12/31/09

Stiles Truck Body Knapheide/UTEM Bucket Service Truck

From Scott Stiles of Stiles Truck Body & Equipment, Inc. in Turlock, CA: "Attached are photos of our articulated bucket truck. We use UTEM aerial buckets and Knapheide service bodies. This is a 6132D54LPJ low profile Knapheide body, 11' long with a torsion box floor and over frame torsion bar, UTEM UTLN-41 Skytel (41' 9" working heights - 25' 9" side reach), Deweze clutch pump hydraulics, and proportional joystick controls. This unit is very competitively priced compared to its competition and the Knapheide body carries a 6-year warranty that is superior to any other California manufacturer."

You can contact Scott Stiles at 209-667-2639 and visit their website at http://www.stilestruckbody.com/.

12/30/09

Interesting Superstructure by Scelzi Enterprises

Here's a job for a specific use from Scelzi Enterprises in Fresno, CA. It is a 9' Service Body with a Superstructure cargo enclosure that is much taller than most. I am sure it was so they could stand up inside, or to carry items that were tall and keep them out of sight and out of the weather.

Scelzi can build you just about anything you can imagine. Call them at 800-858-2883 and visit their website at www.seinc.com

12/29/09

Grand Challenger Service Body with Rack-It Rack


Here is a sweet looking rig. A Stahl Grand Challenger GTL-34 Low Profile curved side service body. This one is sporting a Rack-It Rack which looks great on this unit. In addition it is mounted on a Ford F250 with nice aluminum wheels. It is a great combination.

This unit is courtesy of Jack Schmidt of West Coast Truck Equipment in West Sacramento, CA. You can call Jack at 916-376-0690 and visit his website at www.westcoasttruckequipment.com.

12/28/09

14' Mobile Blood Lab Truck from American Cargo by Midway

This is an interesting unit from American Cargo by Midway in Elkhart, Indiana. It is a 14' Mobile Blood Lab truck built on a GMC 1-ton cutaway chassis that was built for the state of Maryland.

The body was constructed using 5/8" FRP with a walk-in side door and what looks like a window on the curbside near the rear. Actually, this is a window with a key lockable access door to a 27" flat screen LCD TV monitor with DVD player that is viewed from the outside of the body and is used for training purposes. The interior is sterile and has a stainless steel work table, counter top and seamless attendant seating.

Notice also that it has baseboard heating (yes, baseboard heating!), interior lighting and AC power access and includes a rooftop air conditioning unit run by AC power. The power is supplied by a 7,000 watt Cummins Onan gasoline generator that is mounted on the streetside front, suspended below the floor frame in an insulated compartment with hinged access door.

Add this great body to the list of interesting solutions for your customers! To see more of American Cargo by Midway, call them at 800-283-3993 and visit their website at www.mymidway.com. I also want to thank Royer Allman from American Cargo by Midway and Jack Gaskill for getting me some great photos and information to share with you.

12/27/09

Carter Industries Contractor Body w/Aluminum Boxes

From Carter Industries of Union City, CA, this is a sample of their 12' Contractor Body with Aluminum Upper and Lower Boxes made by Adrian Steel. The upper bed boxes have drawers on the curbside that make these boxes much more useful. The thing I like about these boxes is the tall size so they will carry many things that will not fit in typical contractor upper bed boxes. That is a huge advantage. Another advantage is the lightweight, yet strong aluminum boxes. This allows more weight to be carried legally.

This unit also has fold-down gates that are removeable, along with a 2"x3" HD forklift loadable rack, load divider, composite flooring, tapered headboard and class IV receiver and trailer connector. An outstanding package at a very reasonable price. See more options at Carter Industries website at www.carterind.com. You can call them at 800-310-6390.

12/26/09

Knapheide Service Body Wide Open Top Space

This is a shot of a 9' Knapheide open top service body on a dual rear wheel truck. Look how wide this opening is and how easy the dividers are to pull out. This allows one to carry long items instead and have plenty of space to get the job done. Check out all the great Knapheide products at www.knapheide.com.

12/25/09

Merry Christmas From Commercial Truck Success

Thank you to all our readers, contributors and encouragers. We appreciate your readership, your comments and your sharing of the Commercial Truck Success Blog. It is our passion to serve you. Merry Christmas!

12/24/09

Ute Bed - Versatile Aluminum Pick-up Truck Bed



The UTE's are here! When I was in Australia a few years back, I saw a lot of interesting trucks and most were very light duty trucks as these shown here. There has long been a movement to smaller and much more fuel efficient and cost effective trucks outside of the United States. We've always had such cheap fuel in the past, and even though it is still cheap here by comparison with other countries, we persist in larger and larger trucks.

Sure there is a need for larger trucks, but there is also a need for lighter trucks. Having seen them in Australia, England, Bermuda and other locations I've been to, it is clear that it will be coming in time to the US in more quantity.

When I first saw these trucks--especially the Ute style trucks--I thought they looked strange because I could see the rear framework which is hidden by a pickup bed. The thing I see now is what a job they can do for their size and weight which is awesome. Welcome Ute bed!

There is also some very interesting and kind of exciting accessories available for these beds. The Ute Top shown above is sort of like a camper shell with three big doors. The low load height and the accessibility is great along with keeping items out of the weather and direct sun. The one shown also has a rear drawer and you can add some nice underbed boxes as well.

We will show more of these in other posts very soon. In the meantime, go to the Ute Bed website at www.utebed.com and check out more photos and information.

12/23/09

Sainsbury's To Launch Largest Fleet of Electric Vans


Smith Edison for Sainsbury's Online


SAINSBURY'S TO LAUNCH WORLD'S LARGEST FLEET OF ELECTRIC VANS

Smith Edison for Sainsbury's Online Sainsbury's has announced it is to purchase 50 electric vans from Smith Electric Vehicles, for its online delivery service. When added to the existing fleet of 20, the supermarket will have the largest fleet of electric vans in the world.

The vans will be deployed in the London area, meaning 60 per cent of central Londoners will have their groceries delivered in one of these environmentally responsible vehicles.

Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury's commercial director, said: "We are absolutely committed to using zero emissions vehicles where possible as they help keep inner city air clean. Also, the electricity used to power them generates around 50 per cent less CO2 than diesel vans.

"This means that the addition of the new vans will reduce our road transport emissions by around 155 tonnes of CO2 each year."

The 3.5 tonne vans will be based at ten of Sainsbury's London stores and are due to hit the road from September. The vans have been modified to meet Sainsbury's specific requirements for its urban online deliveries. Each vehicle is restricted to 40mph and can comfortably achieve the required range of 60 miles per day. The vans are also fitted with a fast charging system.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "I am determined to put London at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution as they become a mainstream choice.

"This is cracking news from Sainsbury's which will help deliver to Londoners not only their groceries, but all the benefits of going electric such as cleaner air and fewer carbon emissions. It shows that a commitment to this technology, even in leaner times, is good for businesses and great for our environment."

To see more information for Europe and the rest of the planet, go to Smith Electric Vehicles website at www.smithelectricvehicles.com.

12/22/09

Interesting Custom Racks From North Bay Truck Body

I've known Bob Dias at North Bay Truck Body for a long time and I've seen a lot of his racks. We also built his website and I was looking at some of the photos of his rack projects and these two caught my eye, so I asked him about them. These are his responses:

"It is a North Bay Truck Body special. 2"x2" square tube construction, spaced for galvanized E-track for vending machines. Tie off capable in the front as well as the sides. We provided a third brake light cutout and an angle front return to help keep the bed intact."


"It is a North Bay Truck Body special, 2"x2" square tube construction, two extra vertical legs per side with #9 flattened expanded metal cover to the inside. Four points of cutout for the RS-1 Rack Straps. Swinging rear bar and has an angle front return for strength and a weld point for the expanded metal. It also has a 48" cab over rack. Six 1/2" rope hooks."

Bob Dias builds all kinds of custom racks, custom flatbeds and other products. Call Bob at 707-864-2700. I can tell you this straight up: they don't get any better than Bob. Visit his website with over 1,000 photos at www.nbtb.com.

12/21/09

The Boss - Poly Power V-XT Snowplow

It's a V-Plow, a straight blade and a scoop!

This is what the Pros say about the Boss Poly Power V-XT:

The snow flies further - The moldboard is built with a slick poly material and is shaped with a very aggressive angle. The snow is easily thrown over existing snow banks, off the roads and makes further passes easier.

Snow does not stick - The poly material repels sticky snow. The truck is able to push the plow blade easier.

It looks good! - The guys like the aggressive look of the V-Plow on the front of their truck!

Simple to attach - The SmartHitch System is simple to attach. In addition, other full size models of Boss plows can be attached and used on the same truck.

Back of blade

Scoop position

Boss Snowplow builds a full line of excellent snowplows. Check out their website at http://www.bossplow.com/. Here is a link to find a dealer near you: www.bossplow.com/dealerlocator


Guest post by Steve Taylor.

Steve is a consultant in the Truck Equipment business with over 30 years in the snowplow and truck body manufacturing business. He specializes in the design and quality/reliability field and may be reached by email at steve@truckarchitect.com. You may visit his website at www.truckarchitect.com.

12/20/09

Harbor Truck Bodies SuperStructure For Law Enforcement

This is an interesting unit caught in final production at Harbor Truck Bodies for the San Bernadino Sheriff Department to be used as a CSI unit. It is mounted on a Ford F-350 Crew Cab chassis with 60" CA. It is a 9' SuperStructure with some interesting twists and turns.

According to Kimberly Bellamy at Harbor Truck Bodies, this unit includes all LED Whelen exterior lighting, LED Maximma interior shelf lighting with Pioneer LED overheads. It also includes Grote LED rope lighting with a push/pull switch for all compartments. There is a pull out tray on the curbside for a diesel generator and there are electrical outlets installed in the side and rear end panels.

In addition, there is a backup camera and alarm system. On the outside for night work are high powered Pioneer "scene" lighting as shown. Also included is this really cool extended rear bumper with the flip top lid for extra storage and includes a wonderfully designed fold down step. In the interior there are some heavy duty tie downs on the side wall and steel mesh sliding cabinet doors. All in all, this is a sweet package. Harbor has done quite a number of these kind of units for police departments and sheriff departments.

To see more of what Harbor Truck Bodies does, visit their website at http://www.htbi.net/. You can also call them at 800-433-9452. Harbor has a distributor network throughout the western United States. To find a distributor near you, see the list on their website.

12/19/09

Roush Adds E-Series Vans To Propane Vehicle Lineup


ROUSH ADDS E-SERIES VANS TO PROPANE VEHICLE LINEUP

LIVONIA, Mich. (December 14, 2009) – Based on the tremendous reception for the propane-fueled pickups offered by ROUSH® Performance, the company is launching into the next phase of their liquid propane injected vehicle offerings with a line of E-Series vans.

“The response from the fleets to our line of F-150, F-250 and F-350 propane pickups and conversion kits has been outstanding, and their feedback inspired us to develop the complete line of E-Series vans. Many of the fleet managers we have spoken with utilize a tremendous number of vans in the course of their daily business and were looking for the type of cost and environmental advantages that propane offers as a motor fuel. Their desire is what motivated ROUSH to continue to add to our line of propane vehicles,” said Jack Roush.

The order banks are now open for the propane-fueled E-150, E-250 and E-350 and production is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2010. ROUSH will offer fuel conversion solutions for both passenger and cargo van applications. The E-Series was selected because Ford has long held a leadership role in the van segment for more than 30 years and fleet managers are familiar with the ordering process, cost of ownership, and maintenance schedules.

From an emissions reduction standpoint, the ROUSH propane-fueled E-Series vans will achieve Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) II emission standards; on average a SULEV vehicle is 90 percent cleaner in emissions than the average new model year car or truck. The ROUSH conversion system works on the Ford 5.4L, V-8 engine found in 2009 and newer vans, including the gaseous prep engine offered by the Ford Motor Company.

As an alternative fuel, propane offers a variety of advantages. It is available “right here, right now” with a national fueling infrastructure already in place. Propane burns cleaner, with up to 20 percent less nitrous oxide, up to 60 percent less carbon monoxide and fewer particulate emissions. It is already the third most widely used fuel worldwide, following gasoline and diesel. Propane is 90 percent domestically produced, and as an alternative fuel, the purchase of propane-powered vehicles are eligible for a variety of federal, state, and municipal tax credits or rebates.

Numerous studies have been conducted on the operational savings fleets can achieve by converting to propane as a motor fuel, and a savings calculator is available online at http://www.switchtopropane.com/ that allows the user to input variables specific to their usage. It is not uncommon for fleet managers to see savings of more than $17,500 per van over a total vehicle life of 150,000 miles.

“Evidence clearly shows that propane as a motor fuel can save fleets considerable amounts of money. Now fleets are taking a hard look at their environmental impact as well. Propane is available right here, right now and can help fleets on both of these fronts. I’m pleased that ROUSH is taking steps to make a variety of propane-fueled vehicles available,” said Brian Feehan, vice-president of the Propane Education & Research Council.

As with all the ROUSH propane-fueled vehicles, the E-Series vans will be covered by a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty. Dealers are able to order the conversion on a ship-through basis to help reduce transportation costs, or conversion systems can be ordered and installed through any authorized Ford dealership for vehicles already in operation.

While propane fueling stations are already quite prevalent, such as at each of the more than 1200 U-Haul locations nationwide, many of the fleets prefer to have a refueling station on-site at their location of business. ROUSH can assist with this by working with propane distributors such as Ferrellgas, AmeriGas or Heritage Propane to install a propane fueling station at little to no cost to the fleet.

ROUSH is currently working on developing a propane kit for the Ford 6.8L, V-10 engine used on the E-450 Cutaway vehicle. This is scheduled to be available in late 2010.

Complete details on the ROUSH propane offerings can be found online at www.ROUSHperformance.com/Propane or by calling 800-59-ROUSH.

Based in Livonia, Mich., “The Art of Performance Engineering” takes place at ROUSH Performance. To get a look behind the scenes at what goes on at ROUSH and how the vehicles are designed, manufactured and produced logon to http://www.roushtv.com/. For more information see your local ROUSH dealer, visit http://www.roushperformance.com/ or telephone toll-free (800) 59-ROUSH. Follow us on Twitter @_ROUSH_ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushperformance.

*"ROUSH" is a registered trademark of ROUSH Performance Products, Inc., or its related entities.

12/18/09

Custom Aluminum Dump Insert from Stiles Truck Body





Here are some photos of a custom aluminum dump insert intalled by Stiles Truck Body & Equipment, Inc., of Turlock, CA. According to Scott Stiles, this unit has a lifting capacity of 7,000 lbs., and is all aluminum construction. It comes with a fully self-contained 12-volt electric hydraulic power unit and has pendant controls. It is built to fit full width and length with no gaps.

Contact Scott at 209-667-2639 and visit their website at www.stilestruckbody.com. Thanks Scott!

12/17/09

Harbor Truck Bodies Now Offer Retrofit HD Drawers

Harbor Truck Bodies of Brea, CA now offers retrofit HD drawer units that can be shipped directly to end users for easy installation in minutes. Prior to this innovation, the drawers were welded into the compartment and were generally done when the body was built. Previously, retrofitting welded drawers was time consuming and required paintwork and taking the unit to the plant or a distributor to get the work done. No more. Now you can call Harbor and order your drawer or drawers and have them shipped directly to you for easy installation.

Call Harbor at 800-433-9452 and talk with Kimberly, Tony or Warren. Also look at the other accessories available and other bodies at www.htbi.net.

12/16/09

Intercontinental Truck Body Soft Side Van



The soft side van from Intercontinental Truck Body in Conrad, Montana. I am a huge fan of their aluminum van bodies and this is another nice addition to their wonderful line up.

Contact ITB at 800-327-3349 and check out their website at www.itbusa.com.

12/15/09

A Little Gratitude Will Help You and Your Business!

[This is a post from our Daily Inspirations Blog (http://ctsdailyinspirations.blogspot.com).]

"We often take for granted the very things
that most deserve our gratitude."

-- Cynthia Ozick

Up until the last few years, I wasn't grateful on a regular basis. There might be whole days or even strings of many days without the thought of gratitude for something. Sad, but true. But, I have turned that around completely now.

Each day now, I find myself grateful for more and more things in greater quantity. I now practice it all my waking hours to the point that now hardly an hour goes by without my having gratitude for something or someone. It is closer and closer to pure joy and awe.

I'll give you some examples. Trash collection. The more I think about this service, the more gratitude I have for it. I take trash out and put it in a receptacle and once a week the truck comes and takes it away. Can you imagine a month without trash collection? We would be buried.

Here's another: running water. In terms of history, it was a nanosecond ago that we had to go down to the creek with buckets and carry it back to the house. If you wanted hot water, you had to heat it on the stove. Just think what it took in labor to have a hot bath. Now, I just get in the shower and turn it on (probably the other way around. . .) and there it is. It is effortless. Anytime I want a drink, I lift the handle and there it is: clean, cool water.

These two things are commonly taken for granted, yet other than a roof over my head and clothes on my body, they are at the top of the list of things that affect my life. There is a long list of these kind of things that we can focus on and be truly grateful for every day. Like the computer I'm typing on and the Internet I'm connected to. It is all so awesome to contemplate.

How about the weather? I look forward every day to experiencing the weather. Frankly, I could care less now what the weather will be like, but that I enjoy every moment of it. Yesterday we had 30-50 mph winds all day. It was glorious. Cloudy, overcast, sunny, cold, warm, rainy, dry, they are all so perfect and all so very interesting. I used to complain about the weather. I NEVER complain about the weather now. Each day is like a snowflake--all different in some way and each unique.

These are just a few examples of how I find gratitude in every single hour of every day. It is a whole new world for me in my later life. You might say, I have been reborn. I can now find joy anytime I decide to open myself up to experiencing it. There are no limits to how much gratitude I can have. The more I find, the more I find.

This change has been gradual and has really moved quickly in the last few years. There is a book I read that really had a large influence on getting me started on this path. It is Power In Praise by Merlin R Carothers. Books that I read later kicked it into high gear. Some of these books are, The Gratitude Effect by Dr John Demartini, The Astonishing Power of Emotions by Esther and Jerry Hicks, The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne W Dyer, and many others. Their influence of directing me toward gratitude for everything has been life changing.

You will find, as I have, that becoming a gratitude finder will be the best thing that will ever happen in your life. Ever.


I Am Thankful Every Waking Hour!

Spread Some Joy Today--Feel the joy that comes from being thankful every hour. It's okay to smile outwardly. Inside your ecstatic! Way cool

12/14/09

Starbucks Is For The Birds! It's A Good Thing.




This has nothing whatsoever to do with trucks. I was visiting one of my favorite places--Starbucks--at a different location than I normally frequent in Fairfield, CA off Travis Blvd., and it was nearby some nice trees and I looked up and saw the nests in the sign. I think it is awesome! Had to show it off. Looks like Starbucks and the birds are cohabitating nicely. Fun.

12/13/09

Royal Truck Bodies Open Top Innovation Rocks!

This is a photo of an open top lid on an 8' Royal service body manufactured by Royal Truck Body of Paramount, CA, owned by a client. Most service body manufacturers use metal dividers as a way to help customers keep small parts, nuts and bolts in their proper place. This innovation is so much better!

Royal uses some heavy duty plastic containers that also have dividers and now they include a handle so it is a breeze to lift it up and out of the top section. Then it can be taken into the job site, or just get it closer to pick out the perfect pieces, then put it back. It couldn't be easier. It is a brilliant idea and I applaud Royal's thinking that got that job done. Bravo Royal!

You can contact Royal Truck Body at 800-834-7692 and visit their website at www.royaltruckbody.com. You can also find them on Facebook. Type Royal Truck Body in the search field after sign-in.

12/12/09

National Ford Truck Club

Commercial Truck Success is proud to be associated with The National Ford Truck Club and FordPros. To register to get their great quarterly publication, FordPros at no charge, go to their new and improved website at www.nationalfordtruckclub.com or www.fordpros.com.

12/11/09

Harbor Truck Bodies Service Body w/Power Lock System

Power locks for service bodies seem to be more popular as we move forward. This is one from Harbor Truck Bodies of Brea, CA. I think it is the best that I have seen. What I like about it is that you can still have the 3-point twist handle locking system and have power door locks as well. In addition, this has the locks where there is a button that sticks out (as shown) that indicates the unit is unlocked and you can either manually push it in and lock that one door, or click the key fob and lock the whole body at once and the locks retract. It's fun to watch and you can very clearly see they are locked or unlocked.

I know for sure and certain that if I owned a service body, power locks would be an absolute must. Locking and unlocking all those doors all day long would get old in a hurry. For the cost of the system spread out over the ownership period, it is very inexpensive.

The installation is done very nicely and compliments Harbor's high quality. Call Harbor at 800-433-9452 and visit their website at www.htbi.net.

12/10/09

Low Pro Horizontal Series by Royal Truck Body

This is a body that you don't see every day. It is an 8' x 33" Low Pro Royal Service Body with a horizontal series on the curbside, where the horizontal compartment over the wheel is extended to the end with a small square door below, and verticle series on the streetside. Notice the height of the top of the open top lids is about at the bottom of the rear window. This helps it to look a whole lot more like a pickup truck and less like a commercial truck.

In addition, this great body is mounted on a crew cab LT1 loaded chassis. It even has remote start and power seat. It is powered by a DuraMax diesel with Allison automatic transmission.

You can find this unit at Fairfield Chevrolet-Isuzu Truck in Fairfield, CA. Call the commercial department at 707-422-7777, ext 3113. Visit their website at www.fairfieldcommercialtruck.com.