Sources indicate that at present plans include the building of a new West Coast facility, sometime in the future, just when is of course the question. A second facility could be built on the East Coast, if sources are correct, which is going to give Smith Electric Vehicles a presence nation wide. There hasn’t been any mention as of yet where the other three possible factories could be located in the United States, but we are sure Smith Electric Vehicles is probably looking at possible sites. The work building and getting the possible five new factories up and running for Smith Electric Vehicles is supposed to be up and running by the end of 2011, according to the company. This does appear to be a rather tight timetable, but it could be that the plans of Smith Electric Vehicles are a little further down the road to completion, than the company is letting on at the present moment?

A new trucking manufacturer, Wink Trailer, showed up for the Louisville show two lightweight end-dump semi-trailers composed of plastic and aluminum. The ‘Innovator’ is a half-round model and ‘Revolutionizer’ a flat-side model that both use aluminum frames with polyethylene plastic sheeting to reduce the overall weight and cost when compared to all-aluminum units. Wink Trailer indicated that the plastic used in the construction of their new lightweight end-dump semi-trailers has a very high-molecular-weight (UHMW) similar to the materials used in dump liners to reduce freezing and sticking of loads. That the typical 39-foot half-round trailer, like the companies square-profile Revolutionizer trailer, weights almost 1,000 pounds less than an all aluminum trailer and uses UHMW plastic on its sides and bottom surface.

East Manufacturing also showed up for the Louisville show with a newly designed aluminum dump trailer with flat sides and a half-round bottom that they were showing off. The funny thing is, they haven’t given their new trailer a name, just yet, but it does sit about seven inches lower than a standard half-round transport vehicle. East Manufacturing says this gives the unit a lower center of gravity and increased stability during the dumping phase of the transport and while the truck is running down the road to destination. The flat sides of their new dump trailer are formed of welded aluminum box sections from East Genesis design that are suppose to add strength and rigidity to the trailer. East Manufacturing still has a bit of testing to do on the new design to make sure it’s as strong as advertised and they plan to start production this summer, if everything goes as planned.

One aspect of freight truck maintenance that professional drivers need to pay attention to is the suspension of their transport vehicle, which if it isn’t working properly is going to work against you and cause problems, like tires that wear quicker, springs that break during transport, and reduced fuel economy. This can occur when the components of a truck suspension work become loose after hours of continual use, so regular maintenance intervals based on total road hours is often a good way to go. Making sure you have the suspension of your heavy haul transport vehicle checked regularly is therefore going to make sure the suspension stays tight during transport and possibly save you time and money.

Long haul drivers should do visual inspections every three to six months and retorques at least once a year, but doing this more often sure isn’t going to hurt and it could prevent problems that are going to be expensive and possibly time consuming to fix. You can’t always tell when a fasterner is coming loose, so watch for trails of rust running down from the fastener, or for gaps and breaks in the paint around the fastener.

This is great news for roro freight shippers and every trucking company that ships freight in the United States of America in tankers or rail cars. The delays in implementation of this new rule are probably a good thing, especially considering the need to put methods in place to quantify the amount of liquid freight left in a tanker or rail car and more it should be recorded. Sources indicate that once implementation of this new rule takes place they’ll have a system in place that scans using harmless radiation of some sort, which should make the process fast, efficient, and reliable.

The amount of liquid freight can often seem rather small to worry about for some observers, but even a small amount of hazardous liquid can be deadly to safety and security officers and freight shipping professionals in the United States. This new rule is going to save lives in the long run and make the business of transporting liquid freight in the United States and North America safer for all involved and this is the best part of this news.

The main upper-front and rear goosenecks with the 75-Ton Double Schnabel Trailer are in a standard HRG configuration and style and pinned in place on a column-style hydraulic Schnabel tower. In addition, the lower rear of the tower is equipped with two remobable banana-style flange adapter plates for two tower sections and all units have mechanical and remote rear steer ability included. Talbert Manufacturing believes that when compared to conventional trailers the Double Schnabel Trailer provides enhanced safety and stability during transport due to a wider interface area for the load at the top than conventional units. That the upper Talbert power tower of this new unit is able to minimize rolling of the tower section during transport due to its removable and adjustable upper guide tubes and the fact that the operator doesn’t have to climb on the unit to engage lock pins is an added feature that transport professionals will enjoy.

The news that Talbert Manufacturing has a new 75-Ton Double Schnabel Trailer to help long haul specialists that need to transport wind energy components and heavy haul construction equipment in the days ahead is great news for the freight shipping industry of the United States. We’ll have to wait and see what heavy haul professionals in the United States think about this new specialized transport vehicle, before we can really say anything absolute. Still, with the growing wind energy sector in the United States, this new specialized transport for the wind energy industry is going to come in handy in the years ahead in the century of the environment, and it should be seen more and more on the transport roads of America.

Volvo Trucks North America has been executing their EPA 2010 project, lately, and it appears that they are having some success in this regard. Sources around the roro and ltl freight shipping industry indicates that drivers are providing positive feedback on the performance, reliability and fuel efficiency of Volvo D11, D13, and D16 engines, which are the engines Volvo Trucks North America uses in its Class 8 trucks. More great news for Volvo Trucks North America as it goes forward down the road to the future and hopefully just a sign of great things to come for Volvo Group and the business of freight shipping in the United States of America. Volvo Trucks North America will only be using this milestone as a milemarker on the road before them though and they certainly will be looking to use this news to create a good feeling around the office and try to vault them to greater truck manufacturing heights in the days ahead in the century of the environment in America.

The 2002 Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) results assigned the critical reason to large trucks in 55 percent of the crashes studied and to driver errors in 87 percent of the cases. The 2005 Drowsy Driver Warning System Field Operational Test (DDWS FOT) results assigned the critical reason to large trucks in 71 percent of safety-critical events and to driver errors in 57.9 percent of safety-critical events.

The FMCSA is so concerned about the need to help the roro and ltl freight trucking company drivers of the United States of American pinpoint possible driver related errors that might be occurring on the roads of the country that it has started a web-based driver tips project designed to help drivers possibly correct the errors occurring on the transport highways. Designed to raise driver awareness of the common driver errors occurring on the roads of America and to provide helpful driving tips through an easy to access internet site, this project is a great idea. The site is useful for trucking safety managers and the driver training programs they have in place and it provides tips on preventative measures that drivers can implement in order to avoid crashes. They have video tips for drivers to watch that illustrate the points they want to make and each video is followed by questions designed to make drivers think about safety when on the roads of America.

Sources around the roro and ltl freight shipping industry report that Internet Truckstop currently serves about 140,000 customers across the continent, markets about 16 products with which it serves the needs of the long haul industry of the United States of America. That since its beginning in 1995 Internet Truckstop has spun-off six additional business and is currently actively involved in the local community of New Plymouth, Idaho through its association with various government and community entities, and is the biggest Internet based freight matching service in the freight shipping industry of America. Not to bad for a humble company that was founded on family values, honorable ethics and teamwork.

The scope of the depth of planning that went into this caper in Enfield that this wasn’t a random crime and the culprits took the time to organize this well orchestrated crime. This speaks of individuals who are professional and determined and it might be difficult to retrieve the stolen pharmaceuticals, since the thieves managed to get away. The next time a patient sees these pharmaceuticals they might be in the hands of black marketeers or possible online pharmacies, since getting rid of pharmaceuticals through the tightly controlled and monitored American pharmaceutical distribution system is going to be difficult, according to sources in the police forces of the United States tasked with finding these stolen drugs. Hopefully, the thieves make somekind of mistake in the days ahead that leads police to them, otherwise it could be the stolen pharmeceuticals in question are gone and never to be seen again?

Reports indicate that this legal battle started back in 2006, when the local businessman in question sued Redflex Traffic Systems, the Arizona company that runs the automated red light cameras in question in about 21 states around America, and Sioux Falls over the way the red light cameras are implemented. The latest ruling by the cours could be setting the stage for a legal battle that according to many in the heavy haul industry of the United States and South Dakota could ultimately force a change in the way the automated red light cameras are used or even make it possible for Redflex Traffic Systems to begin installing their automated red light cameras in more states in the United States in the years ahead in the century of the environment. Sources also indicate that Redflex Traffic Systems has a history of being aggressive in its implementation of its automated red light cameras around the United States and we can probably expect them to continue this strategy in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The use of automated red light cameras on the transport roads used by trucking company transports as they move around the United States is going to be applauded by some considering claims that the use of automated red light cameras has reduced the total number of fatalities on the roads where they’re used and the volume of red light violations by as much as 33 percent. The legal battle occurring in Sioux City, South Dakota is going to be a major factor in helping to determine whether or not Redflex Traffic System’s automated red light cameras will be installed on more roads in the United States of America in the years ahead. The final outcome at this point is still in doubt, but advocates of both sides of this growing debate are obviously preparing to do battle?