June 1, 2009
Editor's Page
Increasing truck weight & length: Is bigger better?
The campaign to increase truck weight and length continues to gather speed. Last month, the Volvo Group held an environmental summit in Boston for fleet...
Cover Story
Alternative Fuel Vehicles: Fleets & Funds
Fleets hoping to identify and apply for some of the numerous financial incentives available for purchasing alternative fuel vehicles may feel a little...
Vehicle Graphics Awards
Road show: Vehicle Graphics Awards
There's no time like now for companies to promote their wares by every affordable means possible. And for our money, nothing pays bigger dividends than...
Editor's Choice: The New Bakery Co. of Ohio
The waving wheat sure looks sweet, especially when the graphics flow over the cab. The fleet, which runs 80 trailers and 60 tractors, has so far given...
Smith Dairy Products
The cows are not coming home anytime soon, not if the Smith Dairy fleet has anything to do with it. Fleet manager Chuck Diehl says the high-impact graphics...
Racetrac Petroleum
Gas 'n go takes on a compelling new meaning come on in and have a bite to eat! when this RaceTrac Petroleum rig rolls by. The fast and fresh graphic design...
Naturally Fresh
When your company's name is Naturally Fresh, then naturally you should want your truck fleet's look to scream This design, deployed over five trailers,...
NBTY Inc.: Met-RX Protein Plus
Talk about packing a punch. This graphic loudly proclaims the power throbbing in a protein bar by showing it must be contained lest it burst right out...
Clark Material Handling
It's a wrap with this clever and eye-grabbing design for a full-size van that uses color to boldly integrate the rear doors with the rest of the vehicle....
MillerCoors
Get your beer here! is what this bold, splashy design promoting Miller Chill which is promoted as a light beer with lime shouts out to thirsty passersby....
Moe's Southwest Grill
This growing restaurant franchise operation came up with this mouth-watering graphic treatment to help its franchisees build awareness for their catering...
Aunt Millie's Bakeries
You could just about smell the freshly baked bread if you come upon any of the 50 Aunt Millie's tractor-trailers adorned with this old-fashioned but so...
Carithers-Wallace-Courtenay (CWC)
Appearing so far on seven of the fleet's fifteen straight trucks, this crisp, modern graphic design was implemented in concert with the issuance of a...
Market Day
An operation that specializes in educational fundraising wisely came up with this simple but powerful design to quickly communicate what it's all about...
Management
Under the radar no more
For many years, the issue of cargo theft flew under the radar in the trucking industry. For many reasons most of them quite obvious and understandable...
User friendly or a headache?
Many people, when evaluating technology in their everyday lives, ask the question, Does this make my life any easier? The obvious answer is yes, whether...
Growth from within
It's more than just another convenience store or fuel stop. Founded in 1958 by Chester Cadieux, QuikTrip strives to be the best gasoline, convenience...
The pleasures of business
A buddy of mine is really into LinkedIn, which is like Facebook for the business set. He spent hours tracking down old colleagues. He answers questions...
Banking on a recovery
Recent revelations concerning the shortfall in funds that banks should have on hand to cover outstanding loans gives further worry that banks won't be...
The NPTC Newsletter
NATIONAL PRIVATE TRUCK COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
NPTC 2009 PLAYS TO RAVE REVIEWS By any measure, the NPTC 2009 Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition in Cincinnati was an outstanding success....
Equipment: Maintenance Bay
Part procurement
Manager: Jaime Roberts Title: Maintenance manager Fleet: Stafford Transport, Mableton, GA Operation: Refuse hauler using 88 tractors and 266 trailers...
Equipment: Tire Tracks
Wheel-end safety
I t's a shame that the average motorist still thinks retreads are the cause of roadside tire debris despite the fact that every credible study has proven...
Equipement: Hardware Report
what's new in: Onboard scales
Not using an onboard scale yet? What are you waiting for? There are a variety of truck scale systems available on the market to fit the needs and budgets...
Equipment: Vocational Profile
Furniture transportation: Coverage is key
The Furniture Transport Group (FTG) has been growing, through good economic times and bad, ever since company president David E. Brenner founded it as...
IT: Fleets Online
Unlocking Gridlock
Stay or go? Grind it out at 5 mph and hope the traffic clears soon, or jump off the exit and hope the peripheral roads are clear? It's a gamble in an...
Fleets Online
COMPANY: RT&T Enterprises East Dubuque, IL OPERATION: Fifteen-year-old family-owned truckload carrier providing dry-van service throughout the continental...
The Last Word
Wave of the future: show-stopping truck
Many truckers judge aerodynamically sculpted Class 8 tractors as not being cool-looking enough let alone capable of the customization typical of long-nose...
Book delivers positive message
Written and illustrated by Kyle Rose and Allan Rae, two employees at Navistar's Springfield, OH, plant, Brutus The Big Red Truck is a children's book...
Aftermarket supplier competes down under
It's not every day that an aftermarket supplier gets invited to compete in a build off competition and it's even rarer if the competition is overseas....
Articles
Green Fleet of the Month:AAFES
Despite being one of America's larger private fleets, it's quite possible you've never heard of AAFES. And that's just fine with them, because their customers...
Hurdling the acronym barrier
One of the first challenges anyone interested in funding opportunities must face is the acronym barrier, or, more aptly, the AB. Here is a short list...
Waiting to Dig Out
The numbers, to put it plainly, are pretty grim for the construction industry. Despite a 0.3% increase in nonresidential construction spending for March...
Traffic data sources
While you may not be ready for a nonstop stream of real-time traffic data, that doesn't mean you can't take a few steps in that direction. While not as...
Small Business Review
The key to retaining that team of super truckers to haul your customers' freight is honest communication. The biggest complaint many truckers have is...
A surprising win: Amy Daley is top CTP grad
One wouldn't think volleyball would provide much aid in navigating the ultra-grueling Certified Transportation Professional (CTP) course conducted by...
