Van order pays tribute to American spirit
Great Dane Trailers announced a new exclusive partnership between its authorized dealer, Trudell Trailers of Milwaukee WI, and Millis Transfer Inc of Black River Falls WI. The venture provides for production and delivery of 1,776 P-Series freight vans over the next 60 months.
This particular quantity of trailers and a special patriotic graphic were chosen by Millis to honor the year the United States declared independence and to symbolize the company's support for American ideals and spirit.
A part of the trucking industry more than 50 years, Millis has been privately held and family-owned for four generations. Mainly leveraged in the beverage and bottle industry, it owns 2,100 trailers, most of which are Great Danes. Millis has teamed with Trudell to replace its van fleet.
This order will deliver more than 25 trailers per month throughout the length of agreement and consists exclusively of P-Series dry freight vans.
Besides the traditional red, white, and blue Millis marks, all of the trailers in the order will receive a red, white, and blue logo inspired by the American flag.
Grote Industries teams up with Panelite
Grote Industries now offers an expanded range of vehicle lighting products thanks to recently joining forces with Panelite, a manufacturer of decorative stainless and chrome accessories for the Class 8 truck market.
The distribution deal between the two family-owned companies allows Grote to manufacture and sell Panelite products through their extended distributors that currently sell Grote products. For more information, phone 800-457-9540 or visit the web site at www.grote.com.
Permalite uses less power, handles extreme conditions
Permalite, a fluorescent dome trailer lamp developed by Phillips Industries, features an efficient ballast circuit that pulls fewer start-up amps and uses fewer operating volts.
Repair costs are further reduced because the low-profile, impact-resistant polycarbonate housing, unbreakable lens, and stainless steel fasteners protect the unit from extreme conditions and trailer loading and cargo damage.
Phillips has addressed many safety issues with the Permalite. The lower-demand ballast circuit means a trailer can run up to six lamps, each with a 24-watt, 12,000-hour fluorescent bulb, increasing visibility for shipping and receiving personnel. Permalite fits in most standard refrigerated trailers.
For more details, contact Phillips, 12012 Burke St, Santa Fe Springs CA 90670.
Sloan develops gladhand, delivers it to FedEx
A combination swing-away/shutoff gladhand has been developed for FedEx by Sloan Transportation Products. This patent-pending new gladhand solves a number of problems, and is being installed on 2004 FedEx production trailers.
The product includes an integral shut-off valve that prevents contaminants from entering the air delivery system. Polyurethane gaskets ensure a positive seal, and the 45° angle simplifies coupling and uncoupling. Sloan engineered this gladhand as a single unit with fewer components, which decreases wear and increases durability. Drivers will no longer need to use a dummy coupler to seal the gladhand.
Wastequip has new mounting procedure
Wastequip Accurate announces a new factory mounting procedure for its roll-off hoists that results in higher hoist performance and less maintenance. This new permanent, vibration-resistant clamp system replaces conventional nut and bolt attachments, eliminating periodic inspection and retightening.
The new mounting procedure is used on all hoists factory mounted at Wastequip Accurate's New Jersey facility with plans to convert its Louisiana plant to the new system soon.
A Huck original Grade 8 fastener, HP8; PowerBolt, and Huck-Fit fastening system are used to achieve an efficient, tamper-resistant installation and permanent attachment.
Bulitex refrigerated trailer panels patented
Ambridge PA-based US Liner Co, a division of American Made LLC, has been issued a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its Bulitex refrigerated trailer panels. The issuance is Patent #6,743,742 and was granted June 1, 2004.
Bulitex refrigerated trailer panels are engineered using a multi-layered, woven fiber thermoplastic composite. Special components within the panel include a fabric backing that ensures mechanical adhesion to the Bulitex panel by the foam insulation, creating a stronger bond than traditional FRPs, without use of screws or adhesives.
For further information about Bulitex, phone 800-875-4637.
Bendix enforces patent, trademark rights
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC successfully enforced its intellectual property and trademark rights in a recently settled infringement lawsuit against Midwest Truck & Auto Parts and its heavy-duty distribution division, World American Parts.
While specific terms of the settlement are not disclosed, Midwest will cease selling copies of Bendix-patented products and will make changes to product catalogs, literature and packaging to correct misuse of Bendix trademarks such as the AD-9 air dryer and the MV-3 dash valve.
Bendix claimed in the lawsuit that Midwest sold heavy-duty commercial vehicle air brake components in the United States that infringed on a number of Bendix patents and that Midwest improperly used Bendix trademarks. The suit further alleged that Midwest's improper use of Bendix trademarks in its literature and product catalogs was likely to cause confusion among purchasers.
Truck pays tribute to 9-11's victims, heroes
Inspired by country singer Darryl Worley's song, “Have You Forgotten,” John and Amy Holmgren have created the Rolling Memorial Show Truck to honor victims and heroes of the September 11 attacks on America.
As owner-operators, the Holmgrens decided a Show Truck that traveled the nation could be a valuable reminder of that fateful day and a powerful fund-raiser to help the relatives of September 11 victims achieve educational goals.
With the help of friends, the Holmgrens designed murals to cover their tractor and trailer. The 1999 Freightliner Century tractor features a large mural of a New York City police officer embracing a young child on the driver side and three firemen raising the flag on the hood. The passenger side will feature a scene of firemen covered in dust. In addition, the tractor will list all firemen, NYC police officers, and transit authority members who lost their lives.
One side of the 1998 53-foot Utility trailer with Thermo King SB-III Max + refrigeration unit features the American flag, the World Trade Center towers, and the Statue of Liberty. Half of the September 11 victims' names — including the airline flights involved — are listed as well. The remaining half of the victim's names will be listed on the other side, along with Pennsylvania and Pentagon airplane graphics. The rear of the trailer features the Pentagon and the victims from that attack.
The entire mural project is estimated at $40,000. To raise money, the Holmgrens have participated in various community events as they travel, selling T-shirts and accepting donations. The money is being used to put the finishing touches on the truck and trailer graphics and to help develop and grow the Have You Forgotten Memorial Fund.
Wheels Inc application simplifies upfitting
Wheels Inc is offering its truck upfitting application, which allows commercial fleet managers to add equipment options and other special features when ordering vehicles online.
This upfitting tool is a new component of FleetView, Wheels' online fleet management tool that allows fleet managers to accomplish tasks online, ranging from analyzing expenses to reviewing maintenance records and examining driver profiles. The upfitting application allows fleet managers to customize their commercial vehicles by choosing a single equipment package or groups of packages unique to their fleet, including equipment such as decals, toolboxes, ladder racks, van interiors, and service bodies.
Wheels' new upfitting application:
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Eliminates the need to create new templates for each vehicle/equipment option combination.
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Includes new screens that list upfitting options for a particular vehicle.
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Allows users to select stand-alone components or component groups unique to them.
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Includes detailed information on equipment.
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Helps ensure accuracy of orders.
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Significantly decreases the order cycle.
Mini Pro can accommodate 300-lb capacities
Pandjiris' new Mini Pro tabletop welding positioner is suitable for applications needing a small, sturdy, and versatile positioner. This 300-lb-capacity unit has a motorized variable-speed rotation with a forward-reverse switch, speed potentiometer, and dynamic braking.
Rotation speed is variable from .37 to 13 rpm. The pinned tilt range is from 0 to 90° with pinned 15° increments. An 8"-diameter three-jaw chuck and 300 amp welding ground are standard. The 2.5" spindle through hole provides additional flexibility. All wiring conforms to National Electrical Code Standards. The positioner operates on 115-volt, single-phase, 60-cycle input power. The unit also includes an on/off foot switch.
Contact Pandjiris, 5151 Northrup Ave, St Louis MO 63110 for further information.
Tag axle designed for 6×2 configurations
Dana Corp's Commercial Vehicle Systems Division has introduced a new patent-pending tag axle specifically designed for 6×2 vehicle configurations requiring reduced weight in a variety of heavy-duty truck applications.
Weighing 255 pounds, the Dana Spicer tag axle features the same external geometry as a standard drive axle to enable the use of conventional torque rod brackets and axle seats that are compatible with air-ride suspension systems. This is achieved without adding the complexity, cost, and weight associated with common tag axle configurations.
According to Patxi Garcia, engineering supervisor for Dana, the new tag axle provides operators with one of the lightest 6×2 packages in the commercial vehicle industry when specified with a Dana Spicer 23,000-lb or 21,000-lb GAWR single-reduction, single-drive axle.
Designated as axle model number R22BS and rated up to 22,000 pounds, the tag axle housing profile and box size are common with the Dana Spicer DS404 tandem drive axle for 6×4 configurations. The R22BS also includes standard R series spindles, which are compatible with standard truck wheel-ends or Dana Spicer LMS hubs.
For more information, contact Roadranger Marketing, PO Box 4013, Kalamazoo MI 49003.
Put catalogs on fast track with e-Publisher
SA Gear, a manufacturer and supplier of timing components, can now update and produce catalogs faster, thanks to the e-Publisher catalog management system from Vertical Development Inc (VDI). The firm also can export files mapped to Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) vehicle standards for electronic data exchange.
Since SA Gear had not published a catalog for several years, electronic data was not available for VDI to load into its system. To solve the problem, VDI helped SA Gear create its first catalog database. Information for the 176-page catalog was compiled manually by a single product manager, resulting in a single relational database consisting of more than 2,000 part numbers with thousands of applications.
E-Publisher's mapping process also allows SA Gear to export files that meet industry standard formats, including AAIA, Activant Solutions (CCI/Triad), and other retailer-specific formats. To find out more about systems and services from VDI, phone 847-608-9142, or e-mail [email protected].
BoaGrip lets one person tote gas cylinders
Safe Shop Tools has unleashed the BoaGrip gas cylinder sling, an adjustable tool for gripping, carrying, and suspending compressed-gas cylinders. The BoaGrip solves handling problems with a design that also complies with OSHA ruling 1910-102(a) for safe handling of compressed-gas cylinders.
This new tool is basically a nylon sling with a sewn eye at one end and an oblong steel ring at the other; the sewn eye fits through the ring to form a lasso. The difference is on the sling's inner surface, lined with polymer grippers, each permanently bonded through a proprietary process.
When the tool is slipped over a cylinder and pulled taught, the polymer grippers are forced onto the cylinder surface, holding it tight and allowing it to be lifted onto devices such as welding or cylinder carts. An extension bar on the tool's steel ring prevents the sling from binding or bunching when it is pulled.
Typically, a worker can grasp the cylinder cap with one hand and use the other hand to hold the BoaGrip, which becomes a portable handle. The BoaGrip adjusts to accommodate cylinders from 4" to 15" in diameter.
For complete details, contact Safe Shop, PO Box 4206, Missoula MT 59806.