The cost of a used piece of equipment can be substantially less than that of a new unit, but that has changed in recent years. Zach Bourn, director of used equipment for PACCAR Financial, said, “By buying late model trucks and trailers, fleets can conserve their cash flows since they don’t have to come up with as large of a down payment as they would buying new equipment. However, used truck prices, along with prices for new units, have increased between 15% and 25% over the last three years.”

Often just as important as price is the availability of a used piece of equipment. If a fleet earns a new three-year contract that requires some additional equipment, used equipment can often immediately provide the truck or trucks needed to meet a business opportunity at an affordable price. Steve Clough, president of Arrow Truck Sales, said, “There are several motivations that we see among our fleet customers. First is the availability of used vehicles versus new. There are times when a fleet has an opportunity to increase its business and can’t handle the long lead time for new vehicles. It needs to get something quicker so it dips into the used truck market. At other times it might simply be lower price.”

Some research into the used truck market may be a good idea for any fleet manager looking to add to his fleet. Darry Stuart, president and CEO of DWS Fleet Services, said, “If you’re running local, maybe a couple hundred miles a day, a used truck with 500,000 miles on the odometer is not going to hurt you.” So, depending on your operation, he believes the purchase of used heavy-duty trucks, tractors or trailers might be an affordable method of responding to an immediate need for additional equipment. But what can you do to maximize your chance of finding vehicles that are likely to provide reliable service for a sufficiently long period of time?

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“Being an industry leader has been central to Cox’s business strategy since its inception over 30 years ago,” said Jay Smith, president of Cox Transportation Services. “The decision to retrofit our fleet with Solus aerodynamic skirts was driven by our desire to be fuel efficient and increase profitability.”

The Solus split skirt can provide a 5% fuel economy improvement, the company said. It includes a two-piece design with 8 in. of static ground clearance and the rugged flex skirt panels offer 20 in. of total ground clearance. The panels weigh less than 200 lbs.

“This investment gives Cox a significant competitive advantage, making it one of the most fuel efficient and technologically advanced fleets on the East Coast. As the trucking industry continues to evolve and opportunities arise, it is the hard working and forward thinking companies like Cox that will be positioned to thrive,” said Richard Wood, president of Solus.

Cox is also evaluating Solus’ wheel cavity cover, which can add an additional 1.3% fuel economy improvement, Solus said.

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The Wedway Refrigeration Power System does this through kinetic energy. For all of us who remember learning about kinetic energy in school but never thought there would be a need to use it again, kinetic energy is the energy that is stored in an object while it is motion. That energy remains constant until the velocity of the object is changed.

Working with researchers at the University of Central Florida’s Center for Advanced Turbines and Energy Research, Emerald says it has developed a system that captures the kinetic energy produced by a trailer’s wheels as it rolls down the highway. That energy is converted into power that is used to operate the refrigeration unit, leaving the batteries to charge so that they are fully charged when the vehicle stops.

According to Emerald, those charged batteries can run a refrigeration system for up to 12 hours while the vehicle is stopped. The system, for which Emerald has applied for a patent, can also be plugged in to shore power for times when the trailer will be stationary for long periods of time.

By using a vehicle’s kinetic energy, the need to carry extra diesel fuel to power the refrigeration system is eliminated, thereby lowering the weight of the overall system and offering increased payload capacity for truckers.

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The rules, adopted in 2008 and amended last year, apply to all privately owned and federal government diesel trucks operating in California.

Separately, large fleets in California also face a Jan. 1 deadline to have SmartWay-approved fuel efficient aerodynamic technology equipment installed on 15% of trailers manufactured before 2011.

Fleets that signed up late for a phase-in option must have 20% of their 53-foot or longer dry van or reefer trailers equipped with the technology on that date.

For the engine rule, “fleet owners who need to get the facts should call CARB’s diesel hotline or go to CARB’s website for assistance,” CARB assistant chief of mobile sources Erik White said in a statement.

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The new facility is located in Quispamsis at 60 Enterprise Drive in the Hammond River Industrial Park, where they will offer sales, parts and and service of Great Dane Trailers. Most trucks makes and models, recreation vehicles and buses will be serviced by UT&T licensed technicians, who are also registered and certified by Transport Canada to perform Regulation CSA inspections.

“Universal Truck and Trailer has the hardest working team in New Brunswick, so we are thrilled with their growth,” said Chris Hammond, Vice President of Dealer Sales at Great Dane.

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COLUMBUS, Ind. — Commercial trailer net orders declined 2% in July from June levels, marking the fourth consecutive month of declines, according to the most recent data from ACT Research.

The industry backlog ended the month of July at 93,600 units, 97% higher than July 2010, according to the State of the Industry: US Trailers report published by ACT.

“Given the industry’s normal seasonal business patterns, the pace of orders is expected to slow further in the third quarter. Current activity is tracking to those expectations,” said Frank Maly, director CV transportation analysis and research with ACT.

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Book Chronicles Trucking's First "Grand Aventure"

OTTAWA — Everybody involved in the truck business has been on at least one — A Trip that Never Should Have Worked, that is.

And here’s a little known historical fact.

The very first truck trip across North America, back in 1911, fell into the “never should have worked” category.

But work it did. And the trip has just been immortalized in words and pictures in a fascinating and entertaining new book called “A Grand Adventure,” by Ottawa-based journalist Ron Corbett.

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OTTAWA, Ont. — On the heels of yesterday’s historic announcement by US President Barack Obama that set fuel economy standards for heavy vehicles, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is calling on Ottawa to go a step further north of the border.

Canadian officials yesterday released a consultation document regarding what will be a very similar set of rules to what the US is introducing.

The CTA, however, points out the fuel economy standards being introduced affect only new vehicles, which are already very clean.

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COLUMBUS, Ind. — Commercial trailer orders declined for the third straight month in June, according to the latest data from ACT Research.

ACT’s State of the Industry: US Trailers report showed a 26% decline in trailer orders from May. Industry backlogs dropped 5% month-over-month, with the industry order board ending June at 97,000 units.

The order board remains double what it was a year ago, ACT noted.

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U.S., Mexico Renew Cross-Border Trucking Program With New Safety Measures

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes Dionisio Arturo Pèrez-Jàcome Friscione on Wednesday, July 6, joined in Mexico City to sign agreements resolving the long-running dispute between the United States and Mexico over long-haul cross-border trucking services.

Under the agreements, Mexican trucks will be required to comply with all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and must have electronic monitoring systems to track hours-of-service compliance. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation will review the complete driving record of each driver and require all drug testing samples to be analyzed in Department of Health and Human Services-certified laboratories located in the United States.

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