Vehicles are trending towards going all electric. The first ever all-electric Bucket Truck just hit the market this month. Is it for you?

 

The Terex Optima 55 ft Aerial International eMV Series from Navistar is out. It is totally electric, sports a 6-7 Class medium-duty 33,000 GVW chassis, and is powered by the HyPower SmartPTO by Viatec.

 

The Terex all-electric Commercial Work Truck began shipping to customers this month. It is the most technologically advanced electric bucket truck to date. The project brought SmartPTO technology together with the International electric chassis for a match made in heaven…or not. 

 

Terex Facing Common Problems with EVs

 

Although the Bucket Truck is two years ahead of schedule and is to be utilized by electric utilities, not everything is optimal with the Optima. There are still many challenges with electric vehicles, partly due to the concept being in its initial years. Lack [...]

It’s a question all medium-duty commercial work truck owners are asking – what’s up with the escalating price of insurance? And most importantly – what can I do about it?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many insurance customers were delighted to get rebates or discounts due to the decrease in driving and accidents…supposedly. Or, did they just know they’d be able to recoup the generous money later?

Later is…now. Whether it was planned or not, insurance rates are rising sky high, especially for those with medium to heavy-duty trucks and for those who are commercial drivers.  The most common explanation offered is that everything is higher after COVID and that more people are making claims. 

How to Save

Thankfully, there are some ways you can save on your truck insurance including:

• Comparing rates with not just a few, but many other companies.  Be sure to compare ALL the same points or you may [...]

Diesel fuel is up higher than it has ever been in the history of mankind. Are you wondering why diesel prices are soaring beyond crude and gasoline, and if they are going to continue their spiral? Many diesel truck owners are biting the bullet and those who were considering a diesel work truck are now second thinking their decision. But before you give up on diesel-fueled vehicles, there are a few things you should know.

Diesel market prices are influenced by several factors that are driving the prices up, up, up. According to the Department of Energy, gasoline is up a whopping 26% since last year. Diesel has skyrocketed an astounding 42.8%. 

What’s Up at the Pump?

Many blame the increase of fuel on Russia. The prices began to go up before Russia’s invasion, however. The cost of diesel has always correlated with the current value of gasoline and crude. Usually, the [...]

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America recently announced their start-of-production dates for the 2023 model gasoline-powered and diesel-powered N-Series trucks. Production began last month. 

“We believe the changes to these trucks for the new model year will make them even more popular with our customers,” stated. Shaun C. Skinner, president, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada. He expressed relief that the supply-chain issues of 2021 were behind them and went on to tell of his excitement for ramping up the production of the 2023 core model lineup – Class 4 and 5 N-Series diesel and Class 3 and 4 N-Series gas models. 

2023 N-Series Gas

Isuzu’s 2023 gasoline-powered N-Series Class 3 and Class 4 models will feature many of the 2022i N-Series diesel truck enhancements that were such a big hit including:

 

• Exterior cab refresh. All 2023 N-Series gas models will have a brand-new look with standard [...]

The U.S. goal is to reach at least 50% greenhouse gas emissions cut by 2030. Is natural gas. Natural gas is a cleaner alternative. Furthermore, with gasoline and diesel fuel both reaching record highs, most agree that something must be done. While electric vehicles are already on the market, there are still issues with them. Could the next big fuel be natural gas? Some of the experts are saying, “Yes!”

There are around 200,000 vehicles in the US. Many are commercial work trucks that owners depend on for their bread and butter. When fuel prices are sky high (as they are now), it’s hard to make a living.

Natural Gas as an Alternative Fuel?

While it might seem odd to think of natural gas as an alternative fuel, any fuel that isn’t gas or diesel that powers a vehicle is considered alternative fuel. EV, E85, biodiesel, and hydrogen are all examples of [...]

When you heavily depend on your medium-duty commercial work truck to make a living, every improvement in technology is appreciated. Even if your truck isn’t used in your line of work, you bought it for a reason and when advances in the tech world increase its performance, it’s a good thing.

Big changes are coming where commercial work trucks are concerned. By the year 2030, the medium-duty work truck industry is expected to be transformed. Here are some of the modifications you can expect in the upcoming future:

New-Energy Powertrains

There will be three “big dogs” on the scene:

Liquefied Natural Gas. Benefits include long-range transport capability and fast refueling. The practicality will heavily depend upon the availability of natural gas, however. 

Hydrogen Fuel Cell. With advantages that include quick refueling, long-range capabilities, and zero emissions, this new energy will be a tempting powertrain.  The price may be [...]

Isuzu is a manufacturer that just keeps surprising the public. Every year, they are adding more features to make their commercial work vehicles more powerful, more comfortable, more efficient, and more economic.  This time, they’ve done all that and have a promising new captain at the helm too.

Shaun Skinner has been appointed as the chief executive of Isuzu.  He’s the first local to be elected to oversee the overseas distributorship.  He joined up with American Isuzu Motors in June of 1987 and in 2002 moved to ICTA. By 2016 he was named as the first American president of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America.

Skinner has been quoted as saying that he’s bullish on the future of medium-duty trucks which comes as welcome news to those who drive one.  Often times, consumers have expressed that they feel medium-duty work trucks are overlooked in the lineup with more emphasis being placed on heavy-duty commercial [...]

We’d like to wish all the truck driving mothers a happy Mother’s Day.  Whether you’re behind the wheel of a big rig traveling across the country or operate a Boom Truck or Flatbed, our hats go off to you. Where eighteen-wheelers are concerned, there are over three million truckers in the United States. Around 200,000 of them are women. A number of the women have children and still manage to drive wherever they are required to go.

Not only do truck driving mothers get a shout out today, but also the holiday itself. In the US alone, over 23 billion dollars is spent for Mother’s Day. The big spending trickles down to the trucking and transportation business by way of hauling flowers, candy, and more. 

Even drivers of commercial work truck vehicles profit from Mother’s Day. “What would you like for Mother’s Day?” is a loaded question. Sometimes the answer is not [...]

Fleet tracking is one of those things that may not be foremost on your mind…until one of your trucks are missing. While theft recovery is one of the main reasons fleet tracking makes sense, it’s not the only benefit that comes along with the service.

What is Fleet Tracking?

Fleet tracking is an automated way of keeping up with your line of trucks. There are various types of fleet tracking services. Most use GPS and software and the results are available in real time or near real time.

Fleet tracking can be implemented on big rigs and on commercial work trucks such as Box Trucks, Boom Trucks, and Flatbeds. No matter what type of fleet you have, tracking the trucks is definitely worth checking into – sooner rather than later. 

Benefits of Fleet Tracking

Fleet tracking has become very popular in recent years as a way to recover stolen vehicles and to [...]

Commercial work trucks are in hot demand lately.  Not only are sales up by about 11%, but thefts are also up too.  According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB), cargo theft in the US adds up to approximately $15 to $35 billion every year. 

While filing an insurance claim on the vehicle and/or cargo is always and option (if you have qualifying coverage), you can count on your insurance going up if you do.  Furthermore, there’s a lot of inconvenience and down time when your vehicle and/or cargo is stolen.  The best solution is to prevent theft from happening.

 

10 Tips to Prevent Truck Theft

Commercial work truck thievery is twofold – the actual vehicle and the contents within the cab and bed of the truck.  Here are a few steps you can take to make sure your truck and it’s cargo isn’t stolen:

1. Lock Up.  It sounds like [...]