Flatbed trailers are used to carry large, heavy loads that need to be loaded and unloaded quickly, as well as those loads that are oddly shaped. You should keep in mind that not all flatbeds are alike. There are different designs that are better for different types of cargo. They may also vary significantly from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you are unsure of the design that you need, then it is best to check with the manufacturer to ensure that you are choosing the right one for your needs. You should be able to find information about manufacturers by doing a quick search online.

Flatbed trailers are typically long trailers with only a floor. They have no sides and no roof to hold cargo. This is why they are perfectly suited for larger or bulkier cargo. These trailers are most commonly used to transport cargo that is weatherproof. For instance, if you are transporting heavy machinery or construction material, then a flatbed would be perfect. If however, you are transporting things that need to be kept from the elements, then a box or van trailer would likely be a better choice.

Manufacturers such as Great Dane, Wabash and many others provide flatbed trailers for trucking companies as well as owner/operators. If you are planning to purchase your trailer new, then you should have no problem finding a reliable product from one of the many trailer manufacturers across the nation. If however, you are planning to purchase a used trailer, then you should be certain to inspect the trailer before you make your final purchase. You can save potentially thousands of dollars by purchasing a used trailer, just as long as you know what you are looking for and how to determine its true worth.

Online sites offer many opportunities to find and purchase used flatbed trailers for much less than new ones. These sites typically give you multiple photos and contact information for the seller, just in case you have questions that are not answered in the listing. When you are buying used products of any sort online, it is always best to make sure that all your questions are answered prior to the finalization of the sale. Typically, a new trailer will run you around $20,000 or more, but you can find many used ones online for less than $5,000. This is of course depending on the manufacturer, model and the overall condition of the trailer in question.

Everyone knows a Bulldog when they see it. The Bulldog has long been the symbol of the Mack truck. The company earned its nickname during World War I when the British government bought the Mack AC model in order to supply troops, food and equipment to its soldiers on the front line. Those British soldiers named the truck the Bulldog Mack due to the flat nosed hood which reminded them of the British mascot which was the British Bulldog. Since then the Bulldog has been a trucking industry favorite.

Today this is one of the leading truck manufacturing companies in the world. Now a subsidiary of Volvo, the company headquarters are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the United States. Primary manufacturing facilities for Mack trucks are located in Macungie, Pennsylvania and in Dublin, Virginia. The company today enjoys being one of the top producers of vocational vehicles from Class eight through Class thirteen. It also produces off road trucks. The Bulldog logo is very distinctive on the front of each truck.

Mack trucks have been sold throughout the company’s history in a total of forty-five countries. Right hand driven vehicles are currently produced in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and are distributed worldwide. Plants are also located in Caracas, Venezuela as well as Hagerstown, Maryland in the United States. These trucks hold the distinction of being one of the most popularly driven heavy duty trucks on the road due to their longevity and dependability.

It was early in the 1960s that the then executive vice president of engineering, Walter May developed the Maxidyne high-torque rise engine which has given Mack trucks much of their rise to popularity. The engine was first evident in 1968 with the new line of trucks. The placement of the Maxidyne engine became an event that would change the trucking industry forever. The engine allowed for a heavy duty Class 8 truck to be operated with a 5 speed transmission. Before this time heavy duty trucks held 10 gears or more. The development of the Maxidyne engine became one of the most popular aspects of the Mack truck and drivers everywhere were soon anxious to drive one of these miracle trucks. Since that time the company has enjoyed being one of the most popularly chosen truck brands of all time. Given the history behind their logo it is not surprising that this tough competitor has outlasted many others.

Do you need an extended warranty for your truck or are you thinking about buying a new or used truck anytime soon? I do not want to scare you, but there are a large number of options available when it comes to truck warranties. When you buy a new or used truck, the dealer or salesman is going to try and sell you an extended warranty. Before you step foot into the dealership, you should know exactly what type of truck warranty you want and what you should expect to pay.

One thing to keep in mind is that an extended truck warranty is not going to cover everything that could happen to it or go wrong with your truck. You need to know what types of things can be covered by warranty. If you do not know what you need or want, there are a few basics that you will want to have in a truck warranty plan.

One feature to look for is roadside assistance. This will help you out any time your truck breaks down, has a flat tire or you lock yourself out of the truck. The warranty company will send out a repair person, towing service or locksmith to help you out and you should not have to pay any out of pocket expense for it. You should look for roadside assistance programs that have toll-free customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Anything less than that is unacceptable.

Another feature to look for is bumper-to-bumper coverage. With bumper-to-bumper coverage, any component that breaks or fails to work property should be repaired or replaced at the warranty company’s expense. This will not cover routine, wear-and-tear things like oil changes, tire replacement and so on and it will not cover damages from automobile accidents (that’s what your insurance is for).

Do your homework before purchasing a truck warranty and you will be happy with the results and you will be confident that you are not overpaying for the services. Use the Internet to research different companies and get quotes from several before you step foot into the truck dealership. Then when the dealer tries to push their warranty coverage on you, you will know if it’s a good deal or not. If it’s not, don’t be afraid to use an alternative service (like one of the ones you got quotes from online). You do not have to purchase a warranty from the dealership. You have options. It’s your choice.

U.S. light vehicle sales fell 6.9% to about 1.25 million sales in April from a year ago, hitting Detroit’s automakers hard, as the pinch of $3.60-a-gallon gas combined with a struggling U.S. economy to drive a strong consumer shift to more fuel-efficient cars and crossovers from large trucks.

The shift led to sales and market-share declines at General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, which have historically relied on truck sales. GM and Ford, however, noted jumps in car and crossover sales for the month, compared with a year ago.

Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. also felt the impact of fewer consumers choosing pickups and SUVs, but they overcame that squeeze with increased sales of cars.

“The reason for the take down is because of rising oil prices,” said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president of sales, service and marketing. “What we did not count on is oil hitting as high as almost $120 a barrel. What that’s doing is causing a sharp shift to cars and crossovers from large trucks.”

The highlights:

*GM reported sales of 257,638 vehicles in April, down 16.2% from the same month last year.

*Ford sales fell 12.1% to 200,007 in year-over-year comparisons.

*Chrysler reported April sales of 147,751, down 23.5% from the same month last year.

*Toyota reported a sales increase of 3.4% to 217,700 vehicles.

*Nissan posted a 6.7% overall sales increase for the month to 75,855.

Honda suffered a technical problem Thursday that kept it from reporting April sales. But it estimated that U.S. economic trends would push it to an all-time record for April — 134,400, a 6.7% increase — because its U.S. lineup consists primarily of small cars and small SUVs.

GM said retail sales of cars and crossovers rose more than 9%, but did not make up for declining truck sales and a sharp decline in fleet deliveries that GM said were impacted by the strike at supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Inc., which has reduced or stopped production at 31 GM plants.

LaNeve blamed the American Axle strike for costing GM 15,000 units of fleet sales last month. He expects that GM will not lose those sales, but instead will record them once the Axle strike is over.

GM’s drop in total sales was swayed largely by the Chevrolet Silverado pickup — where sales fell 24.7% to 37,231 last month from 49,436 a year ago — and the GMC Sierra pickup, where sales fell 21.7% to 13,196 from 16,849.

While they trade in smaller volumes, GM’s cars showed widespread gains, with the Chevrolet Aveo, Cobalt and Malibu; the Cadillac CTS, the Pontiac Vibe and the Saturn Aura all up by double-digit percentages from a year ago. And GM executives said they are looking for ways to increase production of the hottest selling vehicles quickly, even as it announced shift reductions at four North American truck plants earlier this week.

“Consumer preference is shifting and we’re shifting with it,” LaNeve said. “Throughout the industry, truck sales have been soft. We’ve been able to match the current economic slowdown with historically low total inventories, as we look for ways to increase car and crossover production.”

The trend repeated at Ford, where retail sales of its cars and crossovers also grew, led by a 43.5% increase in sales of the Ford Focus to 23,850 from 16,626 a year earlier.

Ford’s crossovers, led by the midsized Edge and smaller Escape, continue to perform well in dealer showrooms, with an overall gain of 11%.

Like GM, however, the gains in car and crossover sales weren’t enough to overcome losses on the truck side.

The F-Series pickups, Ford’s best-selling vehicle line and a major contributor to companywide profits, posted a decline of 21% to 44,813 for the month from 56,692. For the year, F-Series sales are now down 15.5%.

“We continue to see movement toward small and midsize cars as well as car-based crossovers,” Ford sales analyst George Pipas said. “I think it’s fair to say the trend is accelerating in 2008. I think we can tie the acceleration to gas prices.”

Chrysler Executive Vice President of North American sales Steve Landry said gas is certainly a factor in the declines in sales of larger vehicles, but general uneasiness about the U.S. economy has also played a role.

“We’re seeing higher monthly payments coming in and trading in for lower monthly payments,” Landry said.

Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at Edmunds.com said there are a lot of factors causing the shift.

“I think part of it is gas prices, but it’s also the economy in general,” Caldwell said. “When people had more equity in their houses, they felt good, they felt secure. Maybe they got a bigger car and didn’t worry about gas prices. But when you lose equity, and now with the gas prices as high as $4 a gallon, people start to downsize.”

And, Caldwell said, there’s no sign that the trend will end soon, so the domestic automakers are scrambling to let consumers know what they’ve got and meet the demand.

“I think we’re going to continue to see this trend toward small cars and crossovers,” she said. “Right now, a lot of people think of the imports when they think of smaller vehicles. I think the manufacturers are going to begin marketing those cars better than they have. And I think we’ll see these manufacturers look into their global portfolios to see what they can bring to the United States right now.”

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Often times, people decide to purchase a large truck to haul very heavy loads. If that is not your intention, and you’d like to purchase a truck to drive more like a car (with quick, quiet acceleration), you may want a gasoline engine. 

There are three main benefits to this that is  Gas engines run smoother,  Fuel is easier to find and  Gas engines start easier in cold weatherIf, however, your intent is to use your truck for towing, you may want to consider a diesel engine. The three main benefits to this are  Good fuel economy,  High mileage and  Better for towing

Now, the price of a diesel truck is very high, but it very well may be worth it. They have many benefits, and could very well save you a good deal of money in the end. Benefits vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. You can compare these benefits below:

Ford

In 1994, Ford introduced its international engineered power stroke diesel. This pushed the 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck market to where it is today. Before this, the big one inch gasoline engines made these poorly built diesels barely considerable. Over 70% of super duty Fords were sold with the optional 7.3L V-8 diesel engine from 1994-2002. Because of this engine, Ford became one of the leaders in diesel trucks.

Dodge

In 2002, Ram didn’t have enough power with the 245 HP 9.5L, so Dodge promised more powerful engines for the 2500/3500 platform, and they definitely followed through on their promise: the 2500 and 3500 Dodge Ram Heave Duty trucks are the newest ¾ and 1 ton trucks on the road.

The new base engine is the 5.7L gasoline V-8, which revives the well-known, historical Hemi name, as it is the most powerful engine of the group at 345 HP.

Chevrolet/GMC:

Coming standard with GM’s 6.0L gas engine V-8 are the GM 2500/3500 twins Silverado HD and Sierra HD. The engine is ideal for ¾ ton trucks where towing isn’t a concern. Based on Chevrolet’s venerable big block engine are the upgrades that start with the 8.1 gas V-8.

Diesel trucks have proven to be:

Efficient with mileage
Great for towing
Easy on maintenance

Also, you won’t need to get them tuned up nearly as much as gasoline engines, because-unlike gasoline engines-diesel engines do not have spark plugs.

The reported owner of an auto shop died after a pickup truck fell on him Wednesday night in southwest suburban Orland Park.

Mark Minonne, 32, of the 5200 block of S. Kostner Ave., was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m. at St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Olympia Fields after a truck fell on him at 15622 S. 70th Ct. in Orland Park, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. An autopsy is scheduled for later Thursday.

Midwest Fuel Injection Service Corporation is listed at the Orland Park address.

At 7:35 p.m., the Orland Park Fire Protection District responded to the car shop for a report of an injured man, according to Battalion Chief Steve Smith.

The man, who reportedly owns the car shop, was working under a Pickup truck held by a lift when it possibly failed and the truck fell on him, Smith said. Nobody else was injured.

“We don’t know what happened,” according to Smith, who said police are probing the incident. Orland Park police were not immediately available.

News and Updates on Pickup Trucks at One Stop

Recent figures concerning traffic safety in the continent of Europe shows a reduction of fatalities caused by traffic accidents. The number of deaths has been reduced by as much as 20 percent starting from 2001 up until this year. This shows an increased benefit of safety systems used on vehicles running on the Europe’s roads.

The European Union though aims to continue that trend by reducing the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents by the half by the year 2010. Already, automakers are jumping on the bandwagon of developing safety systems that will help them reach that goal.One of the foremost automakers that come to mind when safety is concerned is Volvo. The Swedish manufacturer of trucks has already taken steps to participate in the battle against traffic accidents.

Volvo Trucks, the second largest manufacturer of trucks and buses, recently introduced two active safety systems that will be integrated into their production trucks. These two systems are the Lane Keeping Support (LKS) and the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). Both of these are developed by Volvo’s safety experts.The Lane Keeping Support is essentially a system that warns the driver of the vehicle if he or she is leaving his or her lane. The technology constantly monitors lane markers and warns the driver with an audible signal when the vehicle is leaving the lane. The safety system is activated when the vehicle reaches speeds of 60 kilometers per hour.

This technology is recommended for large vehicles like Volvo’s trucks since their sheer size makes them hard to steer especially during high speed driving. Claes Avedal, the head of the accident research for Volvo Trucks, expound the seriousness of the threat of a truck without a Lane Keeping Support system. “The driver loses his concentration for a moment and that is when the risk is greatest of also losing control over the vehicle,” says Avedal.

On the other hand, the Adaptive Cruise Control is an improved version of the previous ACC employed by Volvo’s vehicles which may or may not be equipped with a volvo antenna . Well, not that it matters of course. The Adaptive Cruise Control is a safety system which uses radar or laser, (Volvo uses a radar-based ACC) to calculate the proximity of the vehicle to the vehicle in front of it. When the distance reaches a preset constant, the system will slow down the vehicle to a preset speed.

Volvo’s improved ACC features a greater braking force to give the driver maximum stopping power in cases of emergency.