a joke video but you really do have to perform a parallel park to get your CDL!

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Diesel Sales Up, Hybrid Sales Down.

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Eric

Diesel sales rose 27% among passenger vehicles in the year 2011 according to a study performed by HybridyCars.com and Baum and Associates. This should come as no surprise. Over the past year nearly every major auto manufacturer has announced plans to add a diesel engine to a new or existing vehicle.  Just last week Jeep announced the return of diesel power plant for the Grand Cherokee and now rumors are swirling regarding a diesel powered Durango. Early this year Mazda and GM both announced plans to power their sedans and compact cars with some form of diesel.  And don’t forget the already established diesel purveyors like Volkswagen. One another interesting point from the study, hybrid sales were down 2.2% in 2011.  This is a trend that I would only expect to continue as more diesel powered options become available to the consumer.  Anyone looking for hybrid style gas mileage will be able to find comparable or better numbers from a cheaper and already proven technology.  Take that Prius!

Chevy Cruze - Soon to be diesel powered

Source: dieselforums.com

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Evel Knievel’s Rig – Help Save Trucking History

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Eric

The old truck hiding behind a farmers barn. The rig buried in the back corner of some industrial wasteland. We all have caught a fleeting glimpse of a road side relic in our travels. You consider yourself lucky if you can stop for a quick picture or revel in the faded glory. But all too soon you have to move on and leave that old truck to its fate. But today is different. Today you can do more. Today you can actually save a piece of this old iron. And what a piece it is.

If you are a regular visitor of this site you know about the fine Speed program, American Trucker. One particular episode from the past season revolved around Robb Mariani hunting down the support truck used by Evel Knievel. His quest was successful and now the truck is awaiting a full restoration.

Click here to visit the website dedicated to the Evel Rig, a unique one of kind Mack FS786LST. View historic photos of the rig. Following the restoration proccess. Make a donation!

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Heavy Metal Task Force

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Eric

Another programming note. Tune in this Thursday at 8PM EST to the Science Channel for their show Heavy Metal Taskforce. The LeTourneau L-2350 will be highlighted in all of its diesel powered glory. Some quick stats on the L-2350 courtesy of Wikipedia.

Designed to center-load haul trucks with capacities of up to 400 tons, the L-2350 provides an operating payload of 160,000 pounds, a 24-foot lift height, and an 11.5-foot reach.

  • Operational weight 258 tons
  • 2300 Horsepower
  • 16 Cylinder 65.0 Liters Detroit Diesel Turbocharged Aftercooler Engine
  • Hydraulic lifting payload 72 tons
  • Standart Bucket 40,52 m³
  • FuelTank 3974.68 Liters
  • Hydraulic Oil 1230 Liters
  • Tyres 70/70-57 SRG DT ( diameter 4 m and width 1.78 m)[1][2]

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At the Dealer – Three Coronados for J.B. Hunt

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Eric

J.B. Hunt is one of the largest trucking companies in North America. Chances are high that you have passed at least one of their trucks the last time you were on the interstate. Most of their fleet is comprised of white power units hauling a white trailer. Very forgettable to say the least. That is why I stopped in my tracks when I saw these three brand new Freightliner Coronados wearing the J.B Hunt DCS logo. DCS stands for Dedicated Contract Services. Basically, if you have a business that uses a fleet of trucks and drivers you can outsource that work to J.B. Hunt through DCS. They will provide dedicated equipment and drivers to meet your needs. The three Coronados below are a very interesting choice of truck for behind the scenes contract hauling as they tend to pack larger engines and payload capacity than your average Class 8 semi. They also appear to be wearing larger tires on aluminum rims suggesting a life dedicated to some form of bulk material transport.

Freightliner Coronado - Click to Enlarge

And here is how they arrived at Tracey Road Equipment, on the back of a brand new NFI Cascadia wearing super singles on the rear axles. I know the advantages that super singles pose but from a visual stand point I just don’t care for them.

Shiny and New - Click to Enlarge

As always, if you know more about the trucks or companies mentioned above let me know.

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Ultimate Factories – Mack Trucks

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Eric

The National Geographic Channel has a great series by the name of Ultimate Factories. Past seasons have paid visits to Bentley, Ferrari and Maserati, in other words, the elite of the elite. So it’s only fitting that the Ultimate Factories crew finally pays a visit to one of the best truck builders on the globe, Mack. Marvel as the workers of Mack construct their biggest and toughest trucks at the historic Macungie PA factory. You’ll be right in the heart of the action the trucks move from raw frame to finished product. The episode premieres Saturday, January 14th at 8PM EST. If you don’t have the NatGeo Channel check out the clip below for a taste of what you will miss.

P.S. The Lego factory episode looks pretty cool as well.

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