Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
According to the study conducted by the Canadian Trucking Alliance-Natural Resources Canada, heavy duty trucks, longer trucks produce lesser harmful emissions and even help in improving highway safety.
Canadian Trucking Alliance-Natural Resources Canada has conducted a two-year study that involves ten trucking fleets from Western Canada and Quebec and the result was really astounding. The alliance have discovered that the use of longer combination vehicles such as turnpike doubles and single can actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve highway safety.
Aside from that turnpike doubles could also reduce the number of trucks on the road by six to ten percent basing on the study. For several months, New Brunswick has been involved in a pilot project that utilizes the combination of vehicles consisting of a tractor and two, 16-metre trailers. Sunbury Transport has been operating the trucks between Dieppe and Saint John. The vehicles are operating under a special permit.
The executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, Peter Nelson said that the industry is working toward the reduction of harmful emissions and improving safety. He also added that the reduced emissions resulting from longer trucks, combined with new eco-friendly engines, better quality truck part components that are now being used together with ultra-low-sulphur diesel fuel.
The alliance’s study further shows that approximately 900 million kilometers of truck travel would be saved annually by promoting the use of turnpike doubles, similarly 260 million liters of fuel will also be saved and 730 kilotons of greenhouse gases will be avoided.
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Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
If you have spent your entire career in military service, you stand a good chance in the trucking industry. Trucking as a career needs a lot of disciplined and strong men. As a truck driver has lot of freedom and the profession is time sensitive, the industry is always looking out for military men, who are known for their punctuality and discipline. So, if you have years of service in military and are now looking out for a change, truck driving is the perfect option for your smooth career transition.
Military men are preferred for truck driving because companies need strong men, who are ready to work under any circumstances for trucking. A truck driver’s job is not for everyone. One has to face several hurdles, before he delivers the goods in the given time. Traffic jams, accidents, bad weather conditions, bad roads are some of the few obstacles a truck driver faces daily in his profession.
Apart from these hurdles, a truck driver earns a huge salary and great perks. You get to travel across the nation and get to frequently be with your family and friends. Many companies offer various policies for the entire family. You enjoy flexibility in your work. You do not have to follow a typical 9 to 6 schedule and can enjoy driving at your favorite hours. With no supervisor to boss over you, you enjoy the freedom of doing work at ease. With so much to benefit, you surely want to try out this exciting and challenging job.
So, if you are geared to make a smooth transition from military to become a truck driver, here is what you can do. If you think you are good at driving, brush up your skills before you hunt for a trucking job. It would be good, if you join a reputed driving school, where you would learn to drive chevrolet trucks, ford trucks, pickup trucks, medium duty trucks, heavy duty trucks and also learn rules and regulations and safety of driving bulky truck on highways. After you pass the driving test, you get a license and approval to drive a heavy duty truck, ford truck etc without which you cannot operate as a truck driver.
Once you obtain your license, it is good to look out for better companies hiring truck drivers. If you were a part of the driving school, it would be easier for you to get a truck-driving job, as they would assist you to find one. There are also websites that have come up to help you hunt for a truck-driving job. Because of many numerous vacancies and low manpower, companies are paying highly to retain the drivers. With you being from the military field, everybody would want to hire you for the belief in your caliber. The salary that you would get at the entry level also would be much higher than any other person.
Trucking is a booming career and you can have only gains in this profession. It not only gives you freedom, but also a chance to earn huge profits and stay connected with your family. Quality military personnel are sure to grab great opportunities in the trucking career. So, if you were geared up for some more challenge and excitement post military service, truck driving would surely let you experience it all.
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Thursday, November 6th, 2008
What are the things to consider in purchasing a pick-up truck?
First, you must know what truck size will best fit your purpose. Are you placing tons of cement sacks in the truck, or just some boxes of dry goods? Choose a truck spacious enough to suit your needs. There are ford trucks, chevrolet trucks, compact trucks, heavy duty trucks, mid-size trucks, and full size trucks. A full size truck, as the modifier suggests, is the biggest among the three, the best vehicle for heavy towing. A mid-size truck is everything that is in between the sizes of a full-size truck and a compact truck. A compact truck, therefore, is the smallest kind, usually can only tow up to about 3,000 pounds. In terms of gas mileage, one general principle is that the bigger the truck, the bigger the gas consumption.
Second to consider is your seating preference. How many people will usually board the truck? There are different truck seating designs, so you should be able to decide which one will serve you right. There is standard cab truck seating, extended cab truck seating, and crew cab truck seating. Standard cab truck seating includes one bench or two seats. Extended cab truck seating has a second row that can either be a bench or three bucket seats. Crew cab truck seating includes a second row bench just like the extended cub, but with 4-doors. It also provides more space for packages.
Another factor to consider is the truck manufacturer. Truck manufacturers have their unique branding, and you should design which maker best fulfills your aesthetic needs. The three best truck manufacturers in the industry are Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge. They are more than willing to give you a tour to their showrooms and provide brochures on the designs, versions, and specifications of their trucks. If you have no time to visit showrooms, there are dozens of magazines that publish reviews on trucks. There are also a dozen of sites on the Internet that publish online reviews and specifications of trucks, you can also give them a visit.
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Monday, September 15th, 2008
Trailer hitches enable most types of trucks to haul cargo. Without having the proper kind of hitch, it is impossible for a truck to attach and pull trailers. SUVs and pickup trucks that have trailer hitches can be used for a wide range of purposes. You use them in pulling boats, cargo trailers, campers and many other items. You can find several kinds of trailer hitches. In pickup trucks, they have what is usually considered as utility trailers hitch. On the other hand there are also what is called fifth wheel hitches and the goose neck trailer hitches.
It is also vital that you have a truck that is strong enough to haul whatever it is that is attached to the trailer hitch. Your truck need to have engine strength that is enough to build up the proper momentum necessary to pull the trailer. If you rarely see cars that are equipped with trailer hitches, this is the main reason why. The trailer hitches need to be installed correctly to the truck. This is important or else, all of the hitch rig may come off and leave your cargo behind. Usually a certain kind of bumper that is installed under the trucks tailgate is where the hitch must be mounted. This rigs strength is the determinant on how much weight your hitch could handle. Different classes of trailer hitches can pull different amounts of weight. The weakest are the Class 1 loadmaster trailers hitches, since they can only pull up to 2000 lbs. the strongest are the Class 5 trailers since their pulling capacity reach more than 10,000 lbs.
Most sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks have ball trailer hitches. Their hitches consist of metal balls attached to a socket on the cargo area. Larger trailer hitch balls can usually support more weight than the smaller ones. The ball trailer hitches can be used for several purposes than other trailer hitches types. They can even be used in hauling campers, small cargo trailers and boats. Balls are also used in gooseneck trailer hitches but are attached differently onto the truck. They are attached at the truck beds top rather than at the trucks bumper. The strongest type of trailer hitch is the fifth wheel trailer hitches. They are used in carrying heavy cargo and the most heavy duty trucks cargo usually employ fifth wheel hitches. Get help in choosing the best type of truck hitches that can accomplish your purpose of hauling cargo.
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Saturday, September 6th, 2008
As a follow up to the release of last year’s half ton 2007 Chevy Silverado HD Trucks(2007 Truck of the Year),GM now releases the rugged three quarter and one ton pickup versions, with many of the same exterior and interior design cues.
You’ll notice a familiar look to the hood and body panels between half ton and heavy duty trucks. Engine choices are simplified to include one gas and one turbo diesel motor. The new Gen-IV OHV 6.0-liter V-8, now with variable valve timing, produces 353 horsepower and 373 pound feet of torque. This engine gets the new 6L90 six speed automatic transmission(a stronger version of the Escalade and Yukon Denali 6L80-E). A revised 6.6-liter Duramax turbo diesel V-8 remains the tool of choice for more than 60 percent of heavy duty trucks buyers.
Of course, to meet the new 2007 federal emissions regulations, there’s a sophisticated series of new particulate filters that collect soot and other pollutants. These improvements allow the Duramax to offer a segment-leading 365 horsepower and 660 pound feet of torque, but it’s at a significant cost. The diesel engine has a price tag of $7195. Tack on another $1200 for the mandatory Allison 1000 six speed tranny, retuned to keep the shifts between gears(up and down) smooth yet solid. As you’d expect, the system has a “Tow/Haul” button to hold gears and help with braking when loaded, plus both transmissions offer a “thumb shifter” for manual gear selections.
Almost as impressive as the powertrain, the interiors are upgraded to look identical to those in the smaller half tons. HD interiors have three trim levels (WT, LT, and LTZ), and two dash layouts (Pure American Pickup and Luxury Inspired). Other features include the extended cabs that offer the 170 degree, dual hinge rear doors, and the rear seats (Extended and Crew Cabs) that fold into the seatbacks. HDs will offer three bed sizes, five wheelbases, three cab models, two different suspension packages (including a new Z71 choice in 4×4 or 4×2), single and dual rear wheel options, and pricing starting from $24,575. Made for work, the HDs can carry between 2294 and 5307 pounds, with a max Transcraft trailers capacity of 16,000 pounds (for a fifth wheel). Heavy Duty, indeed.
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