Be Logistics
Trucks, Lorries and Vans – A Look at their Importance
DREAM TRUCKS
In this day and age, truck makers realise that safety comes first – this has become their first priority.Manufacturers have made huge efforts to ensure driver and employee safety when behind the wheel of any of their trucks.Advances in technology mean that truck manufacturers have been able to create machines which are not only fast and reliable, but which can cope with the most hostile of terrains remaining ultimately safe to drive. This particular sector of the automotive industry is itself a well-oiled machine worth taking the time to find out a little more about.
The World Is Changing Fast
Whether you are a produce or hi-tech goods supplier, global raw material distributor, a manufacturer of any sort or a factory owner in Naples, you will almost without doubt be reliant on the trucking industry. Your company may find itself in need of tipper trucks, curtain side, flat bed trucks, graders, diggers, tippers or perhaps even just the tractor unit on its own. Basically, without trucks, practically all global enterprise could grind to a halt. The demand for commercial trucking will not die as long as there are countries, companies and people who are striving to improve the surroundings and circumstances in which they live. In fact, the need for trucks has been growing consistently during the past decade. During the recession, demand fell for new truck orders due to obvious financial constraints, but the economy as a whole still relied on the use of trucks. This will always be the case. Eastern, African and South American truck markets are growing steadily and this is a wonderful opportunity for truck construction companies to expand their share of this newer market.
Different Size Types of Trucks Available
There are many different types of trucks and not everyone may be aware of just how many variations of truck the manufacturers have to offer, especially small or medium size business owners who rely on the global Logistics market every bit as much as the international construction and mining companies do. Truck makers categorise trucks by their weight-carrying capacities. Trucks in the US are categorised into eight weight classes, ranging from the lightest at class one up the scale to class eight. An example just to put some perspective on this: a Dodge Ram 3500 would fall in a class 2 while the Ford F-350 falls under class 3. A GM C4500 falls under class 4, while the Ford F-550 is categorised class 5. Trucks which are bigger than, say, a GM8500 or a Ford F750, would most likely fall into a class eight.
At the business end of the truck we have the tractor unit. This is the bit which not only houses the engine and gearbox, but is also the cab of the truck and it has to pull the trailer as well! Usually purpose-built, the tractor is generally ordered separately from the trailer. As with trailers, there are many different types of tractor; each built for a specific purpose. Trailer manufacture is just as big an industry sector as that of the truck tractor itself. To give you an idea of the differences between types of truck the categories are as follows:
Light Duty Trucks – These trucks provide a lower capacity of storage. These types of truck perform basic utility functions and mostly transport everyday household goods a relatively small distance.They deliver the things we need to build, improve and furnish our homes. Imagine what would happen if these trucks did not exist and we did not have all these products that we probably take for granted available to us!
Main Models– These trucks are service trucks, dump trucks, flatbed trucks and the pickup trucks.The medium trucks are a quick way of transporting some lighter high volume goods. Medium duty trucks have better carrying capacities than light trucks, and are used by most large companies for transporting goods between branches or depots. Types of commercial trucks used may be medium duty box trucks, bucket trucks, reefer trucks and rollback trucks. All types of company or business will in some capacity use this type of truck – these are the most frequently used commercial vehicles.
Large commercial trucksare also sometimes called articulated trucks, or Artics for short. So called because they are articulated and the trailer is free to swivel on a tow bar, tractor hook or hinge. These are the big guys – the trucks that really just get on with the job. Growing up, I remember these as being called Mac trucks. This is a brand name, however, and the same as calling a vacuum cleaner a Hoover. Heavy-duty trucks or articulated dump trucks and graders are used heavily by both the construction industries and the transportation industries. Their reputation for immense power and performance is justified; they regularly transport thousands of tons of raw materials to construction sites, or shift industrial machines from place to place around countries and continents.
Whatever their need or application, and no matter where in the world they are needed, a few companies come to mind instantly – Mack trucks, Caterpillar and JCB. Mack have a reputation for building reliable construction trucks, reliable motorway and interstate transporters, and the most hardy of refuse trucks in the US. Mack trucks always deliver! Both JCB and Caterpillar have built their reputations upon their huge range of trucks whose reliability enables their employment in some of the most hostile and challenging environments around the globe. These amazing giants of the automotive world often operate night and day, thanklessly performing their important function time after time as quickly and safely as possible. The tyres alone on these monster trucks often need to be made to order and can cost around twenty thousand pounds each. They need to be flown to some of the most inhospitable places on earth at a moment’s notice as down time on these machines costs corporations hundreds of thousands a day when they are taken out of operation. In their game time really is money!
Heavy-duty cab chassis trucks, sleeper trucks and dump trucks are among the main types of these. These types of truck are commonly used in the construction and land development industries, for example.
Commercial trucks have various uses:
1. Transport of small and medium sized goods.
2. Transportation of fuels, liquids and gases in tankers.
3. Contributing in the development of residential construction.
4. Maintaining a safe community by playing their part in road construction.
5. Waste elimination.
6. Providing services for other companies or residential.
There is more to add to the list.The list could go on forever, as trucks of all sizes have such a big part to play in the development of any enterprise.
Names like Mack, Peterbilt, DAF, Renault, Kenworth, Freightliner, Ferteri and Mercedes, Navistar and Caterpillar commercial trucks are the biggest and best in the world of truck manufacturing.Some of the best looking and high functioning trucks on the market are supplied by these companies. Their looks exhibit style, speed, sturdiness, flare, with a dash of uniqueness that puts them in a class of their own. All commercial trucks on the market by these manufacturers are creating a huge buzz in the business industry worldwide.
Trucks of all sizes and shapes are being advertised and sold primarily by these big-name commercial truck makers. A massive percentage of all commercial truck supplies to both UK and US markets is made by these major companies.Successful migration into the African, Asian and south American markets has been achieved as a result of huge efforts in truck brand recognition by the main players in the industry. Commercial trucks are changing the world, and hopefully for the better.
CEO and company managers worldwide strive to help improve our societies’ infrastructure by quickly moving everyday goods and perishable resources between company depots, from cities to rural areas as well as between countries, as is the case in Europe. Trucks are the only way our economies are still able to move forward in this fast-paced society. The rail structure in England and across much of Europe is not always conducive to freight haulage and when it is, costs are cited as prohibitive.
Commercial trucks are easy to buy through expert distribution services worldwide made available by the big names in the trucking world. There are many franchised dealerships with strict supervision so that buyers always get the very best service, parts and equipment. Commercial truck makers and manufacturers are actually helping to improve communities and people who live in them. Commercial trucks create results and results create jobs at the end of the day.
We all know that in today’s fast-paced world, economic and financial growth is something we need in order to provide a good life for our families and especially for future generations. The global recession has crippled truck sales across the UK, Europe and the US. Smaller dealerships acting as representatives on behalf of big manufacturers have experienced crippling blows to order books and unprecedented returns of new trucks. The reason for this is simple economics: even after the reserve banks lowered their lending fees, small businesses were still being offered higher interest rates on truck loans than they could afford, forcing them to return the trucks, or risk financial ruin.
While some small businesses may no longer be able to consider purchasing a new truck, the flip side of the coin is that the market for used commercial vehicles in some sectors could actually see positive growth. Commercial vehicles play a part in so many types of operation. Whether you are a small enterprise starting out with a couple of Ford Transit Vans, perhaps a larger company needing to downsize to smaller vans, or maybe you are considering whether to buy a minibus to move workers between sites – the used commercial vehicle industry is yet another important facet of the truck industry as a whole.
All around the globe, the future of the truck industry is a bright one. Trucks perform a critical job; keeping our economy moving by delivering building materials, consumer goods such as TVs and hi-fi equipment to super stores and perishable goods from our farms to the supermarket shelves. Most truck drivers spend a lot of time away from home; spare a thought for the driver who may be many miles from home and family next time you see a big truck on the road.
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