Jim Fox, a manager at aviation-fuel-hauler Pinnacle Express, is a strong believer in disc brakes. This mechanic and million-mile former driver declares that drum brakes are "obsolete." Read more in Tom Berg's Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: SAF-Holland, Liquid Tank Trailers, Air Brakes
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Friday, June 10, 2016 7:41 AM | » Comments(0)
It seems amazing that the tractor stayed hanging there instead of breaking loose and falling onto the street below. But fifth wheels and trailer kingpins are very strong.
There are no federal government or SAE strength requirements, so standards were set by the marketplace, and now by European rules. READ MORE
Tags: Accidents, Trailers, Fifth Wheels
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, June 1, 2016 10:49 AM | » Comments(0)
Air Tabs vortex generators and Laydon side skirts smooth air flow and make trailers easier to pull.
“All you have to do is ride a motorcycle behind the trailers to notice the difference” between aero and bare trailers, says John Drake, a Harley-Davidson enthusiast. Learn more in the Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Aerodynamics, Fuel Economy, Trailer Skirts
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, May 24, 2016 1:18 PM | » Comments(2)
Did you see that scrap-hauling rig tipping over on the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River last Friday?
Did you see that scrap-hauling rig tipping over on the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River last Friday? The rear axle broke loose and the trailer lost its footing. What a Friday-the-13th happening! READ MORE
Tags: Equipment Issues, Safety & Compliance, Dump Trailers, Accidents
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6:34 PM | » Comments(0)
Was a "beta-test" version of the advanced electric car's control software to blame?
Rear-underride collisions upset safety advocates because they badly hurt auto drivers and passengers. What about a front-underride incident with no driver and no injuries? READ MORE
Tags: Underride Guard, Underride, Safety, Driver Safety
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, May 12, 2016 11:55 AM | » Comments(3)
Enthusiasts invited to event honoring the long-gone company and its people.
Ruth Fruehauf continues her "Singing Wheels" efforts to preserve the trailer builder's history. Enthusiasts are invited to the event, honoring the long-gone company and its people. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Trucking History, Fruehauf
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, May 5, 2016 9:39 AM | » Comments(2)
Bottled water rides in trailers, and the shipper wants them all shipshape.
Senior Editor Tom Berg braves the cold and freezing moisture to watch inspectors check equipment important to this transportation segment. READ MORE
Tags: Safety, Inspections
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, April 26, 2016 6:06 PM | » Comments(0)
In any display of lowboy and other heavy-haul trailers, the dominant color is black. And there are two reasons, says the president of Rogers Brothers Corp.
"You spray one coat of paint over a checkerboard test panel and if you see the checkerboard underneath, you need to spray another coat. With black, it’ll cover in one coat." READ MORE
Tags: Vehicle Paint, Paint, Rogers Trailers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, April 20, 2016 6:52 PM | » Comments(0)
"They track better when the axle’s up,” the driver said. “And they turn corners easier.”
On the road last month, Senior Editor Tom Berg spotted a pneumatic tanker trailer with some non-traditional features. He shares some insight from the driver in his latest Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Driver Safety, Fuel Economy, Mac Trailer, Lift Axle, Tire Inflation
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, April 7, 2016 7:20 AM | » Comments(3)
A park commemorates a verse from the '70s Eagles' tune, and it's been drawing tourists since the late '90s.
It wouldn't be complete without the F-500 stakeside, of course, and that's the first thing I went to. READ MORE
Tags: Truck Bodies, Ford, Arizona
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Monday, March 28, 2016 3:00 PM | » Comments(2)
Arkansas initiative aims to convince students, parents and school counselors that training for skilled jobs is as worthwhile as going to a four-year college.
Among the many job openings a new program in Arkansas seeks to fill are truck driving and truck technicians. Tom Berg has the details from TMC in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Training, Arkansas, Technician Training
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, March 10, 2016 9:33 AM | » Comments(0)
Canadian-spec "bumpers" have been standard on vans and reefers for a decade or more, so the feds' upcoming mandate for stronger equipment is not a big deal.
Absorbing an extra 5 mph amounts to almost double the force that slams into a trailer's rear, but isn't that expensive to produce, explains Tom Berg in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Underride Guard, Trailers, Safety, Regulations
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, March 2, 2016 6:56 AM | » Comments(2)
Change in federal law will allow "tandem towing" of more units heading to dealers.
Only eight states allowed a truck to tow two trailers, but lengths varied and none of the eight were contiguous. Then congress added a provision in the FAST Act that legalized tandem towing in all states, and liberalized combination length. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Doubles, Double Trailers, National Association of Trailer Manufacturers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Friday, February 26, 2016 12:11 PM | » Comments(0)
Utility Trailer says the agency has no authority to regulate non-motorized vehicles with its proposed Phase 2 rules – and they probably won't save as much as regulators think
EPA wants more fuel-saving devices on trailers under proposed greenhouse-gas-reductoin rules. But one trailer maker says they won't provide as much benefits as regulators think. Tom Berg explores why in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Emissions, EPA, Utility Trailer Manufacturing, GHG Phase 2, Aerodynamics
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, February 18, 2016 4:17 PM | » Comments(1)
It's strictly hook-and-drop, whether it's loaded or not.
Tom Berg has been intrigued for a while by Trailer Transit, which, as its name implies, is a transporter of trailers. The Indiana-based outfit's owner-operators pull "anything and everything,' a veteran recruiter says. Learn more about it in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Trailers, Haul-a-Way, Owner-Operators
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Thursday, February 11, 2016 7:35 AM | » Comments(1)
Putzmeister built the high-capacity unit in Germany, and it'll work in Texas for Western Concrete Pumping.
Most pumpers are mounted on straight trucks, some with multiple axles, but this large, heavy one is better carried on a long 10-axle rig. READ MORE
Tags: World of Concrete, Custom Vehicles, Trailers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, February 2, 2016 10:46 PM | » Comments(1)
Longer pup trailers are among the matters addressed in legislation proposed by Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo.
Double 33-foot trailers were pulled from last December's spending bill by senators who objected on safety grounds, but as Tom Berg explores in his Trailer Talk blog, they may not be dead yet. READ MORE
Tags: U.S. Congress, Doubles, Double Trailers, Truck Size/Weight
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Friday, January 29, 2016 11:50 AM | » Comments(0)
Children and parents were amused by the fantasy worlds, and older men remembered the boyhood hours they spent “playing with trains.”
The Greenberg Great Train & Toy Show is an annual event at the fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio. On the show's layouts as in real life, trucks and trailers play an important transportation role. READ MORE
Tags: Railroads, Piggybacking, Intermodal, Containers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, January 20, 2016 11:34 AM | » Comments(0)
Truck vs. bridge: This time the truck wins.
Roll-off truck drivers: Did you turn off the PTO? Trucks and trailers are sometimes incompatible with overpasses. Tom Berg has more in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Accidents, Bridges
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Tuesday, January 12, 2016 8:06 AM | » Comments(1)
We pause a recording to really look at this message, and the vehicles in it.
This TV spot packs a lot of action into 10 seconds, and never mind that its details vary quite a bit. READ MORE
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, December 23, 2015 7:36 AM | » Comments(0)
Longer doubles would've boosted efficiency, but Congress killed the idea on safety grounds.
Longer doubles would've boosted efficiency, but Congress killed the idea on safety grounds. The Coalition for Efficient and Responsible Trucking, made up of less-than-truckload and package carriers with outside backing, expressed its unhappiness this week in a statement, reports Tom Berg in his Trailer Talk blog. READ MORE
Tags: Productivity, Safety, Trailers, Truck Size/Weight
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, December 16, 2015 8:20 AM | » Comments(0)
"Lift gate's not long enough. Let's get creative," two drivers decided.
Shipping a car? You might not want to use this European outfit who used an unconventional method to lift a Volvo station wagon onto their truck. READ MORE
Tags: YouTube, Vehicle Logistics, Auto Haulers
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, December 9, 2015 8:57 AM | » Comments(0)
Smoothing air flow saves fuel money, and every little bit adds up.
SmartTruck has posted a YouTube video depicting how its UnderTray and other devices work. One item alters air behavior at the "ICC bumper." READ MORE
Tags: Freightliner, SmartTruck, Aerodynamics, SuperTruck, UnderTray
Author: Tom Berg | Posted @ Wednesday, November 11, 2015 1:42 PM | » Comments(0)