I learned something last year about the National Brockway Truck Show. It’s good to hang around until the end of the day and catch all the trucks as the leave. The main street of downtown Cortland empties out pretty quickly with a steady steam of trucks and I personally I think it’s better than the parade in the morning.
This year a late down pour helped slick the streets up like a backstage movie lot for that extra cinematic effect. Sit back and enjoy the show.
Like most people I enjoy a nice Sunday cruise through the country. I would say that outside of run down industrial areas your chances of find old trucks is the best out in the boonies. Sometimes you have to just get in the car and drive while other times call for advance scouting. Enter Google Maps.
I figured I would pull up a chunk of nearby planet to investigate. Starting with the birds eye view I followed a few roads backs and forth looking for large buildings or groups of vehicles. I didn’t find much so I dropped down to street view which often times doesn’t exist the further from beaten path you go. This time I was in luck and followed the path of the Google street view car for a few miles around the back roads. That’s where this Mack DM showed up. The capture date was nearly two years old so I wondered if the old dog was still there. Technology can only take you so far before you have to get up and physically move but I’m sure there will be a fix for that before too long.
You don’t always have to be the first person with an idea to be successful. Over the past year or two the Nikola One and Tesla have both trotted out concept versions of their hybrid trucks. While both companies claim their trucks are close to reality little in the way of physical proof has been presented. Now entering the game is Cummins with their Class 7 Urban Hauler Electric vehicle. Developed in partnership with Roush the UHEV has a range of 100 miles thanks to an 140KW battery pack. When depleted the battery can be recharged fully in one hour. Paired with small diesel generator the range of the truck can be increased to around 300 miles.
You’ll notice at the moment this truck is wearing an International cab. Don’t get excited or angry as Cummins has no plans on entering the commercial vehicle market. This truck you see below is nothing more than a showcase for the engine and battery technology that will be offered to traditional truck builders.
If you were in the market for an electric or hybrid electric truck would you buy from an existing truck building company using a power train developed by a world class engine builder or would you venture off into the unknown territory of Telsa and Nikola?
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We’ve had fun but it’s time to wrap up the coverage on the ATCA Upper Canada show.
I’ll tell you one final time. Go to this show next year!
A few weekends back I was wandering through DogStar books in Lancaster, PA when I came across this gem. My wife loves looking through old book stores and truth be told so do I in the hopes of finding something exactly like this Rand McNally Elf Book titled My Truck Book.
Believe me I had to work to find this book. I probably shifted through a hundred My Golden Books and Elf Book titles before finding this solitary copy. I didn’t even have to take it out it’s protective cover before deciding it should come home to my collection.
Published in 1948 this book is jammed full of iconic postwar truck designs from nearly every manufacturer of the time including lesser acknowledge brands such as Studebaker but sadly omitting the classic Brockway. I won’t hold it against illustrator Dorthy Grider as her work in other children’s books speaks for itself.
Anyway, it would figure that an Autocar would pop in this book and since we are talking about the late 40’s you know it can be none other than the stylish U-Model.
Author E.C. Reichart, who also penned the Elf Book title Freight Trains, describe the illustration as such.
My, this is a big truck! In the long tank it carries gasoline to the gasoline stations. The gasoline is run through a hose from the truck into a tank under the ground. The station man can then pump it out into cars. Every gasoline truck has a chain dragging behind it to prevent electricity causing it to catch on fire. You have to be a careful driver to drive a big gasoline truck.
And there you have it. With that knowledge you can now pass that HAZMAT portion of your CDL exam. Flipping through the book there are a few other trucks that could pass for an Autocar but this is the prime example. There really is no debate about it. The truck even appears on the cover.
Do you have any Autocar you would like to see featured on Autocar Mondays? Email eric@dailydieseldose.com today!
Part 3, the final leg of the Huskie Drive, finishes today with a trip back to the Brockway truck Museum behind the wheel of one of the best sounding rigs on the road today. Think jake brake.
I truely didn’t understand what a great show the 2017 ATCA Upper Canada show was until I returned home and starting digging through the photos. I’m sure you’ll agree as we enjoy part II of the coverage.
And we’re not done yet folks…check back soon.
Part 2 of the Huskie Run is now live. See it through the eyes of The Chadillac.
In just its second year the ATCA Upper Canada truck show is quickly becoming one of the premier events of the year. If you have any doubts on the variety of trucks that make it to this show just take a look at this King. I mean, when was the last time you saw one of these?
Old iron and new iron comprise the show field. Truly something for everyone.
I would say the show has doubled in size from last year and I have the photos to prove it. The first batch can be found below.
Thanks to the modern miracle of technology now you too can see what it’s like to ride in the cab of a 1974 Brockway 359 complete with Huskiedrive! This is part 1 of a three part series in which we will ride in a 359, 358 and a 361.
