Monthly Archives2016 December

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Spray on bed liners finish the looks of a pickup bed probably better than any other bed coating option. Especially now that the bed liner coating color can match the paint of your pickup. However, bed liners come with several problems. If you’re thinking of getting a spray liner or already have one, here are a few ideas to consider.

Permanent may not always be best. Sure, it’s a plus to get a liner that lasts as long as the truck, especially with a life-time warranty. But that in no ways means you get a liner that can’t be damaged. See, the guarantee just means the liner will be repaired.

Repair means a respray with all the accompanying hassles and time spent. And in the meantime you drive a pickup with a damaged liner and maybe chances of a damaged bed too. The real key to spray liner durability is the thickness of the coating. That means liner material can be torn away and worn away and still the damage may not get to the bed itself.

Another thought you may not want to think about is how that liner gets on the truck. The only way the liner paint will stay on is with proper surface preparation. That means the paint gets sanded very aggressively. It all but gets destroyed before the liner coat goes on. Picture this. You get this new truck with the carefully applied factory paint coating and then you pay this guy to take an air sander and sand the paint almost off. Then you spray a paint coating on over that.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just a painful thought. That’s what it takes to get that “permanent” liner.

Damage to truck beds comes as more than just scratches too. Dents may do more harm than scrapes can really. Dents certainly take more to repair than a few scratches. Dent protection is another way that liners pay for themselves. Spray coatings usually add nearly a full quarter inch to the bed thickness. That coat includes rubber texture material as well as fast hardening paint as well. That thickness absorbs bumps while warding off damage.

For looks a sprayed liner may be unbeatable, but for protection a cheap alternative avoids some of the problems built in with spray.

Cheap rubber mats protect from impact better and are easily removed. With permanent liners, really nasty hauling makes a mess of the bed and you have no choice but to either clean it out or leave it a mess. But with temporary liners, it’s an easy task to slip the mat in or out when you need it or when you don’t.

Another consideration with spray on bed liners arises when you get the price tag. A professional coating costs you big. That’s a real reason to look at other options or at least to carefully protect the liner if you already have one.

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Source by Al Bullington

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In a previous article I discussed the essentials for perimeter security of a secured trailer parking lot or drop yard. However, true perimeter security requires more than a formidable wall between the yard and the outside world. A secured parking lot must also have secure methods of getting in and out of the yard. This article will focus on the security necessary for the ins and outs of any secure drop yard.

When evaluating the security of any drop yard’s entrance points you should start at the physical characteristics of the gate. A secure trailer parking lot’s entrances and exits should be designed so that when they are closed they provide a physical barrier similar to the perimeter fence. Many inferior yards only have a stop sign and if you’re lucky a guard to yell, “stop.” However, such yards cannot be considered secure.

Once you have determined the physical barriers necessary to prevent unauthorized entrance and exit from the yard are present you need to evaluate the controls used by the yard. A secure truck parking lot should at all times, have on-site trained guards to ensure that only authorized entries and exits occur. A simple key fob or numeric pad controlling the gate should never be considered a secure lot. Also, the on-site guard should be controlling the entrance and exits of all pedestrians as well. Essentially no man or machine should be on the yard that is not authorized and has legitimate business being there. Only on-site guards can provide the security standard required to call a drop yard secure.

Having an on-site guard and physical barrier preventing unauthorized entry or exit is not enough for true security. The vehicle and pedestrian entrances and exits must be monitored one hundred percent (100%) by high definition CCTV. The use of high definition CCTV is important, as the system must be able to identify the vehicle or person entering or exiting. Where, remote staff is also monitoring the gate the CCTV must provide enough detail for the plates and trailer numbers to be recognizable for comparison with customer release forms.

The lighting at all entrance or exit gates must support the security of the yard. Therefore, it must provide adequate lighting for the CCTV to identify vehicle plate numbers and to identify facial features of any pedestrians. Nothing can render a sophisticated CCTV system useless like poor lighting. The proper lighting of the gate area not only assists on-site guards but also is crucial for a properly functioning CCTV monitoring system.

All the intimidating gates and high-tech surveillance systems will not prevent theft from a secure yard if the guards are lax. Properly trained on-site guards are crucial and cannot be replaced by fancy equipment. Do not get blindsided by technology and overlook the on-site staff of any yard you are assessing. True the technology may help find the thieves and may assist in recovering some of the stolen cargo, but a secure drop yard should prevent theft. That is the reason any trucking company entrusts its’ equipment and cargo to the yard.

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Source by Dan Otting

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Dump truck design has come a long way since this vehicle was initially developed in the first quarter of the 20th Century. There are a myriad of these vehicles available at dump truck sales with designs to suit various applications. There is one notable design that took this basic vehicle to an entirely new level and it is known as the three-way tipper; it is a unique design innovation that revolutionizes how this equipment is used.

Comparisons

Standard – The standard version consists of a steel box bed mounted at the rear of the cab that is held down by hinges at the rear end of the vehicle’s chassis. The hinges allow the dump bed to be lifted vertically. A single massive hydraulic ram also connects the chassis and the bottom of the bed and provides the force necessary to lift it at a steep angle in order to empty the contents.

While the standard version of this vehicle is effective for unloading anything that has been collected in its bed, it has a few limitations. The dump bed can only unload through its rear end. This means that in most cases, operators will have to back up and maneuver to get the equipment in the right position to unload in the correct spot. Maneuvering the truck takes time and costs money for the extra fuel involved. It can also be a problem when the location for unloading does not have enough space for maneuvering.

Three-Way Tipper – While standard dump trucks can only empty their contents at the rear of the vehicle, the three-way tipper is capable of unloading on three sides. The two are similar in terms of the base frame design, as well as the bed, and they both utilize the same reinforced frame for stability along with a metal box for hauling material.

The feature of the three-way tipper that makes it so unique lies underneath the dump bed. The new design utilizes four hydraulic rams each equipped with a cross joint to permit movement. Raising two of the hydraulic rams situated on the right side of the chassis causes the bed to tilt to its left. In the same manner, if the hydraulic rams on the left side are raised, it will cause the bed to tilt to the right. For it to perform the same function as a standard dump truck, the operator can raise both hydraulic rams situated behind the cab to tilt the bed to its rear.

Advantages of the Three-Way Tipper Design

• Faster Unloading – With the three-way tipper, operators can reduce their unloading time because it eliminates the need to back up, maneuver and position the equipment just to get the contents to land in the right spot.
• Conserves Fuel – Maneuvering the equipment for unloading burns fuel. Because maneuvering is usually not necessary with the new design, it helps conserve fuel.
• Less Space Needed to Unload – Unloading in a tight space is one thing that drivers have problems handling. Backing up and maneuvering in a tight space can be dangerous. With the new design, operators may not necessarily have to back up every time, so there less risk of hitting anything that may be behind the truck.

The three-way tipper is a break from the conventional design of trucks normally sold at dump truck sales. With this new concept comes higher functionality and efficiency. It’s no wonder that with all of these productive new features, more interest is being shown in the three-way tipper dump truck!

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Source by Christopher M. Hunter

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A 70-year-old truck driver was travelling west on I-196 near Grandville, MI, driving a semi-truck carrying pies when his truck crossed the centerline and collided with a 20078 Chevy Tahoe. The truck careened over the edge of an overpass and both vehicles caught fire.

Motorists who stopped at the scene and Grandville police officers helped pull Robert Gortner, 82, from the Tahoe. But his wife, a passenger, was trapped in the vehicle and Robert Osborne, 70, was trapped in his truck. Edna Gortner, 83, of Grand Rapids and Osborn of Macelona both were killed. An elderly passenger in the Tahoe was killed along with the truck driver. That was in September 2009.

About a year earlier in July 2008 a 71-year-old truck driver on I-75 in Michigan slammed into vehicles in the southbound lanes, causing the death of 19-year-old Kara Joan Larivee of Rochester Hills. The 71-year-old driver, already driving at a high rate of speed, failed to react quickly enough to the fact that traffic had come to a standstill because of merging traffic.

The common denominators of both tragedies is that neither accident should have occurred, no one should have been killed, and both truck drivers were 70 or older.

As a personal liability attorney who has grieved with clients over the needless deaths resulting from car-truck accidents, I have argued in the past that truck related deaths can be reduced by paying more attention to highway safety and driver fatigue. In recent months I have become convinced the effort should now involve a three-prong approach – safer roads, less driver fatigue, and a mandatory retirement age for truck drivers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that as many as 4,000 Americans a year are killed in collisions with trucks that have incurred thousands of safety violations, such as defective brakes, bad tires or loads dangerously beyond weight limits. Many of the truck drivers involved had little or no training, many were 65 or older, and many others had a history of alcohol and drug abuse.

Because Michigan does not allow for punitive damages against truck drivers in effect all truckers have immunity against being held accountable. For that reason truckers causing tragic accidents will continue driving even though untrained, continue to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and continue to drive when age slows their reflexes and judgment.

Truck accidents occur because of fatigue, highway design faults, defective equipment, and driver error. Some causes are predictable; others are not. The result is always predictable, though — the shear volume of a truck traveling 40 m.p.h. or faster will always create havoc.

The biggest killer on our highways is fatigue. Federal transportation officials must come up with stricter guidelines to make sure that logbooks are properly kept and that commercial carriers ensure their drivers get the rest they need between trips.

State highway departments throughout the U.S must adopt an aggressive program to widen two-lane highways throughout areas to make high-speed travel safer for all. Law enforcement officials must police our highways to enforce speed limits rather than tolerating drivers traveling 80 m.p.h. or higher.

I became an advocate for reforms to reduce the number of car-truck collisions after representing the family of a 5-year-old boy who was killed when a semi-tractor truck struck from behind a vehicle being driven by his mother.

The minimum reforms I championed then were: paving construction to widen our two-lane highways or at least provide for more left-turn flare lanes increased speed enforcement on two-lane highways stricter enforcement of truck driver’s driving time limits can prevent deaths.

I now add to my call for reform the need to lower the maximum driving age for all truckers to 65. Because we cannot predict with any certainty the age when a driver’s physical and mental reactions begin to slow, then 65 becomes the best standard because at that age the driver can draw Social Security and Medicare in addition to any retirement benefits or 401k investments.

Age 65 also is the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots thanks to a bill signed in February 2007 raising the mandatory retirement age to 65. Going back to the 1960s airline pilots were forced to retire at age 60 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Think about that. A pilot flies his plane in open air, without any other planes within visible sight, is aided by a co-pilot a seat away and by a controller on the ground, and often flies on auto-pilot. Yet even with this redundancy and backup help the FAA for more than half a decade said it was unsafe for a pilot over 60 to continue on the job. Now it’s considered unsafe at age 65.

So why in the world do we allow truckers to continue driving at age 65, 70, 75 even 80? Truck drivers at high speeds every day must make split-second decisions that require extra-ordinary quick reaction times. Common sense, if not physical exams, eye and hearing tests, and stress tests, tells us that a driver age 65-70 is not physically and mentally equipped for this challenge.

If a truck driver makes a mistake it is very hard to correct because of the mass and size of a truck. Most truck drivers are good drivers who drive defensively and are qualified and trained to be good drivers. But only a single driver error in a lifetime of driving can have tragic results. And as that driver nears the end of a career of driving the odds increase dramatically that a fatal mistake will occur.

I cannot rest at peace because I know with certainty that before the year ends someone else will needlessly die somewhere on a highway. I am certain of this because federal officials, state and county governments, and law enforcement won’t take any actions beyond the civil and criminal judgments recorded. None of us should be at peace until certain actions are taken. And these actions are: widening our two-lane highways; adding left-turn flare lanes as needed; stricter enforcement to ensure log books reflect actual driving time and rest time; and establishing a mandatory retirement for truck drivers at age 65.

Join me in this campaign by writing letters to the Federal Transportation Agency, to the governor of your state, and to newspaper and television editors. Increased public awareness will result in the changes that are needed to save thousands of lives. What we say does matter and will count for change.

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Source by Terry Cochran

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High Blood Pressure is a major factor which affects truck drivers health. It can cost them their jobs or prevent them from being hired as truck drivers. It affects the heart, blood vessels, brain, kidneys and eyes. It can cause a heart attack, congestive heart failure or kidney failure. It can prevent a commercial truck driver from obtaining the required medical certification. Drivers must have a Department of Transportation (DOT) Medical Exam and Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) certification. This exam must be conducted by a licensed medical examiner. Drivers cannot work as commercial drivers without this required DOT medical card. DOT medical cards are good for two years unless the driver has a medical condition which requires regular monitoring. High blood pressure is often called hypertension which is the medical term for high blood pressure.

Commercial truck drivers are required to have satisfactory blood pressure levels before they can obtain a Commercial Drivers License (CDL). Additionally, they must have it checked again prior to the expiration of their medical card if they want to renew their license. Blood pressure is considered to be high if it is 140/90. Ideally a truck drivers levels should be 140/90 or less. A driver with levels higher than 149/90 will be granted a temporary medical certification for up to one year. If levels are greater than 180/110 the driver cannot drive until the levels are below 140/90. The medical examiner will be required to certify that the driver is medically able to drive.

Hypertension is often thought to be stress related. Actually, it is a symptom of a physiological imbalance in the body often caused by a biological condition. One common biological cause is a deficiency of potassium. Potassium is a crucial mineral needed by our bodies which is absolutely necessary to the healthy function of nerves, cells and membranes. Potassium is also necessary to restore healthy blood pressure balance in the body. Additionally, potassium has the ability to pump sodium out of the body’s cells and reduce body fluid. When we become deficient in potassium we may get symptoms which will eventually be diagnosed as high blood pressure.

Oftentimes, many truck drivers health suffers due to their reliance on the consumption of the typical food available at most truck stops. Furthermore, many truckers ignore the consequences of their bad food choices. Fortunately, most truck stops offer healthy food options. Simple dietary changes in a truckers diet can make a great difference in their overall health including their blood pressure. Choosing potassium rich foods would be a great addition to a truckers diet.

A higher intake of potassium may help prevent high blood pressure and strokes. Our bodies require twice as much potassium and salt. The Committee on Recommended daily Allowances sets the estimated safe and adequate amount of dietary potassium at levels between 1.9 grams to 5.6 grams. It is easy to increase the amount of potassium in the body with food. Fruit and vegetables contain large levels of potassium. One banana, a cup of spinach or a baked potato eaten daily contains enough potassium for most people. Other good sources of potassium are citrus fruits, raisins, dried apricots, dried dates, dried figs, avocados, acorn squash, cabbage, broccoli, kidney beans and cantaloupe. One baked potato contains 838 milligrams of potassium. A licensed dietitian can help you with proper food choices.

Low levels of potassium can be caused by factors other than diet. Medications such as cortisone, high blood pressure medications (which are diuretics) and birth control pills decrease potassium levels. Diuretics are known to deplete the body of potassium. Alcohol is also a diuretic and its consumption can also decrease potassium levels. Exercise can contribute to low potassium levels because of increased sweating. If you are taking blood pressure medication, be sure to check with your physician prior to significantly increasing your intake of fresh fruits or other high potassium foods. It is very important that you regular monitor your levels and follow your physicians advice relating to treatment.

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Source by Annalee Chambers

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A driver is a person who drives a particular vehicle. This process is known as driving. Professional driving is not easy at all. It is a highly skilled job. Driving a huge truck is always difficult. To be a good truck driver you should have a valid driving license and good driving skills. A cover letter makes you known to the employer. Writing an effective cover letter is very important in this field.

Now, given below is one of the best sample cover letters for the post of a truck driver:

Your Name

Your Address

Your City, State, Zip Code

Date

Employer Name

Company

Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. / Ms. Last Name,

With reference to your advertisement in one of the local newspapers for the want of a Truck driver, I hereby present my job application for the same. I really feel that I am an apt candidate for this post. So, please do consider me for this significant position. I have a valid truck driver’s license.

I have worked as a truck driver for about seven years. I worked on several transportation projects in my previous transportation agency. I always make sure that all my licenses are updated on time so that I am aware of the present necessities. I also think it is essential to keep adding up to my skills and have sustained with specialized expansion throughout my livelihood. I have recently completed the training for driving in various routes, which has helped me grow as a truck driver.

My record as a driver is absolutely clean. I am a safe and sound driver. I very well understand the needs of my customers and furnish them consequently. I have the ability to drive under all circumstances. I can even drive large trucks.

So, if you think that there is mutual consent then please contact me on the numbers given above. I really look forward to meet you in the near future. I have enclosed my resume along with this cover letter for your review.

I express my gratitude for considering me for this post.

Sincerely,

Signature

Typed Name

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Source by Laura Brasnan

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Located an affordable lifted truck for sale? Just what are your shipping options?

A lot of people utilize the Internet to locate trucks for sale. Immediately after they make their purchase, they usually require help getting the lifted truck to a particular place. Utilizing a vehicle shipping business makes buying a cheap lifted truck just about anywhere across the country doable. If perhaps this is something you plan on undertaking, it is essential to understand what shipping choices are offered when shipping lifted trucks across country.

A basic Google search will turn up numerous vehicle shipping businesses to choose from. A great deal of the companies will currently have advertisements that pop up with the search results. Often you can get a special price or offer from these advertisements. This could possibly help save you some money. You also want to look for a business willing to cater to the special requirements required for shipping a lifted truck. Anticipate the vehicle shipping firms to charge extra fees for these accommodations.

Generally vehicle shipping charges will vary based on the type of vehicle transferred, the mileage the vehicle is being transported and how the client desires the vehicle delivered. As a word of warning, you need to be leery of any vehicle transporting firm that offers incredibly low price. Typically shipping quotes ought to be relatively close for the majority of trustworthy vehicle transporting firms. It typically is the customer support, scheduling, etc. that will end up distancing the firms.

Generally there are two primary methods you can get ones truck transported across the country. You may well have your lifted truck hauled upon a carrier or have it literally driven to the destination.

When somebody drives your truck to the desired destination, you can count on it becoming more costly. The firm will bill you by the mile for this and the expense of gas, insurance coverage and other misc. fees will be added in. There are essentially to options for this based on the firm you use. Delivery service may be door to door or the truck is dropped off and picked up at a terminal. Typically you will get a more affordable price utilizing the terminal option.

Whenever you get the truck hauled on a carrier, you can have also delivered to the place you want or it may be taken to a terminal, too. The terminal drop off will be the more affordable of the two options. With this option, fuel and other fees are included in the total cost. You will receive both your quote and be billed by the mile for this.

Whenever you are seeking to purchase a truck, do not rule out purchasing it from owner that may well be across country if the selling price is right. Just remember you need to add it the transport costs when looking at affordable trucks for sale.

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Source by Jason Wilkey

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A lifting truck is very much like a forklift, but there is a small difference. This kind of vehicle is like a small forklift, designed for small aisles. They are usually electric powered and are named reach trucks because the forks extend to reach a load. Having a lifting truck in your warehouse or facility can increase your work efficiency and overall warehouse performance. Apart from this, there are many more other benefits you should consider when purchasing a lifting machine. I recommend you speak to a dealer or manufacturer about the benefits a reach truck can add to your business. One of the many benefits of owning an electric powered lift vehicle is that it costs way less to maintain than other types of forklifts. This is because they do no contain as many moving parts and do not need any type of fuel. They cost less to operate on per hour compared to a diesel or petrol powered forklift.

However, not everyone can afford to buy all the machinery and equipment they would need to run business. Not every business is as successful. Luckily, there are things like truck hiring companies. Truck hiring companies enable smaller businesses that use heavy machinery and equipment like reach trucks. Reach truck hire have become extremely popular and small businesses find this type of service very helpful. Companies that might only use reach trucks every now and then for small, irregular projects also find reach truck hire companies useful.

One distinctive difference between regular forklifts and reach trucks is that reach trucks have the ability to lift pallets in a vertical fashion. This is especially helpful if you have a warehouse that utilizes high storage racks that might be difficult to reach.

Forklifts and lifting trucks are used for a number of different reasons, as we know. They are a critical element to warehouses and distribution centers, so much so that the warehouse efficiency and overall performance of the business would be noticeably decreased if without one. Obviously, like with most vehicles and heavy machinery, a forklift or lift truck driver would need to have a license to be able to operate these machines. Often times, drivers of these machines will have to be guided into the warehouse or factory through guide rails laid out on the floor.

Forklifts, lifting trucks and any other type heavy machinery often come with a nameplate that indicates, amongst others, the weight the machines are able to handle: normally between one and five tons. Larger machines that have up to fifty ton loading capacity are used to load larger objects, like shipping containers. The information located on the nameplate is extremely important and should never be ignored or removed: loads must not exceed these limits, as it can be extremely dangerous. In many jurisdictions, it is illegal to remove or tamper with the nameplate without permission from the machine’s manufacturer.

Forklifts and lift trucks are essential equipment in some industries. If your company is too small to be able to afford these machines, forklift and reach truck hire might be the answer.

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Source by Greg Mingea

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Truck drivers have a demanding job that sometimes makes getting good quality sleep hard. Sleep disorders in truck drivers are very common. They have many of the risk factors associated with sleep disorders including driving long distances, alone, and often at night. Long monotonous roads combined with fatigue can be dangerous for the driver and everyone else on the road. The three groups that are at most risk for sleep disorders are drivers, shift workers, and teenagers.

Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome affect many drivers. Each can cause extreme fatigue and that is not a good combination with driving. Driving while drowsy can be very dangerous. Approximately seventy-one percent of truck accidents are caused by sleep apnea and they are six times more at risk for an accident. They can become tired, began to swerve, and eventually lose control of their vehicle. Driving a large commercial vehicle requires precision. Drivers must be alert at all times and have a quick reaction time if problems occur with the vehicle or on the road.

Sleep apnea is a very common disorder among truckers. This condition occurs when the airway between the nose and lungs becomes partially or completely blocked during sleep. A person experiencing this disorder will wake many times gasping for air and this prevents them from getting adequate sleep cycles. They will wake up still very fatigued and will not remember the episodes that occurred. Because of this, sleep apnea is often left untreated and can become a serious health risk for many people.

Restless leg syndrome results from the body not producing enough dopamine which affects reflexes. It can be caused by other medical conditions or be inherited. Things such as daytime tiredness, hypertension, depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and substance abuse can be linked with this condition. Someone experiencing restless leg syndrome will have difficulty falling asleep due to a constant urge to move their legs or arms that gets worse at night and during sleep. The uncomfortable feeling can be temporarily relieved by moving around.

Demanding driving schedules and other existing sleep disorders can bring on insomnia. Psychological reasons include anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder makes a person more susceptible to insomnia. Treatment may require medical intervention, behavioral therapy, and psychological therapy. Other disorders need to be treated in order to remove all causes and cure the condition.

If you are a driver who is experiencing sleep problems, it is time to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Fatigue due to a sleep disorder can cause you to drive drowsy, not be as alert, and have a much slower reaction time. These are not good qualities when driving any vehicle. Many trucking accidents are caused by sleep disorders and can be fatal to the driver as well as everyone around them. Even if you are just a little tired during the day, it doesn’t hurt to be evaluated for a sleeping disorder. Early diagnosis will prevent other illnesses and help ensure that you reach your destination and return home safely every time.

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Source by Joe LoPiccolo

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Next year Volvo Group is going to celebrate its anniversary. Needless to say, the history of the remarkable company abounds in noteworthy events. It has been many years since Volvo produced its first heavy-duty diesel truck. So, let’s trace the evolution of long-haul offers from the world’s second largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer.

Early 1940’s – The turning point for Volvo engines

1946 was a milestone year in the history of Volvo heavy-duty trucks. Until that time, the company had been concentrating on Hesselman engines (though the diesel motor was already far superior). The reason was that one of the co-founders of Volvo, Gustaf Larson, was a fellow engineering student of Jonas Hesselman, whose creation required lower development costs. But, eventually, the call of the market and the drive for progressive change did its part and Volvo started to implement diesel engines of the pre-combustion type in the new L29 C (‘Civilian’) and the L29 V (‘Road Administration vehicle’).

Volvo Vikings’ era

One of the most remarkable triumphs for Volvo Trucks was gained by the Viking series. The company explains the success of the series by its symbolic character. Firstly, it’s about ‘V’ letter that initiates both the brand and the model name. Secondly, it reflects the genuine ‘Scandinavian’ origin that is so typical for both the ancient Vikings and Volvo vehicles.

The Viking L38 and the upgraded L48 models were significant for the 7-litre direct-injection engine and the choice between 2 or 3 axle versions (frequently featuring all-wheel-drive system).

The Titan’s fame

The Titan is another emphatic name in truck history. Its designers were among the pioneers to make a breakthrough in engine technology. Later on they presented the L39 (followed by L49) with a turbodiesel that boosted the engine output from 150 to 185 bhp. In the following decade the truck also received such outstanding features as the air-operated brake system, the power steering and the Volvo Safety Cab. Up to now, these units have been part and parcel of Volvo trucks.

The story about the Titan range would be incomplete without praising the Titan TIPTOP/F88 that became the first Volvo F-type (forward control/cab-over) truck to have unprecedented success worldwide.

New Era – Truly global Volvo trucks

Despite the overseas attention to some of the F-trucks, American and Australian markets have always given top priority to the N-type (conventional) trucks. For such areas Volvo offered the N10/12 and NL10/12 series. And these offers were met with enthusiasm, especially in Brazil. The wide acceptance was gained due to extremely good adhesion to the ground, which provided impressive cross-country mobility. Besides, in case of the toughest off-road conditions, the N family included all-wheel-drive versions.

The Present – One great family, thousands of versions

The most popular Volvo trucks at the present belong to the FH family. Taking into account the supreme international recognition of Volvo FH12/16, it could be fairly right to understand the abbreviation ‘FH’ as ‘Fantastic History’. However, the genuine meaning is ‘Forward control High entry’ (the numbers after the letters stand for engine capacity in litres).

The FH was preceded by the F-series, prominent for being equipped with either of two new automatic transmission systems: the Powertronic and the Geartronic, designed by Volvo in 80s. This heritage was intensified by such FH innovations as the patented Volvo Engine Brake (VEB), a driver airbag in a truck (for the first used in 1995) and, for sure, the powerful engine with the output from 420 and 540 hp (the FH12) to 750 hp (the FH16).

No wonder, that by this time, FH series already received three ‘Truck of the Year’ awards for the whole time. And there is a strong belief that the best conclusion to this story should be something like “best achievements are still to come”

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Source by Eugene Kell