Truck Lights

November 20th, 2007 by Shenron

When it comes to running a trucking company or any company heavily versed in transportation, safety is one of the most important concerns. When bunches of heavy trucks get to rolling down the interstate alongside passenger cars, there are dangers that could ultimately come to fruition. With that in mind, it is certainly in the best interest of trucking companies to protect their people and the other folks on the road. This saves lives and can help promote a company’s sense of responsibility in the community.

All truck lights are created equal, right? That’s what some folks might be led to believe. The fact of the matter is that all truck lights aren’t the same. For companies that really want to put their emphasis on safety, LED truck lights are absolutely essential. LED lights have more diodes than standard lights that you might find on a regular truck, so you will be sure to illuminate the road. These lights are a relatively inexpensive way to shine during the night and promote safety for large trucks.

There are various shapes and forms of LED lights available to consumers. Choices aren’t only limited to standard tail lights or brake lights. You can pick from a number of different shapes and designs. This choice adds a little versatility to your fleet of trucks and can even become a staple of your company. One of the most important things in the business world is distinctiveness for your company. Imagine being one of the only companies to feature a fleet of trucks on the road that has some very distinctive LED truck lights. This will help your company climb to the top of the heap in regards to notice ability and brand name recognition. Considering the costs of conquering such markets through other means, obtaining high quality LED truck lights makes plenty of sense.

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Clean Gas Induction in Trucks

November 19th, 2007 by Shenron

Clean gas induction is a technology component found on both gasoline and diesel cars and trucks. This technology can be found on engines that are called stratified charge engines or are proprietary components found in specialized diesel engines such as ACERT technology found on Caterpillar diesel engines. Generally speaking clean gas induction in trucks refers to the fuel air mixture and the charge inside the cylinder that burns it smoothly and efficiently.

The stratified charge engine with clean gas induction is very similar to the direct injection diesel engines. In a standard diesel injection engine, diesel fuel which is a much heavier fuel than gasoline is injected into the top of the cylinder, using this method, higher compression rates can occur and ping is much less prevalent. The result is that diesel injection usually delivers very good fuel efficiency. This is why most heavy duty trucks that are needed to run for long periods of time are usually fitted with diesel engines.

But while these diesel engines have lots of advantages, one of the main disadvantages is that since they are sprayed into the cylinder head into highly compressed air, they seldom have time to mix correctly with the air. In this case, lots of fuel and air do not have the opportunity to combust. Having both un-burnt fuel and air remaining after combustion usually leads to the opportunity of many different types of pollution to form- specifically NOx.

However, recent technology in clean gas induction has been able to reduce pollution that is normally made with direct injection diesels. One way clean gas induction has reduced pollution in trucks and increased fuel efficiency is with Caterpillar’s ACERT technology.

Once fuel is burned in engine with ACERT technology, it continues to move through a treatment system. However, once through the treatment system, there are always small parts of fuel that remain, this remaining fuel is drawn out from the rest of the substances and cooled. As the fuel cools, it is mixed again with cool clean air and returned to the combustion chamber to be burned.

There are many advantages of fuel being burned twice in the ACERT technology process. First, since the fuel is cooled and then mixed with cool air, both substances do not have the opportunity to form pollutants such as NOx. Another benefit of ACERT technology including clean gas induction is that that since un-combusted fuel is drawn out and sent through the system to be combusted again, fuel efficiency is increased. Finally, since the fuel and air goes through a treatment process, the result is a reduction in harmful emissions.

It should be noted that Caterpillar’s ACERT technology is propriety, however other truck engine manufacturers are also looking into how clean gas induction can help reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

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Hitch Tow Covers

November 16th, 2007 by Shenron

Truck owners today are getting much more creative with their hitch tow covers. In the past, these were simply a necessity that had to be put on your vehicle. Then, somebody got a wild hair and decided that it was time to do something a little bit more creative with their hitch tow covers. Now, if you want to get something to show your personality, you have more than a few different options to choose from.

One of the most popular new ideas for custom hitch tow covers is to choose one from you favorite sports team. If you are a super fan that heads out to the stadium every week, then you probably have all of the tailgating gear to impress those around you. With car flags, specially made grills, and those fancy chairs, you’re there to represent the team. With custom, team based hitch tow covers; you can stand out even more. Driving down the road, you will be sporting those colors for all of the drivers on the road to see.

What is the cost of these fancy things? Surprisingly, they are extremely easy to make. The majority of hitch tow covers won’t cost you more than thirty or forty bucks. This is a relatively low cost for representing your team, all things considered. If you aren’t into sporting a custom made hitch tow cover on your truck, then you still have some options with a very generic cover.

Standards covers will cost you a whole lot less, but they won’t show off your personality nearly as much. In the end, it is just a personal decision that must be made on your part. Supporting your team is fun, especially if you live in an area that lives and breathes football. With custom made hitch tow covers, this is made much easier.

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Anatomy of a Truck

November 13th, 2007 by Shenron

Trucks are vehicles that are built for specific purposes such as hauling heavy cargo, mixing cement or cleaning streets. While they are built for specific jobs and duties, they generally share a common construction. Common parts of a truck that are almost universal include the cab, the chassis, cargo area, drivetrain and engine. Following is some more information regarding each common part of a truck.

The Cab

The cab is where the driver or operator sits. Usually the cab is an enclosed space that sits on top or near the front axle. The cab includes an interior that has seating, a steering wheel, a stick shift and a small area to store personal belongings for the driver. There are two main types of cabs including the Cab Over Engine (COE) design and the Conventional Cab design.

Cab Over Engine (COE)

A cab over engine design is mostly used in Europe where most trucks must navigate in tight spaces and narrow streets. In this type of cab, the actual cab sits on top of the front axle and the engine. A common feature of the cab over engine design is that in order to access the engine, you must first tilt the entire cab forward.

Conventional Cabs

Conventional cabs are mostly used in the United States and North America. The cab has a hood which usually houses the engine. Some conventional cabs only include room for two seats and some storage space, while other types of conventional cabs are extended or include a sleeper. Extended cabs or sleeper cabs are much larger than a typical cab and can include a compartment that is big enough to include a bed and small microwave, closet or TV set. A cab’s size usually is determined by the type of truck the driver operates. For instance trucks that are driven locally almost never include a sleeper or extended cab compartment. However a truck that hauls goods cross country usually includes this feature making it easier for truck drivers to drive cross country without stopping at a motel or hotel for lodging overnight.

The Engine

The engine is the truck’s power plant. Engines are usually tailored to each specific truck depending on the type of duties the truck performs. For small trucks such as pick ups, SUV’s and jeeps, you will mostly find moderate to large size gasoline engines. However, for heavy duty trucks that are built to haul heavy loads on highways, the most popular type of engine is a four stroke turbo intercooler diesel engine. For construction vehicles such as dump trucks and bulldozers heavy, larger diesel engines are used.

It should be noted that for most big rigs that haul goods on America’s highways the engine is usually created by a third party. Where as the truck manufacturer might be Peterbilt, the engine might be manufactured by Cat, Detroit Diesel or Cummins.

The Drivetrain

The drivetrain of a truck includes the transmission of the vehicle which is incredibly important to haul heavy loads, where as a car usually carries a light load of only a few people at most, heavy duty trucks need transmissions that can haul tens of thousands of pounds. Most small trucks such as pick ups and SUV’s tend to have similar or even the same type of transmissions as comparable size cars. However, trucks that haul heavy loads have large engines and heavy duty transmissions. Most transmissions that come with these trucks are either manual, automatic or manual transmissions that include a synchronizer. Most heavy duty trucks include many gears. For instance, in North America gear set ups including 10, 13 and 18 speeds are quite common. Trucks have extra gears to help with pulling heavy loads from slow speeds or when a truck must carry a load up a high incline.

The Chassis

The Chassis is the frame of the truck. Chassis’s are extremely important to trucks due to the large amounts of weight they carry and haul. Usually, a truck chassis has two main beams and some cross beams- commonly called cross members. Cross beams can come as C- beams, stepped beams or tapered beams. Chassis are made of heavy duty steel for larger trucks and sometimes made with aluminum for light duty trucks. The type of steel used in truck chassis must be high quality to ensure integrity. Usually every other component is affixed to the chassis including the cab, engine, axles, etc.

The Cargo Area

Many trucks are built with attached cargo areas and these vehicles are generally called box trucks. Cargo areas are usually cube or rectangular shaped and enclosed. They are usually made from light weight materials such as aluminum. Most cargo areas open from the rear utilizing swing doors. Many cargo areas also have motorized lifts or manual ramps to easily load the cargo into the truck.

The cargo box is usually always affixed to the chassis. Each truck usually has a specific limit of weight of cargo that it can carry- usually dependent on its engine, drive train and axle. Cargo areas can range from 9 feet to 24 feet in length. It should be noted that most heavy duty trucks such as big rigs (sometimes called tractors) do not have attached cargo areas; instead they are able to connect to trailers which are cargo areas complete with their own brakes, wheels, axles, suspension and chassis.

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Truck Painting

November 9th, 2007 by Shenron

Putting a new coat of paint on your favorite car might not seem like that big of a deal, but when you own a huge truck or fleet of huge trucks, truck painting can be especially time consuming and expensive. Since most of us have absolutely no idea what we’re doing in regards to truck painting, we have to seek out some help. That’s where a professional service can really come in handy in saving your business time and money.

There are a number of reasons why you might choose to utilize a truck painting service. On one hand, you might have some trucks in your fleet that are just looking drab. They haven’t been repainted in a couple of years and it’s about time for a good looking coat. On the other hand, you might just want to make your company look more distinctive. When trucks are driving down the road, they are a moving advertisement that can help bring in more business. A professional truck painting service can work with you to develop a logo design that not only looks good, but sells your company to those driving down the road.

The financial costs and time costs that are most commonly associated with getting this type of thing done are about to become a thing of the past. With so much competition in this particular field, you can easily find a company that is willing to do the work at a very competitive price. There is no reason to attempt something on your own that isn’t your cup of tea. Instead, have some company with the experience, time, and expertise turn your company’s best logistics resource into your company’s best marketing resource. Premium paint jobs turn heads and from that, you can expect increased visibility for your brand name.