Spec’ing Trailers for Safe and Quick Entry and Exit

Bumper's skid-resistant top surface allows firm planting of a driver's foot, and end cap would stop a sideways slip as he climbs up. Handle next to door gives him a positive grip. Photo:Tom Berg

Slips and falls constitute a major cause of injuries and worker's compensation claims for drivers, and while that usually applies to trucks and tractors, it also includes trailers. Many trailers are bought with no clear way to climb aboard, so drivers do the best they can.

That's changing, however. Many vans and other types of trailers and truck bodies today have hardware meant to ease entry and exit, also called ingress and egress. Wabash National, for instance, says about 40% of its trailers are ordered with steps or handles.

Walk down a row of parked vans and you'll see many rear bumpers/underride guards with skid-resistant patterns on the upward-facing surfaces of the horizontal member. Some even have extra steps built into the bumper structure. Often you'll find handles that drivers and loaders can grab for stability while climbing up from the ground; if not, drivers learn to grasp door hinges or some other feature on the walls.

Trailer and body builders offer many options. Utility Trailer Manufacturing last year in its Utilitechniques series noted that these include side door steps, ladders, platforms and enhanced dock bumpers. “Additionally, grab handles at various locations are often included for added safety. Utility recommends that you add an optional grab handle at any location where the trailer will be accessed.”

“We use the three-point principle” in equipping trailers with steps and handles, says Scott Bartlein, fleet manager for Barry Fleet Services in the Milwaukee area. That means three of a person's four limbs are always in contact with the vehicle while the fourth limb is moving. Well-designed hardware gives the person's hands and feet convenient ...Read the rest of this story

YRC Worldwide Schedules Third Quarter 2016 Earnings Conference Call

One Stop Shop Super Suppliers

Not only do we have consolidation in the commercial vehicle market globally, and the continued push for proprietary components that are vertically integrated, we now have suppliers pushing into the realm more than I anticipated. Back in the 90's, the vehicle OEMs were little more than assemblers of the parts provided by all the different tier 1 suppliers. When electronic engines started, the engine control became a vehicle control. This worked will for a number of years. Mack was one of the few vehicle OEMs that had its own engine, as did Navistar for some vehicles.

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Move It, Buddy!

The American Trucking Associations has taglines such as “Trucking Moves America Forward” and “If You Bought It, a Trucker Brought It.” For over 125 years now, the trucking industry has been moving freight including the necessities of life and the luxury items of our desire.

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Vipar Focuses on Future at Young Leaders Forum

John Egan is the headline speaker at this year's Young Leaders Forum. Photo courtesy of Vipar Heavy Duty

Vipar Heavy Duty will host its fourth Young Leaders Forum and Lunch during the 2016 Vipar Heavy Duty Annual Business Conference, Oct. 16-21, 2016 in Orlando, Fla.

Scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, the event is open to Vipar Heavy Duty stockholders and suppliers. In addition to fostering networking and collaboration among industry peers, the goal of the Young Leaders Forum is to provide the next generation of leaders with content to further personal development and gain leadership and success strategies to apply to their businesses.

The event will be headlined by John Egan, an instructor for the American Management Association and a co-founder and principal at Workforce Innovations, a Maryland-based management and organization development consulting firm.

Egan's keynote presentation is titled “Achieving Leadership Success Through People”, focusing on applying specific people skills to achieve desired results.

In addition to the luncheon, a Young Leaders reception will be hosted with GenNext during the Vipar Heavy Duty Annual Business Conference. New to this year's reception is a GenNext speed-mentoring session to give young leaders the opportunity to ask questions of industry veterans to gain insight and advice on how to be successful in the independent heavy-duty aftermarket.

This group is considered the up-and-coming leaders of tomorrow in the aftermarket truck parts industry. The core goal of GenNext is to educate, mentor, and recruit the next generation of heavy-duty aftermarket leaders.

For more information, click here.

Related: Vipar Heavy Duty Names New Controller

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Kenworth Offers Several New Options for T680 and T880

Kenworth now offers the FlowBelow Tractor AeroKit as a T680 option. Photo: Kenworth

Kenworth is offering a few new options for its heavy-duty trucks, including a new natural gas engine and bunk heater system fo the T680 and T880 and a FlowBelow AeroKit for the T680.

Kenworth will offer the Cummins Westport ISL G Near Zero NOx emissions natural gas engine on its T680 and T880 model. The engine produces emissions that are 90% lower than the current NOx limit of 0.2 gram per brake horsepower-hour and it meets the 2017 EPA greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements.

The 8.9-liter Cummins Westport ISL G Near Zero comes with ratings up to 320 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft. of torque. The engine can operate on 100% natural gas, which can be carried on the vehicle in either compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas form. The ISL G Near Zero is also compatible with renewable natural gas, which allows for even further reductions in GHG emissions.

“The Kenworth T680 and T880 equipped with the ISL G Near Zero emissions engine is well suited for regional haul, vocational and refuse fleets focused on the reduced environmental impact of natural gas use and reducing their operating costs,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing.

Kenworth is also adding cab temperature monitoring for the T680 and T880 with its Auto Start and Stop Capability and an optional Espar Airtronic D4 fuel-fired bunk heater. The Espar bunk heater produces nearly double the BTUs of Espar's previous generation heater.

“For operators who run in cold temperatures, or shut down for a 34-hour reset, our new offerings give a one-two punch in vehicle performance and driver comfort,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth chief engineer. “We've built our power management system into what we feel is the most comprehensive system in the market. And, ...Read the rest of this story

Schneider National Planning to Go Public

Photo: Schneider 

Mega-carrier Schneider intends to pursue an initial public offering of common stock next year, per a statement it released on Oct. 7.

According to the privately held motor carriage and logistics firm, the IPO will facilitate “continuity of controlling ownership of Schneider by the future generations of the Schneider family… and to maintain and further investments in its long-term positioning. The Schneider family and the board of directors believe the planned transaction is in the best interests of Schneider, its associates, customers, and shareholders.”

Green Bay-based Schneider reportedly recorded $4 billion in revenue for 2015.

Back in June, the company announced the simultaneous acquisitions of specialized carrier Watkins & Shepard and supply-chain tech firm Lodeso to strengthen the carrier's Final Mile+ offering, which provides customized home, commercial and retail delivery services. “The ability to provide differentiated experiences for retailers, manufacturers and consumers is a primary area of strategic growth for Schneider,” Chris Lofgren, Schneider president and CEO, noted at the time.

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