Completely Custom Rig for NV Energy by Cobalt Truck Equipment

This is an interesting commercial rig, custom built for NV Energy by Cobalt Truck Equipment of Nampa, Idaho. It is a completely customized Featherlite trailer modified to include a VEU gas vapor extraction unit. It includes innovative features such as underbody stabilizers, custom ground probe and hose storage, and bell hole plate storage. The trailer has self-contained fuel tanks and batteries to allow operation independent of the tow vehicle. Speaking of the tow vehicle, this one is sweet and makes an awesome combination.

My thanks to Paul Bedke of Cobalt Truck Equipment for getting me these photos and information. I am always looking for interesting trucks--and even an occasional trailer or two. You can reach Paul and Cobalt Truck at 208-887-7788 and visit their website at www.cobalttruck.com.

Shhhhh! Knapheide Makes Chipper Bodies.

Who knew? But here it is in all it's glory: Knapheide Manufacturing makes Chipper Bodies, and a very nice one at that. Love the Knap-Pak L-Style to offer some room for some tools, ropes, and miscellaneous gear. This one is mounted on the Ford F450/550 regular cab chassis. Sweet!

See more that you may not know that Knapheide builds at http://www.knapheide.com/.

Revisiting the Fabulous Douglass 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Body

Douglass Truck Bodies makes a great 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Body! Of course, they build a great number of awesome bodies and have since 1958.

I've seen a lot of trailering bodies and most are very short on storage space and we all know that storage space is part of the American dream. So, Douglass has designed in a huge amount of storage as shown by the photos above--and take a look at that awesome compartment in the center of the bed at the front of the body. Just think of all the things you could put in there. It also is a great looking body. Just image your 5th wheel or gooseneck hooked up. Sweet!

Every Douglass Truck Body features:

• A60 Galvannealed Steel
• double-panel doors
• double-seal weatherstripping
• stainless-steel hardware, paddle operated slam latches
• double bit stainless steel locks
• gas strut supports
• ¾” split-tube reinforced wheel wells
• a high-visibility LED tail-light package
• PPG Del-Fleet Essential high solid polyurethane primer and paint.

Having recently reviewed a number of gooseneck bodies, I felt I wanted to repost this piece on the fabulous Douglass Truck Bodies 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Body. It's a masterpiece! Get more on this body and view the wide range of custom bodies by Douglass at: www.douglasstruckbodies.com.

Hino Medium Duty Tilt Cab 4x4's Serve Australia

Hino Australia offers a selection of tough 4x4 tilt cab trucks to serve customers truck needs for almost any terrain. These medium duty 4x4's are available in regular cab and crew cab in 10,000 kg GVM (22,046 lbs. GVWR) and 13,000 kg GVM (28,659 lbs. GVWR). All models are equipped with the powerful 6 cylinder Hino JO8E UA diesel and the LX06SR six-speed transmission. The two-speed transfer case has a 2.224 gear reduction in low range. These units come with a host of standard features including air conditioning, power windows, AMFM with CD player, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, power steering, cruise control, electric-pneumatic exhaust brake, and even a cup holder.

To see more and download brochures on all the Hino products offered in Australia, check out their website at http://www.hino.com.au/.

MV-1 Is Specifically Desgined For Wheelchair Access

Heralded as the perfect solution for your paratransit fleet and the world's first and only mobility vehicle, here is the MV-1 by The Vehicle Production Group, LLC. Production begins on the MV-1 October, 2010, and you can reserve your spot in production right now by contacting 786-230-2100. You can also see all the details, specs, video and more at www.vpgautos.com.

This unit is built like a truck with a body-on-frame design with end-to-end bully boxed frame sections that optimize structural rigidity, yet it rides like a car with the De Dion suspension and self-leveling air system. It is built strong with a 6600 GVWR to accomodate the extra weight of wheelchiars and passengers.

The MV-1 will be assembled by AM General LLc in their high quality UAW assembly plant in Mishawaka, Indiana. AM General is a world leader in the design, engineering, production, and technical and parts support of military and special purpose vehicles. With production facilities that are among the most cutting-edge in the world, AM General is building mobility solutions for the 21st Century right here in the USA.

The MV-1 is also available in a dedicated Compressed Natural Gas option with a 250 mile range and still having best-in-class rear storage capacity of 29.1 cubic feet of cargo volume.

The standard manual ramp deploys from within the vehicle floor and has a load capacity of up to 1,200 lbs. There is an optional power telescoping ramp with up to a 6:1 slope, with simple push-button controls conveniently located on the door trim. Ramp lighting and anti-slip floor covering provides a valuable safety feature.

See all the features and download brochures at http://www.vpgautos.com/.

Retail Truck Dealer Installs Snowplows

What is a truck dealer doing installing snowplows?

For those readers who live in the Southern or Western States and others, it may be a surprise that a truck dealer would install dump bodies and snowplows! In the Northeast US, it is not as uncommon as you may think. One good example is Robert Green Chevrolet Truck Division in rural Monticello, New York, 100 miles from the hustle of New York City!

In the beginning; in 1986 Robert Green Chevrolet/Oldsmobile was installing Meyer snowplows from the service bays. Robert’s father founded the company in 1968. His son, Rob Green looked to expanding the truck mounted equipment business, but had no intention of starting a full-line truck equipment distributorship in the beginning; until 1990 most of the work was performed after hours.

Starting as a distributor and installer of snow and ice control equipment, the truck equipment business moved to its own property in 1993 and the following year became a full-line truck equipment distributor and a separate corporation. The five-acre property contained a building with a two bay shop area. Additions were completed updating the old building to an eight bay shop. The facility provides 10,000 square feet of shop and office space as well as a 30 x 18 x 18 foot paint booth.

The truck division's main product lines are Meyer / Diamond, Boss and Fisher snowplows, Swenson and Monroe snow and ice control, Crysteel, Reading, Venturo and Truckcraft bodies; Thieman and Tommy Gates, Weatherguard, Eby Trailers as well as Alum-line Racks, Onspot Tire Chains, and ETI aerial buckets. Their truck business is roughly 50% commercial and 50% municipal sales according to Rob Green, President. Green's normal business radiates out about 200 miles from Monticello, but they upfit vehicles for businesses as far north and south as Maine and Virginia and as far west as Chicago. They strive to provide quality customer service; the shop has extended hours and is kept open on Saturdays. Because contractors work five days a week, they are able to get their equipment in for repair or service without interrupting the contractors business.

Robert Green Truck Division offers complete snow plow and salt/sand spreader lines from multiple manufacturer suppliers. The sales people listen carefully to the customer before directing them to a certain snow equipment brand, the customer has many choices at Robert Green, and many bring their own experience and brand preferences for equipment.

                       


I will write more about these brand differences in the future, but I have found snowplow brand preference to be very regional in the US; the Northeast area is heavily influenced by blade features including “trip edge” designs offered by Fisher, Boss, Meyer / Diamond and others. The trip edge design assures that the blade remains upright while the edge encounters an obstacle during plowing; the bottom edge absorbs the impact. The customers in southern New York, the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West states lean more toward a “full trip” blade design such as Western or Meyer and others. The full trip blade “trips over” when encountering an object. Many argue that the full trip is easier on the truck while others are more influenced by the belief that the full trip is not nearly as efficient as a trip edge design in heavy snows. By offering customers all these product options they are appealing to all these “mindsets.”

So how is business today? Rob says it is very good, not great like a few years ago, but good and probably better than a lot of companies in the business! I am sure a lot of that can be attributed to Rob’s vision in starting a truck equipment division. He says his son (Gen III) is now involved in the business and loves cars and trucks like Rob does! Rob sees a great future ahead for the company!

He says that much of the success they have had has been because of the choices they made in vendor selection and standing behind the products they sell. As an example of a great product and proper maintenance, he says that they have many 20 year old original Diamond Snowplows still being used by their customers!

He also attributes much of the company's success to the help and guidance that they have received from the National Truck Equipment association (NTEA). Although snowplow installations began in 1986, their interest in the truck equipment industry developed more fully when they attended the NTEA Equipment Show in 1990. They used the show to find many truck equipment vendors to expand the business into a full line distributorship. In addition, the NTEA has provided them with the knowledge of federal regulations and standards that have become their standard practices in installation of all their equipment. It should be noted that Rob is a past president of the NTEA and is a well respected leader in the truck equipment industry.

Robert Green Truck Division
210 Bridgeville Road
Monticello, NY 12701
Phone: 845-794-0300
www.robert-green.com


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.

The Number One Asset Of A Good Sales Person

"People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you've figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence."

-- Jack Canfield

"People don't buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons."

-- Zig Ziglar

Having spent over 38 years in the sales game, most of it as a sales manager, I can say without the slightest hesitancy that the number one asset of a very good sales person is summed up in one single word: confidence.

Strangely enough, it is not an inborn skill, but a learned one, and the strange part is that so few really learn it, and it is something that every single sales person needs.

The other thing I learned about this from all these years is that the method to achieve confidence can be summed up in one word: boldness. If one has a degree of boldness, one will try things that others shy away from. Boldness, then will create the trial and error, and the results of the trial and error will create the confidence.

It doesn't require any more intelligence than good common sense would dictate, what being good at sales requires is desire, a willingness to put yourself out there, learn from trying and doing and failing and succeeding, and improving to the point of being confident in ones ability to succeed.

That's as simple as it gets.

All the rest is sharpening the saw and lubricating the parts.

Confidence Is The Result Of A Trial And Success Game.

Put yourself out there today. Get some trial and success play going. It'll do you good!

Nor-CalVANS Transit Connect Makes Total Sense. Bravo!

As the baby boomer generation moves into its ‘silver-haired’ stage, there has never been a greater demand for vehicles that can accommodate wheelchairs. This is as true for families that need to take a loved one to the doctor, or shopping, as it is for non-medical emergency mobility vehicles needed to carry a larger segment of the population on a commercial basis.


The Transit Connect has arrived at the perfect time and the Nor-Cal Vans Adaptive Mobility Conversion offers both agility and versatility.

First the size of the Transit Connect makes it an agile vehicle, able to move in and out of tight spaces with street-smart maneuverability. The Transit Connect offers the feel of a car with the cargo room of a van. This sweet combination makes it the ideal choice for wheelchair transportation, either commercial or private. The high fuel economy (22 mpg city/25 mpg highway) is also a much-desired benefit.

For individuals, it will enable a person in a wheelchair, a driver and up to four other individuals, to be carried safely, comfortably and economically! The rear door of the Transit has been adapted, and the floor at the rear has been lowered seven inches. At the door opening, a six-foot lightweight ramp can then be opened out, making the slope of the entry to the van a very easy one.


Safety is key in transporting the wheelchair rider; ease-of-use is another key: both served well in the Nor-Cal Vans adaptation. When one opens the rear doors, there is a button that releases two front hooks so they can be attached to the wheelchair, prior to its being wheeled inside.

These hooks ratchet tighter as the chair is moved up the ramp. Once the chair is inside completely, two rear hooks attach to the back of the chair. It is now secure and ready for the vehicle to move.

When the chair needs to be removed, the button is pushed to release the grip from the front, as the caregiver wheels the rider back out of the Transit Connect; simple and low maintenance.

This vehicle will be huge for the mobility market, and you will likely be contacted by customers looking for this exact vehicle soon. Did we mention that the conversion exceeds ADA requirements?

Get all the facts by calling 800-225-7361 for Nor-Cal Mobility in Chico, CA, or visit the Nor-Cal Mobility Transit Connect website at www.ncvtransitconnect.com. Then, see all the products that Nor-Cal Mobility can do to help you and your customers at www.norcalmobility.com.

The 'C' Word Is More Than Four Letters

Regardless of whether you’re in business for yourself, working for someone, or even in your personal life, I would like to make one recommendation: Forget about what other people are doing and concentrate on you and what you do.

In business, I’m sick of the ‘C’ word, competition. I think that any company that is focused on their competition is focusing on failure. Being concerned about the competition and what they do or do not do will not serve a growth-oriented business, but, instead, it must take them off course by the very nature of that focus on the so called competition.

Who cares what ‘their’ prices are, their features are, their incentives are, or their policies are. What really matters is what yours are. What really matters is you focusing on your clients and serving their needs and desires exclusively. What matters is, as Anthony Robbins teaches, CANi—Constant and Never-Ending Improvement. What matters is innovation. What matters is growth—not only the company, but everyone that touches the company. What matters is your own success, not the guy down the street.

I’ve worked for or been around car dealers most of my life and a typical Chevy dealer will say his number one competition is the Chevy dealers in his area. The typical Ford dealer will say her number one competition is the Ford dealers in their area. You might have thought that the Ford store would be concerned about the Chevy store, but that is not the case. They worry about their sales being undercut by other people selling the same product.

As a sales manager for over 35 years, I hear whining from sales people about another sales person getting their customer. I would always respond that if they didn’t ask for you, they weren’t your customer, even if they bought from you in the past. That same philosophy applies to the entire dealership. If they aren’t buying from you, they aren’t your customer. There is nothing to lose, because you don’t have it to lose. You allowed someone else to have it based on how you serve, or perhaps, don’t serve your customers. This applies to everyone in a store from the lowest rank to the owner, to the manufacturer.

Whatever your position, ask yourself, what are you doing to wow your customers and potential customers? What are you doing to improve services? What are you doing to make it easier for customers to buy from you? What are you doing to innovate? What are you doing to improve your operation? What are you doing to be of more service? What are you doing that might matter to a customer? And, conversely, take a quick look at what you’re not doing and what you might stop doing that could lead to greater success.

People who are leading are not concerned about what everyone else is doing. Companies that are leading are not concerned about what every other company is doing. Sales people who are leading are not concerned about any other sales people, or their customer base. Leaders are leading. Others may follow or not. That isn’t the concern. Leaders are leading and that makes ALL the difference.

The Knapheide 'Plus 50' Transverse Compartment Is A Mechanic's Dream

This is a Knapheide 11' Service Body that shows off quite a number of options that Knapheide offers, but I want to focus on one in particular: The Plus-50 Transverse Compartment. It is available in any Knapheide Service Body and comes standard with either 2 or 3 long drawers. In the case of the 11' unit, it comes standard with 3-3" high drawers with plenty of dividers to be able to carry a lot of little parts, nuts, bolts, or other small items, or remove the dividers and carry longer items.

As you can see by the photo of one of the drawers fully extended, there is a lot of space here to take care business. The HD drawers are rated at 250 lbs and have ball bearing guides to roll out and back smoothly. They are easily opened with the two rod release system which allows you to open the drawer with one hand. The drawers are also easily removable. If desired, there is enough room in the compartment to add two more 3" drawers or 1-5" drawer to the bottom of the stack to haul even more.

On the 11' unit, there is still almost 9' in the cargo area of the bed since the transverse compartment in the front compartment takes up about 2' (actually 28.43"). The transverse compartment stops at the backside of the opposite front compartment, so that on the streetside, there is a standard compartment and the transverse deep compartment is on the curbside.

I think the 'Plus 50' is a must stock option for dealers that will show off the possibilities that Knapheide has to offer in the way of effective optional solutions. I mean, who cannot use more drawers? Speaking of drawers, Knapheide can fill all the compartments with drawers of various sizes and designs, just in case you want them. See more solutions at http://www.knapheide.com/. If you want to talk to a real, live person, please call 217-223-1848. Knapheide has been serving the industry since 1848. That's a lot of staying power!

Supreme Announces New Lightweight FiberPanel Wall Material

Supreme Corporation, a subsidiary of Supreme Industries, today announced that they will soon be offering a new light weight wall material called FiberPanel TM. Manufactured in the USA at Supreme’s state-of-the-art Tower Structural Laminating (TSL) facility in nearby Ligonier, IN – FiberPanel TM can be utilized for applications in many markets including the delivery van market where maximum payload capacity is key in making every mile count. The characteristics of FiberPanel TM include a Polypropylene and Fiberglass core sandwiched by resin and gelcoat to create a durable wall material used in Supreme’s recently released Signature Van body product line. This moisture resistant panel delivers the confidence to customers that their body walls will last the life of their vehicle and then some. Rigorously tested for maximum durability FiberPanel TM offers the best solution for customers who require the lightest body available, but still maintain the strength expected in a composite constructed van body. Supreme showcased FiberPanel TM at the NTEA Work Truck Show, March 9 – 12, 2010 in St. Louis, MO.

Visit Supreme's website at http://www.supremecorp.com/.

Raised Front Compartment Adds Great Value

This is a what is commonly called a Combo Body, except that this one has a raised front compartment on both sides, otherwise it would typically be the same height as the horizontal compartment. This can be done on any service body and the benefits should be pretty obvious. Look at all the stuff that can go in that raised compartment.

Welder Bodies typically have a raised front compartment, except they usually don't have shelves and are designed for gas bottle storage instead. There are so many ways the raised front compartment can be used, but the most important is having more storage--whatever the thing being stored.

Consider its uses and benefits for your truck body and get a quote to add that on your next body. It is available on single rear or dual rear wheel units. You will find the extra cost very reasonable and extremely effective.

Highway Products Strongback Vee Deck Gooseneck Flatbed

Highway Products in Southern Oregon makes some very fine looking, heavy duty, long-lasting aluminum flatbeds and a long list of other aluminum products. This is the Strongback Vee Deck Gooseneck Flatbed shown with short gates and headboard with additional tail lamps and cargo area lighting. See the entire lineup and a great array of photos at www.highwayproducts.com.

Brutus Truck Bodies Tire Bodies Fill The Bill

Brutus Truck Bodies by Nor-Mar Industries, Ltd. of Penticton, BC in Canada designs and builds custom tire decks and bodies for any size pick-up or chassis in your choice of steel or aluminum. Tire Bodies can be outfitted with high quality liftgates, tire cranes, air compressors and much more. Brutus Truck Bodies are designed to survive and thrive in the challenging Canadian environment where quality is not just important, but critical.

Here is a great smaller Tire Body for a single rear wheel application that would suit most tire companies around the world for light tire service and delivery. The body is HD aluminum, but light enough to make sense for a single rear wheel chassis. Notice how the very tall side doors swing down and out of the way to get maximum access to the compartments. At first, I thought that vertical doors might work better, but I have changed my mind looking at how unobstructed the compartments are to work out of. In this case, we open the door and find a heavy duty air compressor in the front compartment. I like that idea. It is out of sight and safe from the weather at the same time.

Of course, we have to have a liftgate and this Eagle Lift model with the grip strut platform is perfect for tire work and heavy snow areas too. I like the air holding tank mounted up and out of the way, yet the guage is easily seen. That is a perfect place for it so it doesn't take up valuable space in the bed area.

Notice also how deep the compartments are. This allows for hose reels to be installed inside the front compartment and share shelving space at the same time. These sweet boxes will carry much larger items than a typical service cabinet.

Put all of this together on one truck and you have one sweet package. Of course, you could also make use for this body in a hundred other ways than just letting the tire guys have it to themselves. Even if you took off the compressor, tank, reels and upper rack, this could serve a wide array of contractors by allowing better utilization of the lockable spaces. Nice job Brutus! See the entire lineup of great bodies from Brutus at www.brutusbodies.com.

ComboMaster and Welder Combination With Reverse Open Top Lids

Tony Anderson of Harbor Truck Bodies is shown delivering this beautiful 56" Raised Compartment ComboMaster Body with a front welder compartment. Rather than the horizontal door over the wheels, this one is tall enough to have vertical doors which makes it so nice to get to things in the compartment. There is a very interesting twist to this truck and something that I have never seen from Harbor (I worked there 10 years and never saw one. . .), and it is the reverse open top lids which are made of stainless steel and even have a twist handle to open them. Very interesting and nice looking too. Check out Harbor's website at http://www.htbi.net/ for more interesting truck bodies.