Chevrolet and GMC Offer Single-Source LPG Option for Cutaway Vans

DETROIT – General Motors will offer a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) option for the 2012 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana cutaway 3500 and 4500 vans. This new offering enables businesses to choose from 2,604 LPG fueling stations nationwide – a number that is expected to significantly increase.


“LPG infrastructure has progressed rapidly, so it’s easier for our customers to refuel in convenient locations across the country,” said Brian Small, general manager, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations. “When our customers order the LPG option, they’re getting a sensible fuel alternative, with the convenience of a one-stop ordering process.”

GM is the only manufacturer to provide a single-source LPG van option. GM’s manufacturing process enables customers to spend less time converting vehicles by using a one-stop-shop approach that delivers a vehicle with a complete LPG fuel system, which can then be upfitted to meet customer requirements.

GM selected Knapheide Manufacturing Co. to install two different LPG systems into the 159” wheelbase cutaway van. CleanFUEL USA and Bi-Phase Technologies serve as tier-two suppliers for the 49- and 75-gallon capacity LPG fuel system, respectively.

“Through GM’s unique manufacturing process, our fleet customers know they’re getting quality, reliability and convenience,” said Joyce Mattman, director, commercial product and specialty vehicles.

The vans come equipped with GM’s hardened Vortec 6.0L engine, and with this LPG offering, GM is the only automaker to offer four alternative fuel options for U.S. fleet customers: LPG, CNG, E85 ethanol and B20 biodiesel.

The vans will be produced at GM’s Wentzville, Mo., plant and transported to Knapheide’s nearby facility for fuel storage/delivery system installation. Upon completion, the vehicle is then sent to the upfitter chosen by the customer for body installation. The cutaways can be converted to various commercial, school bus, shuttle bus and RV requirements.

Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana LPG cutaway vans will be covered by GM’s three-year, 36,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty and five-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and vehicle emissions warranty, meeting all Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) emission certification requirements.

To find more information about the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, visit http://www.gmfleet.com/, or for fleet-related questions, join the GM Fleet and Commercial Customer Service LinkedIn group.

Harbor Truck Side Ladder Rack

Here's an example of a side ladder rack by Harbor Truck Bodies. It's out of the way, easy to load and unload and ladders can be securely transported. Call Harbor at 800-433-9452 for more information, and visit their website at http://www.htbi.net/.

Carregando uma CAT em um caminhão sem rampa!!!

Fascinating. . . Who needs a trailer?

9' Custom Flatbed by North Bay Truck Body

Here's a North Bay Truck Body 9' Flatbed mounted on a 60" CA chassis. It has a tapered half and half headboard with a 1-1/8" Apitong hardwood floor, with 12" centers on the cross bars. The six stake rack sections are 12" high with two boards. The rack is a custom design with no longitudinals and the goals posts are made of 3"x2" metal and the rear is mounted off the rear of the flatbed to the step on the rear.

At North Bay Truck Body, they love custom flatbeds and have built thousands of them. Give them a call at 707-864-2700 and visit their website at http://www.nbtb.com/.

Transit Connect Mobility Upfits By Nor-Cal Mobility/Nor Cal Vans

Ken Karasinki of Nor-Cal Mobility and Nor Cal Vans gives us a bit of a tour on a couple of Ford Transit Connect mobility upfits at the Nor Cal Ford Truck Club event.

Contact Nor-Cal Mobility, Inc at 800-225-7361. They are located at 1300 Nord Ave, Chico, CA 95926.

Recorded on October 21, 2010 at the Nor Cal Ford Truck Club event using a Flip Video camera

MAXON'S NEXT-GENERATION GPT: THE FIRST INTEGRATED, LARGE PLATFORM TUK-A-WAY® WITH BOLT-ON EXTENSION PLATE AND STEPS

 
SANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA (January 6, 2011) – Maxon Lift Corp, the leader in liftgates, is excited to announce the launch of the next generation of its best-selling Tuk-A-Way^® liftgate, the GPT (Grand Prix Tuk-A-Way^®). This newest generation features - among many other upgrades - a bolt-on extension plate and bolt-on step options, resulting in a fully integrated liftgate product.

Since the invention of the first Tuk in 1957 by company founder Max Lugash, Maxon has dominated the Tuk-A-Way^® segment. Innovations such as the GPT, which revolutionized the industry with its introduction in 1986, have clearly established Maxon’s dominance in this segment. Decades later, Maxon again made strides by being at the forefront of the bolt-on revolution: first in 2001 with its MTB, a full body bolt-on gate, then in 2007 with its BMRSD, a bolt-on ready Columnlift^® with pre-installed mounting brackets.

Bolting on the extension plate and steps, versus the current practice of welding, has two crucial advantages: it overcomes corrosion issues - induced by welding and repainting - and it simplifies installation. Welding results in corrosion issues due to the fact that factory paint has to be removed before the welding process, then repainted once again when welding is complete. Not to mention, welding is a crude process that is costly, time consuming and lacks precision. Additionally, the bolt-on solution simplifies installation by eliminating the practice of adding aftermarket steps during the installation process. Today, aftermarket steps are typically added by installers, which results in additional welding on the gate and associated corrosion issues.

Consequently, the newest generation GPT comes with Maxon-made bolt-on steps and a bolt-on extension plate, resulting in a truly integrated product that streamlines deployment and cuts costs.

Maxon Lift Corp. was founded in 1957. That same year, owner Max Lugash invented the Tuk-A-Way^® liftgate, which remains the largest selling style of liftgate in North America. For more than fifty years, Maxon Lift Corp. has initiated and developed a variety of innovative products that have become truck equipment industry benchmarks. Find out why “The Future is Now” with the next-generation GPT at http://www.maxonlift.com/products/tukaway.htm.

More company information can be obtained from Maxon and local Maxon sales representatives at 800-227-4116 or www.maxonlift.com.

Knapheide Raised Compartment Crane Body with ET12KX Venturo Crane

Here's a sample of an 11' Knapheide Crane Body with curbside front raised compartment and small manual outriggers. The Venturo ET12KX Crane is mounted on top of the curbside rear compartment. The ET12KX replaced the ET10KX and the capacity is greater as well at 3,500 lbs.

This was provided for us by Jack Schmidt at West Coast Truck Equipment in West Sacramento, CA. Call West Coast Truck Equipment at 916-376-0690 for more information on Knapheide Crane Bodies and Venturo Cranes, and visit their website at http://www.westcoastruckequipment.com/. We think it's a perfect match!

The Perfect Winter - Time To Prepare For The Next One!

This may be the biggest winter for widespread deep snow throughout the United States in 30 years, but next winter will be bigger! No, I’m not a meteorologist or an astrologist, but I am experienced in the snow removal industry. If you are involved in snow removal equipment manufacturing or sales, then Be Prepared because you can expect a big increase in the sales of trucks and equipment; snow plows, snow blowers, salt spreaders, etc. next winter.

History has shown this to be true: sales of snow and ice control equipment increase after the snow arrives. And in the manufacturing and distribution part of the business, snow this season means sales next season; and sales of snowplows means sales of trucks. Because it’s not the snow that sells the equipment, it’s the anticipation of snow that sells it! It’s a little like a smoke detectors, you wouldn’t buy one during a fire, it would be too late!

Human nature being what it is; people procrastinate, often they put off what they need to do until the last minute and then when the dreaded event occurs they are unprepared and it’s too late! You forgot to get someone to plow your driveway. So now it’s so late that all the snow removal contractors are busy servicing their present customers and can’t take on new ones! If you’re lucky, you find a neighbor with a truck and a plow that is laid off from work and wants to make some extra cash by plowing your yard.

The driveway gets plowed, but you’re not happy. He didn’t do a great job; you are going to have to patch all the places he dug up on your lawn with his snowplow blade. So thinking ahead to next year, you expect that the neighbor probably will have found a job and won’t be able to plow your driveway anyway, you ponder; I didn’t have this problem when I lived in the city! If my car was “snowed in” on the street, I simply walked to the corner and took the bus to work. Now my car is warm and clear of snow inside my garage, but I can’t get it out and to the street because of 50 feet of snow 2 feet deep!

How Driveway Plows Changed the Face of America:

I’m not sure what came first the chicken or the egg! Which one is the chicken and which one is the egg? The 4 wheel drive truck or the house with the garage and 50 foot driveway! Back in the ‘60’s Ford, Dodge and General Motors had the vision to power the front wheels on some of their pickup trucks. I doubt that they knew that this option would be responsible for suburban sprawl, but these new 4x4 models enabled plow manufacturers to craft snowplows to the front of these trucks; previously only available for Jeeps and some
Dodge Power Wagons.

And since the 1960’s, people have moved away from the cities with their coveted parking space on the street. When it snowed in the city, they had often shoveled themselves out of their street side parking spaces. Now in suburbia where they bought homes with 30-100 foot driveways and removed by 10 - 20 miles from their workplace. If people had been stuck in their suburban homes for days after snowstorms without the ability to get their cars to the street, people would not have made the move to suburbia in the first place or they may have moved back to the cities!

But now snowstorms held out a new process; plan how to clear the snow from the 50 foot driveway; they had three options: Suit up and shovel, buy a snow blower, suit up and clear the driveway with the snow blower; or call a snow removal contractor. Truck mounted driveway plows offered a solution to the homeowner; hiring a snow removal contractor with a truck mounted plow did not require an investment, and gave the ability to sleep later without having to get “suited up” to remove snow, exposing them to wet/cold and a heart attack! Get up in the morning and the driveway is clear of snow, easy!

So if you live in the city, get yourself a new shovel for next year. But if you have a driveway, call around and find the best snowplow contractor for next winter, do it today, tomorrow may be too late! If you are a contractor, prepare for next winter, customers will want to be plowed out earlier, they do not want to be late for work again next year. Buy more equipment, prepare to hire more workers. And if you sell plows and trucks, get that order in early, this spring, because next winter everyone will want to be prepared!


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 http://www.truckarchitect.com/.

Welder Body Customized By North Bay Truck Body

Here's a recent job by North Bay Truck Body for Zumwalt Ford in St. Helena, CA. It is a Harbor Truck Bodies 11' Service Body with dual raised front compartments. Compartment depth on this model is 22" deep. This is also commonly called a Welder Body and in this case it is being used that way for the curbside front compartment is to hold Oxygen/Acetylene bottles. This body also features Harbor's famous standard stainless steel open top lids.

This body also features a unique 18" rear platform with 3/16" diamond plate steel floor and 2" V-trough, a receiver style vise bracket stand, 2"x2" HD NBTB Rack with two sets of Rack Straps. Further modifications to the 18" rear platform is 4-4" vertical channels with 5" bumper step with recessed rubber mounted stop, tail, turn and backup lights in the rear face. And finally, a receiver hitch and 6-way plug.

Let North Bay Truck Body build the truck you want. Give them a call at 707-864-2700 and visit their website at http://www.nbtb.com/.



The Work Truck Show® 2011 To Feature Largest Ever

The Green Truck Ride-and-Drive at The Work Truck Show® 2011 will be the largest in the event’s history, with 22 hybrid, alternative fuel (including pure electric), and high-efficiency diesel work trucks available for attendees to drive. Additional green commercial vehicles will provide equipment demonstrations in a stationary display area adjacent to the outdoor Ride-and-Drive course.

The Work Truck Show 2011 is held in conjunction with the 47th Annual National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Convention at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. The Work Truck Show runs March 8-10, 2011, with educational programming starting March 7. The Green Truck Ride-and-Drive is open to all Show attendees on Tuesday, March 8, and Wednesday, March 9, from 12:00pm to 4:30pm.

The Green Truck Ride-and-Drive debuted at the Work Truck Show 2007. Thanks to the recent expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, the NTEA has enough space this year to meet the growing demand from manufacturers to showcase a record number of cutting-edge hybrid and alternative fuel work trucks in the Ride-and-Drive. Participating vehicles range from a compact electric van to a Class 8 truck fueled with compressed natural gas. Other vehicles will feature technologies such as electric, hydraulic, and plug-in hybrids. The Ride-and-Drive course covers city streets to provide a realistic driving experience.

“Driving the trucks in real-world conditions gives people a true feel for how the vehicles handle, how they drive, how user-friendly they are, and how transparent the green technology is to the operator,” explains Bob Johnson, NTEA fleet relations director. “Participants can see whether or not a vehicle requires any special driving techniques because of the green technology it uses. The Ride-and-Drive can really help clarify the differences, advantages and disadvantages of various green technology applications.”

Access to the Green Truck Ride-and-Drive is included free with Work Truck Show registration. Attendees sign up on the Show floor for the vehicles they want to drive on a first-come, first-served basis. A CDL is required in order to drive some of the vehicles. The Ride-and-Drive is sponsored by Hino Trucks.

See more about the Work Truck Show at www.ntea.com/worktruckshow/

Easy Truck Loader Lift Demo On A Truck Service Body

Very interesting. . .

See more at http://www.pickuptrucklift.com or call 888-849-6160 for the full list stor

TEDxBrooklyn- Mitchell Joachim - The Future Of Transportation?

Mitchell Joachim is a leader in ecological design and urbanism. He is a co-founder at Terreform ONE & Terrefuge. He earned a Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MAUD Harvard University, M.Arch. Columbia University, and BPS SUNY at Buffalo with Honors. Mitchell is an Associate Professor at NYU and previously was the Frank Gehry Chair at University of Toronto. Earlier, he was faculty at Columbia, Syracuse, Parsons and Washington. He was formerly an architect at Gehry Partners, and Pei Cobb Freed. He has been awarded fellowships at TED2010, Moshe Safdie Assoc., and Martin Society for Sustainability at MIT. He won the History Channel and Infiniti Excellence Award for City of the Future, and Time Magazine Best Invention of 2007, Compacted Car w/ MIT Smart Cities. His project, Fab Tree Hab, has been exhibited at MoMA and widely published. He was chosen by Wired magazine for "The 2008 Smart List: 15 People the Next President Should Listen To." Rolling Stone magazine honored Mitchell in "The 100 People Who Are Changing America." In 2009 he was interviewed on the Colbert Report. Popular Science magazine has featured his work as a visionary for The Future of the Environment in 2010.

Leer Truck Caps Manufacturing

Here's a look inside the manufacturing process of the nations finest truck caps and tonneaus. See more at http://www.leer.com/.

Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle

http://www.tata-daewoo.com/ver3/eng/02_main/main.html

More Great News: Ford Reports 2010 Full Year Net Income of $6.6 Billion

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 28, 2011 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] today reported 2010 full year net income of $6.6 billion, or $1.66 per share, an increase of $3.8 billion, or 80 cents per share, from 2009. This was Ford’s highest net income in more than 10 years, as strong products and new investments fueled improvements in all of the company’s business operations around the world.

“Our 2010 results exceeded our expectations, accelerating our transition from fixing the business fundamentals to delivering profitable growth for all,” said Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO. “We are investing in an unprecedented amount of products, technology and growth in all regions of the world.”

Full year 2010 pre-tax operating profit was $8.3 billion, or $1.91 per share, an increase of $8.3 billion, or $1.90 per share, from a year ago. This increase reflects a profit in each Automotive segment led by strong performance in North America, reflecting primarily favorable volume and mix as well as favorable net pricing. Ford Credit’s strong profit also contributed significantly to Ford’s full year performance.

Ford made significant progress in strengthening its balance sheet, reducing Automotive debt by $14.5 billion in 2010, a 43 percent reduction. These actions will lower annualized interest expense by more than $1 billion. Ford finished the year with Automotive gross cash exceeding debt by $1.4 billion. Fourth quarter actions reduced Automotive debt by $7.3 billion, including $2.5 billion of newly announced debt reductions to pay down Ford’s revolving credit facility and term loans.

Ford reported fourth quarter net income of $190 million, or 5 cents per share, a decrease of $696 million, or 20 cents per share, from the fourth quarter of 2009. This includes the negative impact of special items of $1 billion, primarily associated with a previously disclosed $960 million charge related to the completion of debt conversion offers that reduced outstanding Automotive debt by over $1.9 billion.

Ford earned a pre-tax operating profit of $1.3 billion, or 30 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of pre-tax operating profit. This is a decrease of $322 million, or 13 cents per share, from the fourth quarter of 2009.

Fourth quarter Automotive pre-tax operating profit was $741 million, a decrease of $173 million from a year ago. Fourth quarter Financial Services pre-tax operating profit was $552 million, a decrease of $149 million from a year ago, which includes a pre-tax operating profit of $572 million for Ford Credit.

North America posted a fourth quarter pre-tax operating profit of $670 million, a $59 million increase compared with 2009. Full year North America pre-tax operating profit was $5.4 billion, an improvement of more than $6 billion from a year ago. South America, Europe and Asia Pacific Africa also reported full year pre-tax operating profits for 2010.

As a result of Ford’s 2010 financial performance, the company will pay profit sharing to approximately 40,600 eligible U.S. hourly employees. The average amount is expected to be approximately $5,000 per eligible full-time employee.

Ford’s fourth quarter worldwide revenue was $32.5 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion compared with the same period a year ago, excluding Volvo from 2009. Ford reported full year revenue of $120.9 billion, an increase of $17 billion from a year ago, excluding Volvo from 2009.

Ford generated positive Automotive operating-related cash flow of $1 billion in the fourth quarter and $4.4 billion in the full year, an improvement of $5.2 billion from full year 2009.

Ford finished the year with Automotive gross cash of $20.5 billion and total Automotive debt of $19.1 billion. Automotive gross cash was down $3.3 billion from the end of the third quarter as a result of significant debt reduction actions. As of Dec. 31, 2010, total Automotive liquidity was $27.9 billion, including available credit lines.

“The progress that we made improving our core Automotive business has allowed us to strengthen significantly the balance sheet in 2010, and this will remain a key area of focus for us in 2011,” said Lewis Booth, Ford executive vice president and chief financial officer. “We continue to manage the business for long term profitable growth.”