Archive for the ‘Dump trucks’ Category
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 |
Everyone chuckled. Beside our tour bus was a pile of used dump-truck tires. Each one was the size of a garage door and as thick as a car.
“Anyone who wants one can have one,” repeated our tour guide, with a smile. “As long as you take it away.”
I toured Syncrude’s property in Fort McMurray last month. Syncrude is the largest oil company in Athabasca. It’s really a syndicate of eight oil companies, all joined together in one massive venture to mine the oil sands in a big way.
It turns out, you can’t do much with an old dump-truck tire.
Syncrude uses a few of them to line the roadways in its mine; farmers use a few of them as cattle feedlots. Some get used in playgrounds. The rest – some 600 tires annually – pile up on Syncrude’s property, where tourists can gawk at them.
Syncrude uses the dump trucks to mine the oil sands. These dump trucks are the biggest in the world. They carry 400 tons of oil sand to the top of a mine. A monument overlooks one of the mines. It’s a dump-truck tire with a plaque from the Michelin Tire Company underneath. The plaque says, “This is the largest truck tire ever made.”
Since Syncrude started using dump trucks in the mid-1990s, its crude oil output has quadrupled and its stock price has gone up 1,500%.
Now Fort McMurray oil-sand miners face a severe shortage of dump-truck tires. A new dump-truck tire runs about $60,000. Tires last about 12 months. Each truck uses six tires at a time. That’s more than $360,000 in tire expenses per truck every year. Syncrude owns 90 trucks.
Here’s the thing: The tire’s cost isn’t the main concern of a mining company. It’s availability. Oil-sand mines cannot operate without a supply of brand new dump-truck tires. Without dump-truck tires, they’d have to close their operations… and lose billions of dollars. So I bet the oil companies in Athabasca would pay $100,000 for new tires… if it meant keeping their mines open.
Today, I recommend you look into another critical Athabasca supply line, natural gas. Like tires, natural gas is an essential resource for the oil companies. You simply cannot produce oil without it.
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Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 |
A commercial dump truck rammed into a bus in Chinatown on Monday morning, sending it onto the sidewalk and crashing into the front of a bank, killing a 57-year-old woman and injuring four others, including two police officers, officials said.
The fatally injured woman, who authorities said was struck by debris that fell from a sign as she was trying to cross the street, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was later identified as Lai Ho, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The authorities said she might have died of a heart attack after being hit by the debris.
Three people who were inside the bus — a driver and two passengers — were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center. A fourth person inside the bus was taken to New York Downtown Hospital in stable condition.
The driver of the dump truck was reported to be in critical, but stable, condition. The driver — identified as Alejandro Fallo, 54 — was conscious and passed a Breathalyzer test administered at the scene, the authorities said.
“The only thing I can tell you is that it was a used dump truck coming over the Manhattan Bridge, that somehow went out of control and struck a bus,” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said this morning, who was speaking at a news conference at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, before a ceremony for police recruits. “The bus then struck a lamp post and a fire hydrant, and went into a bank. A woman that was struck is in very serious condition. I’m not certain if it’s a fatality. A police car — a CRV van — was also struck. Two of our officers were injured as well.”
The van, known as a critical response vehicle or CRV, was on routine patrol as part of the Police Department’s counterterrorism initiatives, the authorities said. The two officers in the van were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The dump truck was operated of CPQ Freight System, based in East Rutherford, N.J., traveled from the Manhattan Bridge, clipped three vans as it went along, then — at the northeast corner of Bowery and Canal — crashed into a Fung Wah bus parked in front of 147 Canal Street. The bus, part of a company that operates intercity bus lines, had its cargo doors open. Passengers were waiting outside to board the bus.
The force of the collision spun the front of the bus toward the right and into a storefront at 77 Bowery, where the United Commercial Bank is located. Several attempts to reach the bank’s representatives by phone were unsuccessful. The rear of the bus swung into the Bowery. A lamp post was also knocked down.
Jimmy Zocco, a painter who was sitting in a van when the accident, said: “A dump truck came flying off the bridge. He hit the back of the bus and dragged it into the street.” He said of the 20 or so people waiting to board the bus: “They scattered. They ran. They saw it coming.” The dump truck also knocked over a fire hydrant.
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Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 |
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.
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Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 |
Pickup trucks are designed to operate efficiently on roads as well as uneven dirt tracks. They have a strong steel body and use long lasting engines. These features have enabled many pickup trucks manufactured between 1930 and 1970 to remain operational and deliver consistent performance for many decades.
A number of firms sell old pickup trucks, which are usually targeted at antique collectors and truck enthusiasts. These firms operate websites that contains a detailed list of all old pickup trucks available with the seller. A detailed description is given about the year of manufacture, brand name, present condition of the engine and other components, and prices. Some firms carry out repair works on old pickup trucks to make it operational based on customer demands.
Old pickup trucks are sold as pieces of historical memorabilia and prices of some old pickup trucks are higher than currently available pickup trucks. People who own old pickups and need cash can sell their vehicles to old pickup dealers. Old pickups are priced according to their uniqueness and operational age. A pickup manufactured in the thirties is usually priced higher than those produced in the fifties or sixties. Some old pickup trucks are available in the range of two thousand to fifteen thousand dollars.
With age and time, many of these pickups have managed to transform their image and value. People take great pleasure in owning and maintaining their old pickup trucks. They are great attractions at vintage truck rallies and fairs. However, in some cases it becomes difficult to get replacement parts, as many companies that manufactured pickups are no longer in existence.
Old pickup trucks may not have advanced features present in modern day pickup trucks. However, these shortcomings do not undermine the status of old pickup trucks and with age the value of old pickups is expected to increase even further
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Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 |
GPS vehicle tracking systems are more affordable and more popular than ever before, but do you need one? Take this short quiz and keep track of your ‘yes’ answers. I’ll help you total your score and decide after you finish.
Step One: Take Quiz
- Do I use vehicles in my business? Yes/No
(The definition of ‘vehicles’ includes heavy, medium and light-duty vehicles, construction equipment (dozers, graders, backhoes, etc), cars, motorcycles, RV’s, pick-up trucks, vans, tractor trailers, buses, trailers, dump trucks, snow plows, limousines, taxis, etc.)
- Have any of my vehicles been stolen in the past? Yes/No
- I’d like to know what is going on and where my employees/vehicles are during the day: Yes/No
- I’d like to reduce my fuel expenses and know if any of my vehicles are wasting gas: Yes/No
- Being able to give my customers accurate and precise arrival/delivery estimates is important to me: Yes/No
- It is important to know if any of my vehicles are used after hours or on weekends for non-business purposes: Yes/No
- I’d like save up to 30% on my vehicle insurance: Yes/No
- It is important to know if my employees are speeding or otherwise abusing my vehicles: Yes/No
- If any of my employees are using my vehicles to ‘moonlight’ or do work without my knowledge, I’d want to know: Yes/No
- Knowing about mechanical problems before they become expensive to fix is important: Yes/No
- If any of my vehicles are ever stolen, I’d like to locate them within minutes: Yes/No
- I’d like to have vehicle use data to compare with overtime requests as a way to guard against errors and fraud: Yes/No
- I’d like a reminder when it is time to do routine maintenance on my vehicles: Yes/No
- Occasionally, customers question when we were at their location, having the exact date and time recorded in our tracking system would really help in those cases: Yes/No
- I’d like to help my employees be more productive by seeing where they go each day: Yes/No
Step Two: Total Your ‘Yes’ Answers
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Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 |
In 1949, the Tonka Mighty Dump was presented to the public, and from this single truck came a series of Mighty trucks, two of which are the Hydraulic Dump and the Bottom Dump. Tonka, meaning GREAT in Sioux, wanted to make toys for little boys that can stand the test of time. They wanted something that boys can play with for a very long time, hence, their designs and materials are always top-of-the-line.
Brief History
By 1987, it has introduced toys specifically for the younger set - preschool-aged boys. During its 50th year, it celebrated in a big way by hosting a national truck tour. The Tonka trucks continued to get even more popular and expanded through many partnerships including Hasbro toys. Their roster now includes die-cast, trucks with mini lights and sounds even books!
In 2005, the Tonka Toughest Mighty Dump Truck, introduced the previous year, was replicated life-sized to tour nationally for the truck tour. To date, Tonka keeps finding innovative ways to make their trucks even stronger, more durable and lifelike while maintaining its standard of excellence found in every Tonka toy.
For the Little Engineer
For the little one who loves to play with trucks, the Tonka Dump Truck is the perfect gift for him. You can choose from the Tonka Might trucks series including the Toughest Mighty Dump Truck.
You may also check out their website or visit online shopping sites that carry Tonka toys for a list of all their toys. It’s best to compare prices with a few online shops before making your purchase.
Remember to ask about their delivery turnaround time, shipping and handling policy, payment mode - VISA, Mastercard or something else - return policy for damaged toy/s or erroneous toys delivered and money back guarantee.
Online shops know that there have been a lot of internet scams including shopping sites, and they understand that customers want to be assured that the same thing won’t happen to them. Thoroughly discuss their online security system and identity theft protection.
Finally, ask about their Tonka toys - where they come from, what models they carry, warranties, and such. Unfortunately, another online scam is peddling products that are either fake or secondhand passed on as brand new. You have to be sure about where you get your shopping done online.
Better still, visit your nearest retail shop and ask for their Tonka toys. You can either take a good look at the one you like before ordering it online, or you can just get it there yourself. Either way, your little boy will definitely flip once he sees his Tonka Dump Truck!
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Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 |
Dump truck financing, or financing for trucks, is just like financing anything else. In order to find the right loan program you need to find a lender that offers a loan program designed for your needs. If you need to finance dump trucks, semi trucks, or heavy duty trucks, then you will need to find a lender that not only offers a loan program for vehicles, but that also specializes in business vehicle loans.
To qualify for dump truck financing you will need to go through the standard loan process. First you will need to find a lender. Secondly you will need to fill out an application form and submit the required documentation. And finally your loan application will need to be approved by the lender. Your ability to qualify for truck financing will depend on a lot of things including the type of truck that you are trying to finance, how long you have been in business, what your credit history is, what collateral you have, and the type of business that you operate.
If you are having a difficult time finding a 100 percent dump truck financing program, or if you have not been able to qualify for one of these loans then you may want to consider other financing options. Your first alternative to 100 percent truck financing is partial financing. In this case you would put down a percentage of the truck’s value in your own money and then finance the remaining balance with a truck loan. These loans are much easier to qualify for then 100 percent loans, and they tend to offer better rates and terms. Your second option is to lease instead of buying your truck. Leasing has several advantages over buying, with one advantage being that it offers more tax benefits than purchasing the machine outright.
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Friday, June 13th, 2008 |
Garbage trucks will no longer be allowed to pass through Taguig City unless they are registered with the local government, Mayor Freddie Tinga said yesterday.
He said the city council is set to pass a measure to prevent “outsider” contractors from dumping trash in vacant lands instead of going to the proper landfills.
“We believe that regulating these vehicles that carry waste materials will be the perfect way to prevent private entities and even other cities from making Taguig their dumping site,” he said in describing the ordinance authored by Councilor Delio Santos.
As chairman of the committee on environment and ecology, Santos said that all types of dump trucks, 10-wheelers, trailers and similar vehicles used for hauling would have to be registered and given clearance to pass city limits.
The measure requires payment of P2,000 registration fee per vehicle for a non-transferable sticker specifying the details of the registration and serves as an identification pass.
The registration is renewed yearly, according to Santos, who adds that local police and traffic enforcers will be authorized to stop any dump trucks without the sticker.
The erring truck driver will be fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 on the second, and P2,000 for the third time, on top of impounding the vehicle.
Garbage haulers under contract with the city hall will be given official trip tickets, Santos said.
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Thursday, June 12th, 2008 |
An empty Dump truck struck a highway overpass early Monday morning, causing the vehicle to roll over several times before coming to rest in the northbound lane of Interstate 95.
The truck’s driver, Benjamin Lamb, 24, of Brewer, was trapped inside the vehicle for several minutes but suffered only minor injuries, according to Maine State Police Trooper Josh D’Angelo.
The accident snarled traffic on the northbound lane of the interstate for about four hours near the Hogan Road exit, although D’Angelo said it could have been much worse.
“We were able to divert traffic off the interstate via the Hogan Road exit and then people could just get right back on,” he said. “It happened right at the overpass, so we didn’t have to shut down a big stretch.”
Lamb was driving the truck, owned by Roof Systems of Maine of Bangor, to a job site in Orono around 7 a.m. when he approached the Hogan Road overpass.
Normally trucks of that size pass easily underneath the 15-foot overpass, but, “It looks like the body of the truck rose as the driver was coming underneath the overpass,” D’Angelo explained.
The bucket part of the truck broke loose from the impact but Lamb couldn’t maintain control of the vehicle and it rolled over multiple times before ending up on its roof, the trooper said.
Lamb had to be extricated from the vehicle and was taken by ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center but suffered largely bumps and bruises, according to D’Angelo.
Lee Corro, vice president of Roof Systems of Maine, said he was relieved to hear that his driver was not seriously hurt and said the accident appeared to be a freak thing.
“At this point, we’re not sure what caused the back part to raise, but I haven’t had the chance to talk to [Lamb], so we don’t know what happened,” Corro said Monday afternoon by telephone.
The vehicle was insured, both for its own damage and for the approximately $75,000 in damage caused to the Hogan Road overpass, he added.
Dale Doughty, head of the Maine Department of Transportation’s regional office in Bangor, said he was told the accident bent one of the overpass beams, but the bridge did not receive major structural damage.
“It doesn’t take much to cause $75,000 in damage, believe it or not,” Doughty said.
Trooper D’Angelo said he doesn’t think speed was a factor. No charges will be filed.
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Monday, May 19th, 2008 |
General Electric said that it has tested a hybrid version of a haul truck, the kind of giant Dump truck that’s used at a mine or to haul away mountains of dirt.
The system works just like a Toyota Prius, more or less. The engine feeds electricity to a battery that runs the drivetrain. During braking, the spinning wheels act as a generator for the battery.
The batteries in the hybrid off-highway truck is the same sodium-based battery used in GE’s locomotives, according to the GE Research blog.
The hybrid haul truck wasn’t just announced in honor of Earth Day.
Rising fuel prices are pushing truck manufacturers to adopt more efficient and clean technologies.
Volvo is developing a range of Mack trucks with the goal of making them carbon neutral. A hybrid Mack dump truck can save between 25 percent and 30 percent on fuel costs.
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