Elite means a set of equipment will save at least 9% in fuel at highway speeds – nothing to blow off with a shrug.
The Tail resembles the Trailer Tail from ATDynamics, but seems unique in that its panels automatically deploy when the rig reaches about 45 mph, then fold up as it slows down. READ MORE
Tags: EPA SmartWay, Trailers, Fuel Economy, Aerodynamics, Transtex Edge
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, March 3, 2015 8:00 AM | » Comments(0)
Follow the Truck Route or you'll be in trouble.
Sometimes, following the truck route is the only way to stay safe, as Senior Editor Tom Berg finds when he travels through a small town in Ohio. READ MORE
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, February 10, 2015 6:00 PM | » Comments(0)
On black ice, all the anti-lock braking systems in the western world can't do much to control a multi-trailer combination.
This video is so graphic that parts of it, shot by a motorist along the New Jersey Turnpike, were picked up by ABC and CBS in their evening newscasts one day last week. Thankfully, no one was hurt. READ MORE
Tags: Safety, Fleet Safety, Double-trailers, Black Ice
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Monday, January 26, 2015 1:47 PM | » Comments(2)
Can't he see that smoke? Can't he feel the trailer dragging against his tractor? Apparently not.
Senior Editor Tom Berg tries to warn a driver of a burning brake, but without success. Moral: Check the equipment you're driving. READ MORE
Tags: Brakes, Truck Drivers, Vehicle Inspection
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, January 14, 2015 4:23 PM | » Comments(0)
They'd be safer to reach for repairs, but they're up there for some good reasons.
The three identification lights at the top-rear of the trailer, mounted around the center line of the vehicle, are to alert following drivers that the vehicle equipped with these lights is wider than 80 inches. READ MORE
Tags: Regulations, Safety, Trailers, Lighting
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, January 8, 2015 1:15 PM | » Comments(0)
Since 1964 the gas stations have sold Hess Toy Trucks in the weeks leading up to Christmas, so this year is the 50th anniversary of the tradition.
Since 1964 Hess has sold Toy Trucks in the weeks leading up to Christmas, so this year is the 50th anniversary of the tradition. Since Hess is closing its filling stations in a few months the 2014 truck will be the last that can be bought in person. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Tankers, Toy Trucks
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, December 23, 2014 1:00 AM | » Comments(0)
Pyle has added 80 of the special trailers, augmenting its existing pool of more than 400 such units. Most are 48-by-102s for road and city service.
Some carriers turn away temperature-sensitive freight during cold snaps. But Pyle has equipment and facilities to handle it, and the business has grown. READ MORE
Tags: Great Dane, Wabash National, Heaters, Insulated van, Vans, Trailers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, December 10, 2014 5:00 PM | » Comments(0)
Senior Editor Tom Berg watches the drama and has his imagination provoked, too!
The family comes upon a big rig transporting what looks like a tug or fishing boat, strapped to a special trailer. The little boy looks up at the boat and sees a three-masted schooner, foundering and in peril! READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, In the Media
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Friday, October 31, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
Low floor adds 600 cubic feet to a van's usual capacity.
It's "back to the future" in van trailers for one carrier, explains Tom Berg in his "Trailer Talk" blog. The freight is big, bulky and light, with gross combination weights typically at 45,000 pounds, so the ZCube trailers are pulled by single-rear-axle tractors. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Special Specs, Logistics
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, October 16, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
Reefer operators can track load temperatures through telematics, but that eats up electricity from a parked trailer's battery.
Recent announcements by Carrier Transicold and Thermo King, that they’re offering solar panels as options on many reefer units, jibed nicely with discussions during TMC's Fall Meeting near Orlando, notes Senior Editor Tom Berg in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: TMC, Thermo King, Carrier Transicold, Solar Charging, Solar Panel, Trailers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, October 7, 2014 10:00 AM | » Comments(0)
What does rotten chicken have to do with missing household goods? Abandoned trailers, says Senior Editor Tom Berg in his latest installment of the Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Trailer Tracking, Trailers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Monday, September 29, 2014 5:00 PM | » Comments(1)
Multiplying the tractor's pulling force could reduce required input and save 80% in fuel, this concept's inventor believes.
Archimedes, the scholar and mathematician of antiquity, was quoted as saying, “Give me a place to stand and a large enough lever, and I will move the earth.” That’s debatable, but some pretty big and heavy things can be nudged into motion with a lever – and trailers are among them, says an inventor in Ohio. Tom Berg has the story in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Fuel Economy, Inventions
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Friday, September 19, 2014 5:30 PM | » Comments(0)
Moving large, heavy machines in one piece avoids the time and work otherwise spent in teardown and reassembly, saving big money.
Bill Miller Equipment needed a trailer of higher capacity, with axle configurations and versatility to haul it through numerous states. Talbert built one. Tom Berg has the story in his "Trailer Talk" blog. READ MORE
Tags: Lowbed, Talbert Trailers, Trailers, Heavy Haul
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Friday, September 5, 2014 2:00 PM | » Comments(0)
Senior Editor Tom Berg's day is brightened by this clean and colorful van. But what's inside?
“Now why would a trucking company that hauls booze advertise it?” I mumbled. “That’s asking for a hijacking.” Senior Editor Tom Berg investigates in his "Trailer Talk" blog. READ MORE
Tags: Image, Trailers, Specialty Trailers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, August 20, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
Guest post: Toss the diesel and pump in some liquid nitrogen for super-cold cooling.
Reflect Scientific says a Cryometrix CB-40 transport refrigeration unit made history by delivering its first commercial load of frozen foods using a new pollution-free refrigeration technology. READ MORE
Tags: Cryogenics, Reefers, Transportation Refrigeration Units, Trailers
Author: Rolf Lockwood, Executive Contributing Editor | Posted @ Friday, August 8, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
Who's really 'best in class,' and do customers really care?
Senior Editor Tom Berg branches out a bit in his Trailer Talk blog this week to talk about how much trailer load heavy pickups can haul. In a demonstration a couple of weeks ago, Ford pitted a pair of Power Stroke-powered F-450 pickups against a Ram 3500 dually pickup with a Cummins Turbo Diesel to demonstrate towing capacity. READ MORE
Tags: Ford Super Duty, Ram Heavy Duty, Pickup Trucks, Trailers, Ford
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, July 31, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
A demonstration by ZF engineers a couple of weeks ago in Germany was impressive because it wasn’t being done by a driver, but a guy with a tablet computer.
The point is productivity: A vehicle longer and more complex than the single semis normally used in most of Europe could be employed to haul more cargo in one trip. And with little training, its driver could back it into position for loading or unloading.
READ MORE
Tags: Productivity, long combination vehicles, Remote Controls, ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, July 22, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
The idea came from truck bodies, but Darry Stuart put it to use on trailers.
Tree branches batter top nose rails and corner caps of trailers because they snag on the sharp channels. Tom Berg talks to one fleet manager who found curved surfaces up there let the branches slide past harmlessly. READ MORE
Tags: Vehicle Damage, Hyundai Translead, Trailers, Dry Vans
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, July 8, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
Tom Berg spots an unusual trailer lighting system on the road. Grote LED light bars need only three pigtails to connect to the sealed wiring harness, reducing the chances for corrosion and electrical failures, he explains in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Fontaine, Grote, Lighting, LEDs, Flatbed Trailers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, July 2, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
There are various remedies for weak batteries, but Darry Stuart, a contract fleet manager, looked to the sun for a solution.
A single 100-watt solar panel keeps the trailer's four Group 31 batteries charged and the liftgate operating reliably. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Idle Reduction, Reefers, eNow, Solar Charging
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Monday, June 23, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)
In heavy street traffic, a flashing light cues motorists to react early by slowing down or moving over to avoid being delayed -- but they also can cause confusion.
The Transportation Safety Equipment Institute reports that its member companies are seeing an increase in requests to add innovative lighting devices, and questions arise about their legality. Senior Editor Tom Berg takes a closer look in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Lighting, Auxiliary Lighting, Transportation Safety Equipment Institute, Truck-Lite, Peterson Manufacturing, Trailers, Safety, Regulations
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Monday, June 16, 2014 12:00 AM | » Comments(0)