Automotive Blog

Over the years I’ve seen a million new guys and gals come into the trucking industry with not only the wrong perceptions of what the trucking industry is like, but with the attitude that everyone better treat them like kings and queens and roll out the red carpet or they’re outta here – and I’ve seen a lot of em get outta here in a hurry. I’m not sure where the mis-perceptions come from or why people expect to come into the industry with both guns blazing and ready to call all the shots, but I’m going to try to clear things up for the new guys and gals to help you avoid some pain.

Trucking Is All About Liability and Risk

First of all, please understand something. In our society, as you well know, you can pretty much get sued for everything you have if you sneeze in church. Can you imagine trying to own a trucking company? These larger carriers have teams of lawyers that stay in court every day of the week fighting battles. Everyone is out to get em. So companies are looking for people they are hoping will be trustworthy enough to make smart decisions out there on the road and keep everyone safe from harm. So if you have a bad criminal or driving record, including felonies, theft-related misdemeanors, DUI’s, and reckless driving tickets for speed in excess of 15 mph over the speed limit, it is quite likely you will have one hell of a time finding work.

Continue reading ‘Enduring the Rookie Treatment in Truck Driving’ »

Without a doubt, the warning tone of an approaching locomotive makes an awesome addition to a truck. So much so, that there are a number of outlets that sell train horns trucks including online dealers who are themselves fans of the devices as well as automotive aftermarket.

The honk of an oncoming locomotive was developed as a safety device to warn motorists and pedestrians alike to get off and stay off the railway tracks to avoid being mowed down. Originally powered by the engine’s steam being powered through the device, a new design was needed when steam engines became obsolete as diesel engines became the norm. The result is a device that delivers the long loud tones using compressed air.

Train horns for trucks are actually just scaled-down versions of the devices used on today’s diesel engines. Regardless of where the device is used the sound is made by pushing pressurized air through trumpet-shaped horns, which results in an ear-piercing loud warning tone.

Continue reading ‘Using Train Horns For Trucks Safely’ »

The distinctive loud, long tone of a locomotive’s warning signal is among the most easily recognizable sounds around. Play a tape with a bunch of two-second sound snippets and most people will be able to easily identify which is the whistle of a locomotive. For many people it is also a trigger for fond memories, especially if they grew up near a station or the railroad tracks. Imagine that same strikingly loud sound coming from your pickup or SUV and there isn’t a rail road in sight. All you need to do to make that dream a reality is take a look at the many train horns for trucks that are available as an aftermarket accessory.

The loud wail of an approaching locomotive was developed to alert pedestrians and motorists that they needed to stay off the tracks so the train could pass without hitting anyone or anything. It was also used as a communication tool between the engineer and railway and station workers. The first whistles were powered by the steam engine’s exhaust. However, as diesel engines began to replace steam the high-powered air horn became the device of choice.

Continue reading ‘Add the Blast of a Train Horn to Your Truck’ »

The best way when making any purchase, is to talk to people like you. If you’re looking for a good vet, talk to another dog owner. If you’re looking to buy a new PC, talk to someone who’s just bought one. If you’re looking to rent a holiday home, talk to someone who’s got a tan and who’s just come back from their holidays. And if you’re looking to buy a new company truck, talk to other truck owners.

The idea is that recent buyers, who have just bought a truck themselves, have had to go through an intensive learning curve. The trucking market is constantly evolving and expanding at a speed, where, six months is the equivalent of many years of product knowledge.

Serious truck purchasers research the marketplace enough to shortlist 3 or 4 suppliers. And then, they comparison shop trucks on the market to shortlist 3 or 4 products. And then they’ve test-driven trucks galore, studied manual and made an informed decision.

The I-80 Equipment name is well known in the reconditioned truck market. In fact, with close to 20 years experience, I 80 Equipment (www.i80equipment.com) has been the #1 supplier of quality reconditioned trucks.

After close to 20 years experience in the industry, I 80 Equipment has the reconditioning down to an art. They start by disassembling the truck completely, degreasing and power washing it. Then the truck gets sprayed with a primer to give the boxes and chassis more protection, and sprayed again with an industrial paint, heated to 100 degrees. Only then are you looking a re-assembly, with part replacements, and waxing. The final stage is the 77 point inspection, the signing off by the mechanic, and then an external inspection and certification process.

Talk to business owners in the trucking business, in the electrical, forestry, and telecom industries, and their name is bound to come up. I-80 Equipment has earned themselves a strong reputation for the quality trucks they offer, their 77 point inspection and their financing solutions. And their name is known nation-wide as well internationally.

I 80 Equipment know that the only feasible way of doing business is keeping one’s clients happy. A satisfied client will be a repeat one. A satisfied client will provide testimonials via word-of-mouth. And a satisfied client won’t be coming back to make a return. Ask I 80 Equipment if you can talk to one of their existing customers for a live testimonial. You can be sure that both I 80 Equipment and plenty of their customers would be only too happy to oblige.

I 80 Equipment also have a professional sales hotline service, and they are always happy to walk you through any aspect of a truck purchase, be it choosing the right truck for your company, ensuring your drivers know what they need to know, or getting financing. Give them a call today, to book an appointment or simply to hear how accurately they conduct their initial client need assessment.

The oil in your turbo diesel has enough work to do and when you add the job of cooling the turbo too things can get hot in a hurry. This is why it’s critical to choose the proper diesel oil that can do the job. In general motor oil quality has gone up the past 10 years, but there are still a few indicators that could point you to the better oils on the market.

When comparing oils it’s really not a matter of comparing petroleum vs. synthetic anymore because since synthetics have grabbed the attention of most people it really isn’t worth looking at petroleum oils anymore. Petroleum oils simply can’t handle the demands of today’s engines especially diesels with their hot running turbo’s.

Most mechanics don’t really know a lot about how and why certain oils outperform others. Sometimes asking a mechanic isn’t where you should be seeking advice. Not that some don’t understand the basics, but because most simply haven’t taken the time to learn about oils in general.

The first thing you should ask about your oil is what are the basestocks made from. There are five primary basestocks; the first four relate to petroleum oils and the fifth is considered a pure synthetic.

If you are running a Group II or Group III basestocks you’re running petroleum oil even though in some cases the label might say it’s a synthetic oil. This is why it’s critical to ask what the basestock is made of. Pay no attention to what the label says, if it’s a group IV you will certainly see a difference in the performance the very first time you use it.

Continue reading ‘Keeping Your Turbo Cool’ »

Chevrolet has perfected a huge selling success with its Tahoe and Suburban SUV. With a wide array of trim packages and powertrain choices, there’s a little of everything for folks of all walks of life. But as gas prices start to climb and more people looking for more fuel efficient alternatives, owners are looking for cheap ways to enhance what they’ve got without going to the extreme of trading or downsizing into something less favorable. The aftermarket world for performance enhancing parts is huge with the Chevrolet Tahoe and is certainly worth the research to find the right products for your SUV. Here is a brief list of inexpensive do-it-yourself items you can buy and install in an afternoon.

First, an easy to find item is a higher flowing performance air filter. Manufactured by well known companies such as K&N, airaid and AEM, these products can be purchased at any auto retailer like Wal-Mart, AutoZone and Pep Boys. What a performance filter does is replace your existing restrictive stock filter with a higher flowing unit. The better the engine can breathe, the more horsepower and better gas mileage. Tests have shown a 8-10 HP increase and a 1-3 mpg upswing in a 5.3 V8 Tahoe. Aside from the gains, maintenance will be cut down as well as these filters are cleanable and reusable too. In essence, don’t leave this cheap part off your list, they only retail for $35-55!

Continue reading ‘Trick My Truck & SUV – Chevrolet Tahoe Add Ons to Increase Horsepower and Gas Mileage’ »

The durability of trucks, depends on the specifications of each truck. In the other words, the best quality and best brand of truck, depends on its efficiency, reliability and work output. Used truck dealers, can be easily located via factories and websites (internet).

There are several used truck brands, such as Volvo trucks, Mercedes-Benz trucks, SCANIA trucks, Man trucks and IVECO trucks. Though different used trucks are available in the market, Mercedes-Benz trucks and IVECO trucks are the only trucks have a unique features related to “heavy-duty” capacity and unique service purpose.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks
Mercedes-Benz used trucks have the overall features needed for both commercial and private services. A Mercedes-Benz used truck is useful for load transportation in particular. If you are looking for a used truck for load transportation purposes you should include this brand on your shopping list. Mercedes-Benz trucks, “both flat and straight engine” are easy to drive. They also have different models and body shapes, for every specific purpose. Another feature that makes Mercedes unique among other used trucks is that they are very economical. They typically consume no more than 20litres of diesel per 500km journey. In comparison other used trucks out there consume more oil; usually 36 litres of diesel per 150km.

Continue reading ‘The Best Brands For Used Trucks’ »

Modern world is totally relied on the engineering and transportation is the key factor for the development of any field in the world. The most preferred and the cheapest transportation mode is the road transport. Trucks are the major share holder of the goods transportation and also of the heavy machinery and equipments transferring from one place to another and some times even across the states and countries.

These requirement and importance of trucks has forced the automotive industry to nourish and develop heavily in the field of trucks. Henceforth there are numerous verities of trucks available for various reasons and purposes. For example, if the goods to be transferred are not too heavy and even someone wanting in the limited budget, the Semi Trucks are the perfect option for them. It’s a Semi Automatic option for proper handling of truck. Also the Mud trucks available in the market, if the purpose of the job is to remove muds and heavy debris continuously. The emergency traveling of goods can be further developed speedily by the 4×4 pick up trucks. As the name suggests, they are one of the speediest and ultra pick up option in the truck category. The big and gigantic trucks are also required to make the loaded large machineries transferable. The lifted trucks are another nice option in the same type for the heavy tools lifting options. Chevy is one of the most searched brands for such trucks. There are also various reputed and genuine brands in the market providing a quality product since years.

Continue reading ‘Track the Right Truck From Fresh Trucks Or Used Trucks For Sale’ »

Ford’s Expedition line of full size sport utility vehicles are among the most popular selling vehicles in their class. With dependable quality, powerful engine choices, and a variety of trim levels available, they are the most diverse group around. Ford’s 5.4 liter V8 engines delivers smooth yet powerful performance, there’s very little that the manufacturer needs to improve on with exception of gas mileage. That’s where the aftermarket community comes in. There are a large number of available performance products that will increase your gas mileage and horsepower. Don’t worry about rising summer gas prices, here are a few products you can buy at auto retail outlets and install in the same day with basic hand tools.

Probably the easiest and most widely available performance part you can buy is a higher flowing air filter from. A performance air filter will do a couple things for you. A higher flowing filter will help the engine breathe better by intaking more clean air into your intake, therefore netting you 8-10 more horsepower and increasing gas mileage 1-3 mpg’s. Another great feature is the reusability of the filter, there are cleaning solvents available you can use or just rinse off the dust and debris. Therefore making your overall maintenance costs lower. These particular air filters are made by K&N and Airaid and are available at retailers like Wal-Mart, Autozone, and Pep Boys. A great addition to any vehicle for only $35-55 and you’ll notice the change immediately.

Continue reading ‘Trick My Truck & SUV – Ford Expedition Add Ons to Increase Horsepower and Gas Mileage’ »

One of the more popular pickup truck upgrades or enhancements is a Tonneau Cover. Whether you are using your truck for work or leisure, a truck is not as functional or complete unless it has a tonneau. However, a tonneau cover can be an expensive purchase and there are some important questions you should ask yourself when you are considering buying a tonneau. Questions to ask when buying a tonneau Cover

1. What is your main purpose of adding a tonneau to your pickup truck? Are you looking for function, security, looks, versatility or easy removal?

2. Hard or Soft that is the question? Hard tonneau covers traditionally cost more and offer more security. Soft tonneau covers generally are less expensive but are more versatile.

Continue reading ‘Top 10 Questions to Ask About Tonneau Covers’ »