Tom Berg

Former Senior Contributing Editor

Well-known in the industry for his wealth of knowledge, folksy style and straight talk, Tom Berg covered vocational and medium-duty applications, maintenance and alternative fuels for Heavy Duty Trucking for several years.

He is a commercial driver’s license holder and a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Truck Writers of North America and 11 Jesse H. Neal honors.

He has covered trucking since 1978.

Trailer Talk•by Tom Berg•April 23, 2014

Twin 33s Would Be Safer than 28s, U of Michigan Researcher Says

Double-trailer rigs with a pair of 33-foot trailers would be “inherently more stable” and therefore safer than the twin 28s now running throughout the United States, according to John Woodrooffe, director of commercial vehicle research at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute.

News•by Tom Berg•April 22, 2014

Smith Electric Still Alive, CEO Says, But Phones Go Unanswered

Reports of Smith Electric Vehicles’ death may have been exaggerated. Published news stories quote the company’s president as saying it will restart operations in a few months with new financial backing, more efficient manufacturing and a revised line of battery-electric trucks.

News•by Tom Berg•April 22, 2014

Smith’s Alive, CEO Plans Volume Production

Smith Electric Vehicles is alive and operating, even if it’s not building trucks for a while, according to Bryan Hensel, the specialty builder’s CEO and co-founder, refuting reports that the company had closed.

Articles•by Tom Berg•April 18, 2014

Transmission Trends

The swing continues toward heavy automated products, but manuals still dominate. Light and medium trucks are almost all ‘shiftless.’

Articles•by Tom Berg•April 15, 2014

Once Around the Yard: Tracking Helps Close the Doors

Common sense suggests that if a trailer’s doors are open, its refrigeration unit ought to be shut down. But many customers disagree, thinking the products will be better protected if cooled air continues to circulate as freight is being unloaded.

Articles•by Tom Berg•April 15, 2014

LEDs Light the Way

If you were in trucking about 30 years ago, you might remember the switch from incandescent sealed-beam headlamps to halogens, which were so much better that some truck operators stopped using auxiliary fog and driving lights. A more recent step up was projector-beam lamps, whose optics better aim the lumens from halogen bulbs and even more effectively light the way for drivers.