18 Wheel Beauties

2-in-1!

2011-07-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

I was driving to guitar practice today, and as I entered the mall where my classes are, there was a fierce big rig parked in the parking lot there. Luckily it was Thursday night so the parking lot was fairly empty and I took a spin around to take some photos.
Unfortunately all I had was my phone, but it takes decent photos so I got some to show off.

I guess I should mention that when it comes to 4-wheelers, I'm 100% a FORD girl! I have a Ford truck myself that I spoil rotten and love like I love my pets lol, so no wonder I got excited when I saw this one....

Enjoy!

Wide Load ... and then some!

2011-06-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

So I'm in this Facebook group called "Big Trucks Big Rigs" and they post a LOT of awesome truck pics in there. The most fun ones are the "wide load" ones from various countries. I have collected a few of these photos to post on the blog here.

Enjoy!

Singing Truck!

2011-06-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

Someone posted this video from YouTube, it's corny but pretty cool anyway so I'm sharing it with the trucker world :)

Cool!!!

2011-05-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Kenworth just posted this picture on Facebook, I found it pretty cool so I plainly stole it and wanted to re-post it here. (Not to mention it's now my desktop picture on my PC here at work ....)

It's a Kenworth T800 being eaten by the World's heaviest plane, Antonov 225.

Oh how I wish I could've been there with my camera..... :)

The Great West Truck Show

2011-03-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well... it's time for me to start attending some shows. Truly, I can't wait.
Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of truck show out here on the West Coast, but I recently discovered that there will be the "mother" of all truck shows going on in Las Vegas this year, which is the "Great West Truck Show".

For those interested, it will be held at the Convention Center in Las Vegas, from June 9th to June 11th. It looks like it'll be pretty spectacular, and yours truly is already checking hotel prices to see how cheap I can get away with going there for ;-))

(Maybe someday, 18wheelbeauties will be famous enough to get comp'ed for articles... until then ... it's out of my own sorry pocket :-))

If anybody is going to be attending with their trucks, let me know, I'd be happy to write up pieces on you & the rigs. Any great tips on exhibitors that are worth taking a special glance at is also welcome. It will be my very first truck show where I'm actually going with the intent of gathering blogging material, so ideas are welcome.

I really can't wait. This will be very exciting.

I-15 - Vegas Bound!

2011-02-25T16:54:00.001-08:00

I recently took a trip to Las Vegas. If I had my wish, I'd hang out the window all 4 hours it takes to drive there, because there are so many trucks on the road. Unfortunately, hanging out the window is uncomfortable.... dust and sand, bugs in teeth etc.... no fun. lol.

I quickly figured out though, that our windshield was clean enough for me to take photos of oncoming trucks. Between that and the side mirror, I was able to get a few cool truck shots... and here it is... a pure truck photo blog... no stories.... just pictures. Enjoy.

Unmistakable Golden trucks, CRST is approaching through the joshua trees.

Passed the McDonalds truck... unfortunately I just got the grill, but that's just as well...
the burger photo on the back of those trucks would make us hungry anyway.

Cool Volvo, even though the railing, it came out as a fairly neat photo.

Coming up on a heavy load

Catching the front end in the sideview mirror.

Here's a cool photo I caught of this truck as it's driving ahead of the storm.

Line of trucks leaving Las Vegas... most likely California-bound.

Swift heading in to Vegas.... love the never-ending roadway ahead.
I guess you could call this a glimpse into a trucker's life, eh?

Swift & a nice view of the surrounding desert scenery

Nice KW - California-bound.

Giant big rigs look so tiny next to these desert hills... :)

Nice KW 900 on the roadside

The blue brigade, part 1.

This is posted @ the Mad Greek in Baker ... just in case you were calcing how much longer till you hit the Greek Islands...

Row of trucks @ the Mad Greek.

KW passing underneath an overpass in Baker.

Blue Brigade part 2

Nice glimpse of an International Lonestar, followed by the unmistakable orange Schneider Freightliner.... :)

Oversize load - a Komatsu mining truck heading through the desert.

We pulled off the freeway for a few so the oversize load could catch up.... here it is again, trying to get some better photos of it )

Here's the oversize in my sideview mirror.... it's being transported by a trusty KW.

And here it is....... the Vegas skyline! Love this sight ;-)

Vintage Fire Truck: White 1918

2011-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

My family was recently out to visit me. They live in Norway (cold country, next to Sweden ... invented the paper clip.... you get the picture), so we try to find things to show them when they come out. This time, we had an opportunity to show them the Travel Town museum @ Griffith Park.

I have been there before and I wrote a blog about their 1918 Mack dump truck that they have there. (If you missed it, you can see it here, it's a pretty neat truck). Well, I was so focused on the Mack that time that I completely missed the equally vintage 1918 White fire truck that was standing in the corner.
I spotted it this time, but unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me. Luckily my brother, the photographer, came to the rescue and snapped some shots of the fire truck for me. (Unfortunately my brother isn't as passionate about this truck as me, so I may return with more detailed photos of this truck later, if I happen to go back to the musem....) (PS. He got some very good shots of the trains though .... maybe if I feel like doing a non-truck blog at some point, I'll share a few :))

Anyway, this 1918 truck is a fire truck that was built by the White Company. At the time they were one of the foremost truck builders in the country. The truck was used by Shell to carry equipment such as hoses, ladders and fire extinguishers, to the scene of a fire. There was a large chemical tank underneath the driver's seat, and water would be pumped through this tank, thereby adding chemicals to the water itself, which would then be more efficient in extinguishing fires.
The truck was used to fight fires in Santa Fe Springs, Huntington Beach and Long Beach oil fields that were owned by Shell.

Here are some photos of the truck, and like I said, I will bring my camera should opportunity present itself once more for me to go out there, and take some more detailed photos.

A view from the driver's seat.

A glimpse of the tire... quite different from what you see on firetrucks today.

Here's a photo of a photo of the White fire truck ;-) (Along with the description, which is where I got my info about the truck from...)

Sideview of the firetruck

A view of the grill

Another view of the grill

I love these old trucks, if anybody has tips or info on other vintage trucks, feel free to alert me! :-)

Merry Stars and Stripes!

2010-12-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Went to the mall for some Christmas shopping and passed this gorgeous Kenworth T2000 on the way in. Parked outside Chevy's... which tells me that not only does this trucker have good taste in trucks, he/she also make excellent choices when it comes to culinary delights! :-)

On a sidenote, I must say I love my new phone, it has a camera in it and now I'm truly prepared for any gorgeous truck that crosses my path.... like this one.

Custom trucks: Spiderman tribute

2010-12-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine gave me a link to a truck page, where I found this gorgeous bumper-to-bumper airbrushed cabover Volvo. This truck is from Wagner Cargo in Denmark, the artwork is done by a guy named Ivar Aasland from Norway.

Take a moment and admire these photos. Please also note the custom interior, the spiderweb imprint in the upholstery is pretty cool :))

Testing mobile blogging

2010-12-12T14:41:00.001-08:00

Testing ... This may make life and blogging easier...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

christmas time

2010-12-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

hey everyone,

sorry for the long absence, but it turns out having a baby in the house is a lot of work... and leaves little time for bloggin or taking truck photos.

i want to wish everyone a merry christmas and i promise to be backwith more truck stuff very very soon... among other things, i have some photos of an old white (the make, not the color) firetruck that i am dying to share....

until then, have a great holiday season!

laila

Life intervenes...

2010-10-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of recent posts and for the lack of posts in near future.... due to a family increase, I've barely got any time to spend online these days ... (my spare time tend to be used for sleeping ;-))

Anyway.... once baby and I have settled the tiny argument of who's boss & whose sleeping schedule we should adhere to, I'll be back with more trucking posts :-)

Eye Catching Trucks: MAYFLOWER

2010-08-17T16:03:00.002-07:00

When I was a kid, I was always excited to see moving trucks around the neighborhood. At the time, the reason for my excitement revolved more around the fact that we'd have new neighbor and whether or not these neighbors had any cool kids I could play with ...

I'm all grown up now, and I'm still excited when I see moving trucks! Now however, my focus has shifted from the people moving in to the truck that carry their belongings. And now, I'm not scouting their belongings... I'm ogling the trucks. (Just to clear any potential misunderstandings! lol).

Most moving companies have really nice trucks, but the ones that always stand out are the Mayflower trucks! I really perk up when I see the Mayflower logo on a trailer, because I know with 99% certainty that I'm about to catch a glimpse of a gorgeous truck!

(So if any of you Mayflower truck drivers see my black pickup zooming by to get in front of you, it's not my intention to cut you off.... I simply wanna ogle your truck in my rearview mirror .... lol...)

A Mayflower truck I passed on my way to Arizona last year....

The Mayflower trucks are just so well polished! Both trucks & trailers are always well matched and they all look nice and clean and well taken care of. Some of the tractors have perversely huge cabs!! I'm talking apartment size cabs! Unfortunately I haven't been able to snap a photo of any of those, I usually see them when I'm driving myself & unable to take photos, but I've included a photo from one of my favorite websites, Hank's Truck Pictures , which showcases one of these cabs.

Mayflower truck with huge cab (Hank's Truck Pictures/Sissick Collection)

Another photo I found of a Mayflower truck with a good sized cab.

I recently stumbled across a Mayflower hub not far from where I live, and I was able to snap a few photos. Unfortunately it was a holiday so the gates were closed and it was hard to catch a good photo op of their trucks.

But fear not, now that I know where they are located, I'll be back there for more photos :)
(I guess I'll give up stalking United Van Lines and give them a break for awhile..... lol........)

Anyway, behind the wall of the Mayflower hub, I spotted a Mayflower trailer that probably isn't on the road as much anymore and certainly shows how the Mayflower trailers have evolved through the years... There was an old Ford truck parked next to it, but it was blocked by trees and difficult to photograph, so I'll have to catch it next time. I did, however, find a photo on the web of a similar Mayflower truck & trailer combo, so I borrowed that photo for my post.

Front end of the older Mayflower trailer parked @ the hub

Shot of the older Mayflower trailer parked @ the hub

Photo borrowed from the web, showing a similar trailer to the one I photographed,
hooked up to an old Ford truck.

Below are a couple of current Mayflower trucks & trailers I caught while out & about on my little photo safari. It's kind of interesting to compare them to the older trailer from above :)

Green Mayflower trailer outside a hub in Ontario, California

This gorgeous W900 was stretched out in front of the hub as well...

Mayflower Kenworth W900 truck, Ontario California

Mayflower Kenworth W900 truck & trailer, Ontario California

I visited the Mayflower website, just out of curiosity, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the following link:

http://www.mayflower.com/moving/full-service-movers/moving-tips/safe-driving.htm

It's a page that reiterates how to drive safely around a big rig, a topic that is near & dear to my heart and one that I cannot repeat enough in this blog so I decided to include their link.

Kudos to Mayflower for posting this! Hopefully at least a few motorists will read it & watch their behavior on the road.

How to empty a trailer

2010-08-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

My attention was recently directed towards Youtube, to these wood chip trucks and the way they unload these trucks and this is pretty crazy!

Apparently it's a cheap & efficient way of dumping out all these wood chips, but holy toledo, I'd seriously be worried about my truck if I had to send it skyhigh like this.

The drivers are not in the trucks by the way, in fact, as mentioned on one of the videos, they are usually the ones strapping down their trucks & handling the hydraulics.... that way if something goes wrong with their trucks, nobody else can be blamed .... (Makes sense!)

Anyway... below are three videos I found that were pretty cool. Two of them show the wood chip dumping from a distance so you can see the profile of the truck as it's jacked up into the air. The second video is shot from the rear so you can watch the chips as they are unloaded.

Pretty crazy stuff.... fascinating to watch. I tried to find some more info on this way of dumpting wood chips, but all that comes up in my searches are more videos....lol. However, if you read the comments on the videos, there are actually a lot of information there regarding braking systems & why they dump it this way.

Grab the popcorn & enjoy .... and by all means ....

KIDS (both big & small!)! Do NOT try this at home!! =P

Here's another video shot from the rear so you can see the chips dumping out....

And finally another clip from a thrill ride called "wood chips trucks" ... the person who shot this added a sound track to his film. :)

It's How Vampires Die!

2010-07-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

What? Vampires?? What in the world are vampires doing here, ruthlessly invading this blog, which is supposed to be about big rigs?

Despite the serious topic of the following post, I couldn't help but post the photo of this
"vampire truck" that I found on the web... very clever observation by whoever took this photo!

I do enjoy vampire literature, it's a fantastic and imaginative world that I often visit through books. (And no, I have not joined the Twilight epidemic... I do prefer more mature vamps ;-))

Throughout these vampire books, the vampires vary quite a bit in the way they live & what powers they possess. Some can tolerate a few rays of sunlight, some die on exposure, some have beating hearts still, some eat regular food in addition to sucking blood.... I could go on and on. The one thing all of them do have in common is that they are very hard to kill. There are in fact only a couple of ways a vampire can actually die and that is something that most authors seem to agree on.

So... how does a vampire die?
Simple ... tailgating a big rig at 60 mph should do it. Not even a vampire can survive decapitation.

What prompted this detour of my mind you might ask.

Well, on my way in to work this morning, I spotted a Ford Focus that was literally glued to the bumper of an 18-wheeler. The traffic was moving at about 65mph, the semi may have been at 55. This Focus was following the semi truck so close, I just had to shake my head at how little the driver of this Focus must respect his life. Or perhaps it is a lack of respect for death? Surely the Grim Reaper is not someone you want to play with and this Grim Reaper is probably not someone who should be mocked so blatantly?

I don't get it. What exactly is a 4-wheeler trying to accomplish by tailgating a semi truck so close? Do they REALLY think that by tailgating so closely, the truck is going to get out of the way? Excuse me while I chuckle a little.

First of all, trailing that closely behind a big rig means the truck driver cannot see you. You know that sticker that says "If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you"? Well.... that sticker is there to inform you that when you're trailing behind 53 foot semi, there's no way the truck driver can see you if you drive that close. (And the sticker is in fact slightly misleading as well ... it's in fact only when you can see the TRUCK DRIVER in his/her mirror that he can see you.... only catching a glimpse of their mirrors does not guarantee that you can be seen by them....)

The blind spot to the rear of a big rig is about 30 feet ... and I'm guessing that those 30 feet covers more than frontbumper-to-rearbumper of your car.

ALSO ... let's say the truck driver COULD see you when you drive that close ...
Do you REALLY think that your little, tiny Ford Focus can bully that 53', 80,000lbs vehicle out of the way?? Or perhaps you think your "sup'd up" F-350 can make that semi move out of the way...

Uhm. No. Maybe you can bully a Prius out of the way. Not an 18wheeler.

So... I think we've established that there's really no logical point in tailgating an 18-wheeler... not to mention it's rude (as is tailgating anything with less wheels too by the way) and last but not least ... this activity could be lethal!
What if said 18-wheeler has to come to a sudden stop? There's no time for a tailgater to react. You can't see ahead of the trailer... unless you have x-ray vision ... so you don't know what's going on up ahead. The only warning you get is the brake lights on the semi... which, if you're as close to the truck as this Focus was, will not going to give you any time at all to react... which means you'll be slamming face first into the truck, going at least 55mph, maybe more.

But wait.... did I say face first? The fact is, you won't actually be slamming face first into the rear of the truck. No... you'll be under the truck. Your Focus will promptly become topless.
And so will you.

That, my friends, is how you kill a vampire. Decapitation.
And if you're thinking right now "yeah but vampire's aren't real", then you completely missed the point. The point is, you don't want to lose your head & if you play with the big guys this way, chances are you literally will.

(What's that? You weren't tailgating, you were drafting? Um ... yeah ... first of all, Mythbusters proved that even if you are in fact drafting, if you get THAT close to the big rig... you are no longer saving any gas! Furhermore, those couple of dollars you could potentially save on gas by drafting won't mean much if you are dead... no matter where you think you're going in the afterlife, I doubt the currency there will be American dollars....)

I'm not going post any grotesque videos or photos here to illustrate my point.
Personally, I would think the word decapitation is a strong enough deterrent so I'll just put that in here a few more times:

decapitation, decapitation, decapitation!
Translation: It's what happens when you slam into a big rig @ 60mph!

Don't tailgate 18-wheelers!!! It could very well be your last mistake.

(Not to mention that the truck driver has to live with that for the rest of his/her life, even though it was not their fault... That hardly seems fair....)

Now ...... go play nice!

Big Rig Chronicles: Mack Trucks

2010-07-12T15:45:00.001-07:00

"The first Mack was a bus and the first bus was a Mack"
True to my word and as promised, here's a post NOT about Kenworth! :-)

This post is kind of long and includes the following:

1. Brief history of Mack & some of their more popular truck models
2. History of the Bulldog (Was the first Bulldog really carved out of.... SOAP??
3. Major "firsts" by Mack
4. Collection of Mack truck photos - some from me, some from macktruck.com

I've been forever trying to put together a "Big Rig Chronicles" piece on the Mack.... Never in my studies of trucks and truck history have I seen such a complete & detailed history. I know the Mack is known far and wide across the world as a solid & well established truck, and boy has this Mack crew been busy since the two Mack brothers formed their company in 1893. (Granted, I realize the crew itself has changed over the course of the 117 years.....)

(MACK Granite )

I must have started compiling info for this post 3-4 times over the course of the past year. Each time I just wound up knee deep (no, forget the knees.... more like "eyeball deep") in info and time lines and I ended up shaking my head & putting my notes away. This time I was determined to at least get some history down in my blog. The Mack is too big of a name and too big of a trucker tradition to leave out.

So I've severely compiled the info I found on macktrucks.com. I've left out a lot of the company history (name changes, change of owner ship etc etc....) and some of the truck models that came out over the years.... If anyone wants to read more detailed information about the history of the Mack trucks, please visit the Mack website ... trust me, you'll get enough to last you for years :-)) It's a really good read and very interesting, just very hard to compile into a brief blog post ...

Here's my kind of brief compilation ... The photos I've included in the story itself are all borrowed from http://www.macktrucks.com ...

At the very end of the blog post, I have some MACK photos that I've shot myself along with some genuine MACK photos from macktrucks.com .

Enjoy the read!

***************************************************

MACK TRUCKS!!

I don’t know when the phrase “being hit with Mack truck” came into daily usage, but I do know that it had to be after 1893. That’s when 2 Mack brothers, Jack and Augustus, bought out a company that made carriages & wagons and started their own company, only to be joined by a third brother, William, in 1894. Following a steady stream of technological inventions, the Mack brothers wanted to follow suit by producing the more powerful heavy-duty trucks in the world. That was their dream.

In 1900, the Mack brothers introduced the very first Mack to the world. It was a bus! It was used for sightseeing for 8 years.After 8 years, it was converted into a truck and by the time this bus/truck retired, it had 1 million miles of service under its belt (hood, engine … insert your own mechanical part here….).The truck brought Mack into the spotlight and was a major part of its establishment as a reputable truck manufacturer.

1904 Mack Bus (not the one mentioned above)

In 1905, the Mack brothers made Allentown, Pennsylvania, the home of the Mack.

Mack was the very first company to mount the truck cabin over the truck engine. The first cabover saw the daylight in 1905 and that was the “Manhattan” cab-over model.

“Manhattan” was the name the Mack Brothers decided to use for their company’s motorized vehicle
In 1910, they finally dropped the Manhattan name and started putting MACK nameplates on all their vehicles. The Manhattan Motor Company officially became the Mack Motor Truck Company in 1914.
In 1910, Mack produced its first hook & ladder firetruck.

1910 Hook & Ladder Mack Truck
In 1911, the Mack brothers sold off their company and Mack went into “joint custody” to a Mack holding company, International Motor Company, and another truck manufacturer, Saurer Motor Company. John and Joseph Mack continued as directors of the International Motor Company until 1912.

The first standardized Mack was the medium-duty AB that was introduced in 1914. The first model had a chain drive (worm drive), and throughout the next 23 years, it was continually modified and upgraded and a total of over 55,000 units were produced over the course of those years.

1914 AB "worm drive"
In 1916, Mack introduced the AC model. The AC model rose to fame due to its reliability and durability as a truck, it was known for its ability to accomplish nearly impossible tasks, both for civilians as well as military usage. According to Mack, this is the truck gave Mack a degree of international fame that is unmatched by any other truck in history and was manufactured through 1939.

Mack AC truck 1918
Over the next few years, Mack came up with a lot of automotive improvements that became very popular with the automotive industry, I have a brief list of some of them at the end of this post.
In 1927, Mack introduced their BB and BJ series. The demand for trucks with larger storage capacity and higher speed, along with new state regulations for truck sizes and weight limitations, prompted new designs and finer engineering technologies.

BB Mack Truck 1.5 Ton 1928-1932
In 1936, Mack’s E-Series was introduced. It was a series of medium-duty streamlined trucks, gross vehicle weight up to 23,000 lbs. Through 1951, over 78,000 units were produced.

During the 1940s, WW 2, Mack built heavy duty military trucks to support our armed forces.

Mack 1940 NR Model for Allied Forces

1940 DE Mack Model Ambulance

Significant product advancements came from Mack during the 1950s.

The G series was introduced with an 100% aluminum cab for lightweight and ability to carry bigger loads.
The H series, “the Cherry pickers”, had really high cabs but short front-to-rear-bumper dimensions. It was a response to the 45 foot legal limit, so that trucks could still pull 35 ft trailers without exceeding the length limit.
The B series came out in 1953, it had a more rounded appearance and this style seemingly more pleasing to the eye than what was currently being produced, it became a styling standard for all new trucks.

1953 BGI with the rounded body style

Mack built off-highway or mining trucks from 1926 to 1972, from 15 to 100 ton capacity. It's first model was a Mack AP model

1960 M-series off-highway mining truck

Mack LF Coal Hauler

In 1966, the B series was replaced by the R series. Just like its older sibling, the R series became one of the world’s most popular heavy duty trucks

RS 700 Mack Truck - 1966 (starting to look more familiar now? :)

RW Super Liner 1977-1990

Mack F-Model, all-steel, no-sleeper COE, 1962
1990 – After years of Renault gradually buying up stock in Mack, Mack finally becomes a subsidiary of Renault.
1999 – Vision by Mack is born! Commonly seen on the freeways today, the Vision by Mack truck is sleek & stylish, featuring aerodynamic styling & high-tech technologies

Vision by Mack

The Bulldog:
The MAck AC model(ca.1916)is the truck that is credited with giving Mack its bulldog identity.

Here’s a direct quote from Macktruck.com explaining how Mack earned its Bulldog reputation:

“The story goes that the British soldiers ("Tommies") would call out when facing a difficult truck problem, "Aye, send in the Mack Bulldogs!" The primary, and generally universal, story is that the British engineers testing AC's and the Tommys in France said that "the Mack AC's have the tenacity of a bulldog." At that time, the symbol of Great Britain was the bulldog, and this was high praise for the trucks. American "Doughboys" expressed the same opinion of the truck.”
The Bulldog was adopted as Mack’s company symbol in 1922. It was drawn first in 1921, showing a bulldog tearing up a book named “Hauling Costs” and the name of his collar is “Mack”.

The first Bulldog AB name plate
Mack’s Chief Engineer, Alfred Masury, was admitted to the hospital for surgery. The engineer wasn’t one to lie about idly while recovering, so he decided to carve a bulldog.Some rumors say that his first bulldog was carved out of a bar of soap, some say it was carved out of wood. He received a patent for his design and this is the bulldog that is being used for Mack hood ornaments today.

Bulldog patent illustration
A few of the many technologies & improvements introduced to the truck world by Mack:

In 1918, Mack became the first truck manufacturer to apply air cleaners and oil filters to trucks.
In 1920, they also came out with the first power brakes on trucks, using a vacuum-booster system.
In 1921, they greatly improved shock resistance by coming up with rubber isolators as cushions in mounting chassis components. This invention became so popular, they had to form a separate company, the Rubber Shock Insulator Company, in order to handle the demand for license agreements with other car companies who wanted to apply this technology to their vehicles.
In 1938, Mack was the first company to produce its own heavy-duty diesel engine, by which they established a tradition of “balanced design” (Quote from mack.com: in which the integration of the powertrain and vehicle design maximize performance). This is still in use today.
In 1953, Mack introduced the Thermodyne open chamber direct-injection diesel engine, further establishing Mack’s leadership within the diesel technology and fuel efficiency.
1967 – Maxidyne engine is introduced, improving fuel efficiency and reducing the need for shifting by leveling the horsepower curve. With this type of improvement in engineering, a truck with 5-speed transmission could now be used for over-the-road applications, instead of the 10-speed trucks that had been used up till now.
1967 – Maxitorque transmission – first triple countershaft, compact length design for Class 8 trucks, providing a 5-speed transmission only 2/3rd the length of the multi-speed transmissions, welcomed among truckers who were concerned about the gross weight of their vehicle.
1969 – pioneered & patented cab air suspension
1971 – introduced & patented the Dynatard engine brake, the very first engine compression brake.

I'm sure there have been many more patents since... especially in the way of technology.

At last, here are some random Mack truck photos...... because a truck blog isn't really a truck blog unless you include some truck photos :)

The MACK below was photographed one afternoon at a local quarry (Holliday Rock). I see this faithful steed pulling loads up and down the streets a lot, it's almost like we're friends now. lol.

The MACK truck below is one I posted about in May, it's a 1918 MACK truck, now retired & on display @ Griffith Travel town museum. The info I got on this truck did not include the model name, however judging by the time period and the description, I'd say it's probably an AB (although, judging by the strength & the work load this fellow was able to pull, I'm tempted to say it's an AC.... however the grill on the AC photos I've seen don't look like this so I'll stick with the AB for now.... Anyone reading this, please feel free to verify or deny :))

The photos below have been borrowed from http://www.macktrucks.com/

I really hope these truck sites don't mind me using their photos in my posts, it's just that nobody else can do their trucks better justice than they can themselves! I love posting their pics in these blogs so people can get a nice, up-close view of their models.

A lineup of MACK's Pinnacle Series

MACK Pinnacle Smartway

MACK Pinnacle Sleepers

MACK Pinnacle Rawhide Edition

MACK Rawhide

MACK rocks! One simply can't argue with tradition. Their new Highway series looks very nice, I hope to see many more MACKs on the freeway so they can be thoroughly admired up close!

Custom Rigs - 2005 Kenworth

2010-07-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't made a secret out of the fact that the Kenworth is my favorite truck, but I promise that I really don't go out of my way to post this many articles about Kenworth in a row! lol However, all the photos I've received lately have been exactly that.... Kenworth. So here's another one ;-) hehe.

Actually, my own photos are currently being held hostage by a PC that's not functioning as it should ... I do have other truck photos on my camera & on my PC that I'm waiting to use once my PC is up & running again.

Also, a brief disclaimer, I'm not in the habit of advertising on this blog, but when someone sends me nice photos like these, of trucks they've been working on & restoring, I think they deserve to be credited for the nice work that was done (plus, I do get inquiries regarding some of the trucks that I mention in this blog, so it's nice to know where to direct people if they are interested in that...)

These photos are of a custom truck, originally a 2005 Kenworth.
The paint job was done by Mayes Truck & Trailer Repair & Sales, and Ed Mayes helped customizing the truck with many of those gorgeous Chrome parts. They are located in Central PA, so if anybody out there needs a hand with their truck, I'm sure they'll be happy to help :) They can be contacted @ (717)463-3042.

Anyway, below are the photos that were sent to me. I can't tear my eyes away from the shiny chrome. Wouldn't mind seeing that in my rear view mirror :)

Gorgeous!
Ok, despite the fact that I do have more Kenworth photos in my mailbox, I promise I'll focus on posting a non-Kenworth post next .... Scout's honor! :-)

Truck Replica: Snowman's Rig from "Smokey & The Bandit"

2010-07-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

The following post has been one of the most fun ones I've delved into since I started this blog!
It turned out to be about much more than just the truck (and I don't mean to downplay the importance of the truck here... this IS a truck blog after all!!).
What I mean by that is, once I started digging in and reading up on info that was provided to me regarding this truck project, I kept finding so many new & interesting facts and I have been introduced to a whole new world I knew nothing about prior to this. So cool! This is the very reason I started this blog in the first place, to learn stuff!!

Anyway, I hope you find all this as interesting as I did and if you don't, then at least scroll down and look at the photos of this awesomely fabulous truck that is a direct replica of Snowman's Rig!! It's gorgeous and deserves to be ogled!

It all started with an email I received from a gentleman named Greg and he had included some awesome photos of a truck he has been working on (along with other crew members).
It is a beautiful replica of Snowman's rig from "Smokey & the Bandit"!
And who, first of all, doesn't love Smokey & the Bandit! Seriously ... if you're into trucks at all, you have to love this movie ... I believe that's a requirement :-)I loved the photos of this truck and as soon as I was done admiring the truck and had wiped the drool from my keyboard, I emailed Greg back & he gave me more links & more info about this truck & their project. That's when I realized that this truck is not just about the truck itself. These guys have embraced the entire Smokey & The Bandit theme to its fullest and not only that, they are keeping Jerry Reed's memory alive by aiding projects he was passionate about, and these are project who doubt are near & dear to most truckers & Americans in general.

Jerry Reed
(I purposely chose a non-Snowman pic of him, as his accomplishments in life were many & mainly in music!)
Portion of the proceeds that are received from shows that they participate in go to charities that were near & dear to Mr. Snowman himself, Jerry Reed. These charities mainly revolve around raising funds to aid veterans and their families. I find it pretty amazing how their interest for the movie has led them on this journey together, to replicate not only the truck, but other vehicles from the movie as well (some are included in the photos below), and then giving back to charities that Jerry Reed himself was passionate about... it's a complete circle.

One of the main projects in focus is the Wounded Warrior Project.

I had heard about the WWP packs before, which are backpacks delivered to wounded soldiers who end up in military trauma centers. The packs include comfort items such as phone cards, clothes, toiletries etc, things that will help make a soldier's stay at such an institution a bit more comfortable.While reading about the WWP, I found that they offer a variety of other services for wounded veterans and their families, such as counseling, mentoring, programs that help wounded veterans get back to work... as well as many other programs and projects.
One of their most intriguing projects is the one called "Project Odyssey". It's a 5-day retreat designed to help soldiers deal with combat stress by putting them to work in an environment where they are surrounded by nature, for instance they'll stay at a ranch for a week, herding cattle . In case you want to read more, I will post the link to the WWP website at the end of this post.
(After all, I don't want you running off to other websites before you've seen all the fabulous photos of Snowman's rig!! :))

ANYWAY, back to the truck!! This truck was a collaboration between several individuals. People from all walks of life joined forces and made this truck happen! According to Greg there were a lot of obstacles and problems along the way, but he says he'll do it all over again in a heart beat! :) (Sounds really cool ... I'd love to be a part of something like that at some point in my life... sounds like a great time despite all challenges that came along.)
The group met at the Bandit Run in 2007 and the dream of a full-size replica started over a 1/24 scale model... now it's a reality, isn't it! :) (See that? Everything is possible!)

Because the truck is being used for the Wounded Warrior Project, the Kenworth was purchased by an anonymous Bandit Runner and given to the "Snowman" team in order to complete Snowman's rig.

Both this KW and the other cars in the photos below attended the Bandit Run in 2009.
The Bandit Run is a re-enactment of the "Smokey and the Bandit" journey from 1977. The first reenactment happened in 2007 and the event has become an annual tradition since then.

(A link to the Bandit Run will be posted at the end of this blog...)

This is so cool... through this blog, I've been introduced to an entirely new world I had no idea existed! Makes me wonder what else is out there.... :)

Ok, let's see the photos!!

All these photos are of the replica, all vehicles in these photos are replicas, none of these shots or vehicles are from the movie itself!

Buford's car, the famous Trans Am and Snowman's Rig

I cropped out & inserted this close-up of the grill ... I really love the worn-out KW emblem...
Is that bullet hole by the way?

As far as I know, this is from a show ... & he didn't really get pulled over by a cop ... (Although if I was a cop I'd be tempted to, just to get a look at this truck :)

Jerry Reed's family, which are very much connected with this project, checking out the truck
(or are they waiting to raid the Coors crates? hehe :))

Love the Jerry Reed graphic on the door panels.

A closer look at the Jerry Reed graphic that is displayed on the door panels of the truck. Looking really nice!

Ok, here are a few links where you can read more about the WWP, as well as the Bandit Run and this truck, including info on how to get in touch should you wish to book them for a show.

The Snowman's Trailer - Official Snowman's Trailer Graphic (website still under construction). Available for sale will be t-shirts, posters & you can also get a quote for your very own custom Snowman Trailer Graphic :)

Smokey and the Bandit Models - info, photos and also info on how to get in touch with these guys to book them for shows.

The Bandit Run - photos, videos & lots of info about past & upcoming runs!

Wounded Warrior Project - more info about the WWP.

Kevin Morgan Designs - website of one of the co-owners! And I must say, for having 4 wheels only, this Concept TransAm is sweeet :)

Creative Color Graphics and Print Studio - the custom vinyl graphics for Snowman's rig was printed by this company.

Kenworth T700 .... & more ...

2010-06-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

I ventured to one of my favorite websites the other day, which is kenworth.com .

This, by the way, is definitely a proof that I was not wired correctly at birth... lol ....
According to society I should be worrying more about the new spring line from Coco Chanel & the newest line of Coach purses, and I should certainly not muddy my girl brain by checking out the new models from Kenworth .... Alas, I am what I am, which means that I find myself spending hours clicking through the trucks on kenworth.com or peterbilt.com or whichever make catches my interest (or my eye).

So, it was Kenworth that was on my mind this time! During one of my daily commutes, I had spotted the truck that is pictured below, and I mistakenly thought it was a previous model (such as a T660) that had been updated with a new grill. I went to their website to check out their new line and it turns out that this is an entirely new Kenworth model, namely the Kenworth T700! I think it's exciting when a new truck is born, so I figured I'd share my joy!

Anyway, the shape & styling of this truck is apparently not only for cosmetic reasons, although Kenworth never fail to make their trucks look stunning and the T700 is no exception.
According to the brochure, the shape of the truck creates the lowest aerodynamic drag in the history of Kenworth trucks. Other new money saving technologies (and I'm sure those are much welcome & much needed!) include a special material on the bumpers & chassis that doesn't require new paint jobs, they are fade & impact resistant, which means less trips to the shop:)

Other stats:
8 ft Cathedral ceiling
60 cubic feet of interior storage
96 inch head room

If you want to read more about the T700, please click here for the brochure. It also has more photos of the truck & the interior.

(And just for the record, no I do not work for Kenworth LOL .... this was written voluntarily for no other reward than some cool new personal knowledge of a great new truck on the road ;-))

OK ... so while I was at it, I figured I'd look up some photos of the 2011 truck fleet from Kenworth... There aren't that many 2011 photos out there yet, I think I'll need to visit a local Kenworth dealer on my own & bring my camera :) Hopefully they won't be too disappointed when they find out I'm not in the market for a truck!

I did find a few photos though, and they are displayed below:

2011 Kenworth T660

Here's an entire row of 2011 Kenworth T660s in every color. Looking good!

2011 Kenworth T800 - love that bright green!!

Anyway, finally I found a really cool montage on the Kenworth website of all their truck models! I'm sad not to see the T2000 on there ... could it be that the T700 replaced the 2000? (I can't think of any other reason for the T2000 not to make it on to the montage ....).
Even without the T2000 (*sniff*), this montage looks very good, wouldn't mind a full-size poster of this up on my wall somewhere, alas sadly these photos are too small to blow up & print.

Ok... guess I better head over and see which Jimmy Choo's are in this year. ...

Heck, who am I kidding ... next stop Peterbilt! ;-)

Have a nice day ... be safe!

Eye Catching Trucks: United Van Lines - Golden Eagle Moving Services (Upland, CA)

2010-06-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that the trucks and the trailers for moving companies are usually pretty spectacular!
Obviously I'm not expert on this particular subject, it's just an observation I've made through the years .... I have no idea why moving trucks have all those extra drawers & trailers that almost reach all the way down to the asphalt (I call them "skirts" in my head lol... I'm fairly sure that's not a valid term!!), but they look nice! (If anyone is in this particular niche of logistics & would care to enlighten me on the subject, I'd be most interested actually :))
Anyway, most Mayflower trucks certainly are headturners .... North American have some pretty sweet rides, as do United Van Lines.

As a truck enthusiast, I feel pretty lucky to have a logistics company right around the corner from where I live! The company is Golden Eagle Moving Services (United Van Lines), and they have some really nice trucks!! If I still live here when I retire, I'll probably camp outside their truck yard & stare at their semis all day long ... lol. (Not creepy at all, I'm sure ... of course I'll be an old blue-haired lady at that time so I may not be seen as a threat ;-)))

For now, I just wander up there with my camera every now and then and catch some of the trucks they have sitting out there. I pass their drive way on my way to and from work every day, and I always make sure to peer down the road where these trucks are parked sometimes to see if there's a beauty sitting out there. Below are some photos I took of a couple of their trucks, I'm sure I'll have more eventually.... (And if anybody who reads this is actually working @ Golden Eagle & you see some chick out there with a camera, don't worry... I'm really only photographic your trucks for my own enjoyment! :))

Anyway, here are 3 of their trucks as caught by my lens on a few different occasions. There's a Freightliner & two Kenworths - a T2000 & a T600 (if I'm not mistaken ...). Enjoy!

To my Readers! Thank you!

2010-06-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

I opened up my mailbox & am somewhat overwhelmed (in a good way!) by the nice emails & photos I have gotten from many of you. I'm really sorry for the time it has taken me to get back to some of you, but I reaaaaally appreciate the emails & the beautiful truck photos you have sent!!

I'll be posting everything I receive (well almost everything....), definitely I will be posting your nice truck photos, so thank you so much for all your mails & thank you for reading my blog :-)

Take care of yourselves when you're out there, stay safe & don't forget that in a jungle of ignorant & rude motorists, there are a 4-wheelers who will do their best to make your ride a little better :-)) Thanks for everything you do for all consumers out there!

Keep on Truckin'!!

Warm greetings & Best wishes,

Laila

Historic Trucks: 1918 Mack Dump Truck

2010-05-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I may be a sucker for polished chrome & custom grills, but there is something to be said for these old faithful trucks that are still around today. I do like vintage cars, vintage trucks even better, and this 1918 Mack dump truck caught my eye while I was attending a birthday party.

I'm glad I finally get to blog about Mack! I've repeateadly sat down to try to include the story of Mack trucks in my big rig chronicles, but their history is so long with so many changes, it is taking me awhile to get my thoughts wrapped up and sorted into a blog ... (it'll happen some day ... you just wait & see...)

Of course, I hadn't brought my camera that day! I guess that should teach me to leave the camera at home because you never know when you'll run across interesting blog material!
Well, I made another trip out there, purely for the purpose of photographing the truck. Once I'd seen it, it didn't want to leave my mind!

This truck is displayed at the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park. The museum consists mainly of trains, but they did make room for a few cars, and amont them this truck.

The following information is taken straight from the information sign that the museum had posted by the truck:

'This Mack Truck has special significance for Southern California. Unlike most Mack trucks of the period, it did much more than haul the usual loads of gravel, bruck, and logs. It was used during delivery and installation of the telescopic equipment at the Solar Observatory, which stands atop Pasadena's Mt.Wilson.

The Mt. Wilson Observatory, founded in 1904, contains two solar telescopes, one of which is a 60-inch reflecting telescop - the largest in the world. Our 1918 Mack truck was one of the several trucks used to haul the parts of the telescope up Mt. Wilson's winding toll road of dirt and gravel. The trucks, often wider than the road, had to make their way up a 12 percent average grade carrying the parts of the 4 1/2 ton telescope.

The 100-inch reflecting telescope was in operation by late 1918. Although it was closed in 1985, due to its costly operation, it remains a unique part of Los Angeles' istory, as does this 1918 Mack dump truck."

Here are the photos I took of the truck:

1918 Mack Dump Truck

1918 Mack Dump Truck - front tire ... don't know about you, but I just can't help
but compare these tires to the tires today's trucks are using... Maybe the evolution of truck tires
should be a blog topic some day.

1918 Mack Dump Truck - front crank. Funky stuff ... lol.

1918 Mack Dump Truck - nice side view

1918 Mack Dump Truck - rear view

1918 Mack Dump Truck - rear tire

1918 Mack Dump Truck - front

1918 Mack Dump Truck - side view

1918 Mack Dump Truck - shot of the grill

Certainly doesn't look bad ... for a 92-year old :) It hasn't aged a bit, its only problem is that time kept on moving and so did the evolution of trucks... oh well :) Still looks good to me!

Is that really an International???

2010-03-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

I saw this truck on the freeway yesterday. First I watched it drive by as I was heading down the on-ramp and it's massive grill caught my eye. My head was spinning and I was thinking "What the heck was that truck??" When I finally got on the freeway, I stepped on the gas in order to catch up to this truck. Normally that wouldn't be difficult, since trucks normally go 55mph and this one was no different, but it was a Sunday and you know what they say about these Sunday drivers ... they were out in force!

I was finally able to roll past the 18-wheeler. The mudflaps on the truck said "International" ... and I was thinking "no way"!!! Turns out the mudflaps didn't lie! It was indeed an International. This was my very first encounter & sighting of the International Lonestar.

Now, I don't mean to bag on the International trucks, but apart from the occasional Eagle that I see, I find that International trucks don't really stand out that much when it comes to design. That's why I was so surprised and thoroughly impressed when I found that this beautiful specimen of a truck actually was an International!

Visiting International's website, I found that the Lonestar truck was originally inspired by the 1939 D-series. Inserted is a photo of a D-39.

Now go ahead and compare it to the following photos of the International Lonestar, which I borrowed from http://www.internationaltrucks.com/ They have a lot more photos of the International Lonestar on their website, I just picked out a few to show for my blog :) You may want to roll on over there once you're done with these photos & check out the rest of them.

Please enjoy & please refrain from drooling on your keyboard ...

Eye catching trucks: Steelcase

2010-03-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

I love companies that put thought & effort into making their trucks look good and make an impression as they roll down the highway. After all, it's literally a rolling billboard! (Of course, I DO realize the value & reasoning behind unmarked trailers, don't get me wrong.... )

One of the nicer looking trailers I see around is Steelcase! Love their dark blue trailers with that rainbow colored logo, usually pulled by a dark blue or black truck! Below are some Steelcase photos, they are borrowed from http://www.hankstruckpictures.com .... (LOVE that site! :))

Heavy load!

2010-03-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

Someone on Facebook posted this very cool photo, I had to steal it and post it here! What I wouldn't give to see this transport coming up the road!!