Convert Trucks Into Multi-Purpose Vehicles

Pickup trucks are tremendously popular, but there are a good number of people who shy away from them for one single reason: the bed is exposed. It doesn't have to be that way. There are retractable tonneau covers that quickly, easily and permanently remedy that situation. Get one, and you never have to worry about things being seen that should stay out of sight, or things flying off that should stay put.

Truck tonneau covers have so many advantages that I am surprised they are not standard equipment on pickup trucks. Or at least that not more trucks have them. The other day I asked a friend what she thought of them and she couldn't stop praising truck tonneaus. She said it was the first thing her husband put on his new truck after he got it. It was easy to install and he didn't even need a drill thanks to the clamp attachment system it came with. She said that once they had the tonno, they got much more use out of the truck. Before, they'd been afraid that things would fly off the bed or that they weren't safe being exposed for everyone to see.

I think that's a key point. Truck beds offer tremendous utility in moving stuff around, but they leave everything exposed. This means you can't really take the truck on a trip unless you want to take anything valuable off the bed and stow it away when you park or stay over somewhere. This can greatly limit the way a truck is being used. But put a retractable tonneau cover on and everything is different.

Unfortunately, many truck owners don't even know just how great and flexible tonnes are. For example, they come in different styles. The basic bedlocker roll-tops are just that: you manually open them and close them, and they have a lock to keep things safe. Side rails usually fit flush against the top of the truck bed, and the box mounted in the bed beneath the rear window takes hardly any space at all. Next up are "JackRabbit" tonneaus that use continuous tension springs to open automatically when you release them. Closing them is easy with a pull string. Top of the line tonneau covers may have an electric motor and a remote control lock.

What if you want to keep things locked away and out of sight, and still carry bulky items? Not a problem. The better tonneaus have optional rail systems that quickly slip into place if you need them. This way you can secure and protect valuable gear while still transporting large equipment on top of the bed.

What it all amounts to is that you can use your truck for so much more with a tonneau. My friend told of weekend and vacation trips with the truck that would never have been possible without a tonneau. The full-metal construction of the roll-top, combined with the lock, meant freedom to leave expensive gear on the bed at night, all nice and dry and protected. And she said the truck even got better gas mileage.

Retractable tonneau covers are amazingly affordable and they install easily. Adding one to a truck means tons of extra functionality. It's really a no-brainer.

Isuzu Trucks - well known name

Isuzu is a very well known name in the trucking industry. The Isuzu Motor Company produces commercial vehicles and heavy duty trucks. Based in Tokyo, Japan, Isuzu was listed as the world's biggest medium to heavy duty truck manufacturer in the world for 2005. Isuzu Motors Ltd. Currently has assembly and manufacturing plants in Fujisawa, Tochigi and Hokkaido, Japan. The company became world famous for its production of diesel engines, producing more than 16 million in 2003 alone. These engines can now be found in automobiles throughout the world.

Throughout Asia, Africa and most of Europe, Isuzu is known for all sizes of trucks. In the 1990s when their small automobile sales dropped substantially, sedans and compact cars were taken from the line-up. This left the company free to manufacture the medium to heavy duty trucks that they are famous for. In fact for the last 21 years, Isuzu trucks have been the number one choice of American truckers for dependability and efficiency. More than 86 percent of all the Isuzu trucks that have been sold in the United States since the 1980s are still registered as being in use. Due to a decrease in the sales of their rebadged vehicles, Isuzu has announced a complete withdrawal from the American market which is expected to begin in January, 2009. Although Isuzu will continue to provide parts and vehicle support, due to slowing sales the only vehicles that Isuzu will sell in the United States after this date will be commercial vehicles.

Isuzu offers three categories of commercial trucks. The N Series offers the famous hexa-cube cab design and is currently available in either gas or diesel. The panoramic visibility of this series is one of the reasons that it has become so popular over the years along with the low cost of operation. The F Series boasts near perfect maneuverability and the patented diesel engine that has made Isuzu so famous. The last in the Isuzu line-up is the H Series. This series offers class 6 to class 8 trucks for heavy duty hauling and can handle up to 54,600 pounds with ease.

Isuzu trucks have more than gained their share of popularity over the past few years. Many truck drivers will tell you that Isuzu produces the best truck around. Of course most truckers will be loyal to the brand of truck that they are currently driving, but Isuzu offers a very fuel efficient approach to trucking. Whichever series of Isuzu trucks you are driving or are considering, there are many styles and sizes in which you can find the perfect truck for your hauling needs.

Bumper Can Save More Lives

Every year hundreds of children and adults are injured and some are killed as a result of vehicles backing over these victims. Most back up accidents involve children under the age of 5 and elderly persons over 60 years of age. These backing up deaths occur in SUVs, passenger cars, trucks and commercial trucks as well.

In 2003 there were 91 deaths associated with people backing over people (although only 44 were from cars, SUV’s or pickup trucks). We’ve spent millions of dollars developing back-up alarms and back-up cameras – some cars even come equipped with them.

But, in that same year, 143 people died as a result of a rear end accident to a passenger car or truck. So why don’t we make stronger rear bumpers or relocate the gas tank to protect the 143 people that die from fires resulting from a rear end accident?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of backup cameras and backup alarms. But I want you to take a close look at these statistics to see if we need stronger bumpers or tank relocation before we get backup alarms or backup cameras.

Fires occur in approximately 2.4 percent of all fatal crashes. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates approximately 310 deaths per year are caused by post-collision vehicle fires. The largest cause of these fire-related fatalities, are rear impacts.

Jeff Mohr, CEO of Mohr Mfg and superbumper.com states: "Although fires are rare, they are not as rare as accidentally backing over someone. If you just take the statistics from 2003, and you consider only passenger cars, SUV’s or light trucks, you are over 3 times more likely to burn to death in a rear-end collision than you are to kill someone by backing over them!"

"When you consider just pickup trucks, you are over 2 times more likely to burn to death in a rear end collision than you are to back over someone driving a pickup truck" he added. And it's a gruesome death. Usually the frame of the vehicle gets crushed to the point where the doors jam shut. And, because it's almost impossible to punch your way through the safety glass, you end up trapped.

77% Of Fuel System Ruptures Were The Result Of Rear End Collision Damage. Why? Because The Fuel Tank On Most Vehicles Is In The Rear! And, rear-end impacts are three times as likely to result in fatal fire crashes. Although today's gas tanks have protective bladders, the tank sometimes ends up separating from the filler hose and the gas starts leaking.

There are only two ways the problem can be fixed? Relocating the gas tank and/or shielding it from rupture or puncture. These are the two single and most practical solutions to fuel fed fires.

2006 Nissan Frontier

Mid-size pickup truck sales are holding strong. Along with entries from the Big Three, all major Japanese manufacturers have one, and there are rumors the Koreans are planning to get in the act. Part of Nissan's plans are to focus on truck sales, and the Frontier has enough going for it that dominance in the segment is not such a far-fetched idea. For a starting price of $15,900 for the King Cab, there's a lot of truck to enjoy. The Frontier features a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty.

First Glance:

Nissan's claim that the Frontier offers "full-size hardware in a mid-size package" can be validated easily. First, the F-Alpha platform, which serves as the Frontier's frame, is straight from the Titan full-size truck. Frontier also shares some of the Titan's component designs, such as the double-wishbone front suspension and solid rear axle. If you look at the front of the trucks, the only way to tell them apart would be primarily size. Both feature the angled strut chrome bars that dominate the facades of all Nissan pickups and SUVs. Short front and rear overhangs along with fender flares give the Frontier an aggressive look. The NISMO (Nissan Motorsports) edition that served as our test vehicle receives unique 16-inch alloy wheels with BFGoodrich off-road tires, as well as NISMO badging, a front skidplate for underbody protection when traveling off road, a spray-in bedliner, Bilstein shocks, and other NISMO-specific items. The Sunroof package for $900 also includes the roof rack with crossbars for storing luggage and other items you don't want to get dirty on the trail when heading to the campsite. We also would opt for the $300 lightweight sliding bed extender, which allows more cargo-carrying options.

Trucks congest national highways in protest

The skyrocketing cost of diesel fuel has truck drivers angry, and there is a nationwide effort that is calling on them to strike.

NECN’s Danica Pecirep has more.

Script:

Hopping into his truck Tuesday at a rest stop on the Mass Pike, Ryan Bryden, an independent truck driver from northeastern Pennsylvania, is preparing to strike.

Ryan: “I would have been on strike today - I just ran a little bit late actually - when I’m going home right now - I’ll be on strike.”

Like many independent truck drivers across the country, Bryden will be protesting for the next few days, against the rising price of diesel fuel - by stopping their trucks completely on roads and highways, or going at very slow speeds. Bryden says he's hopeful it will bring the prices down.

Bryden: “When its $4.20 a gallon of fuel and you're getting paid $2 a mile, you just can't make no money out here - everybody's going broke - and everybody's giving tractor trailers back because they can't afford to run a truck.”

Independent truckers are being supported by the owner-operator Independent Drivers Association - an advocacy group pushing for legislation to make changes to the fuel surcharges impacting drivers. A statement from the organization in regards to the strike says...

"Lawmakers need to know whats going on in trucking, how devasting this record hike in fuel prices is for 90 percent of the nation's fleet.”

Tuesday, top executives from the five biggest U.S. oil companies were pressed to explain the recent rise.

Tom Barrett, a Massachusetts native, knows the crisis facing truckers all too well. Not only does he drive a truck - he delivers diesel fuel to pumps across the state.

Barrett: “The number one cost associated with running your business, is fuel and there’s been a big increase with no increase in revenue.”

A cost he's familiar with from filling his own tank.

“I put 150 gallons in mine yesterday it was $635 dollars - and that will last me 2 days.”

Ford says U.S. sales fall 14 percent in March

Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday its U.S. sales fell 14 percent in March as weaker sales of trucks and sport-utility vehicles more than offset gains for its new vehicles, such as the Edge crossover.

Sales of light trucks were down 16.7 percent from a year earlier, while car sales were down 9.6 percent.

The automaker said its retail sales were down 17 percent, while sales to fleet customers, including car rental agencies, were down 13 percent.

Sales of Ford's market-leading F-Series pickup trucks were down almost 24 percent. Overall, Ford sold 227,143 vehicles compared with 264,975 a year earlier.

The results were broadly in line with the expectations of industry analysts, who had forecast weak sales results across the industry in March due to the ongoing housing slump, tighter credit and more cautious consumer sentiment.

Ford was the first of the six major automakers to report monthly sales results for the U.S. market, the world's largest.

Ford reports its sales figures without adjusting for the number of sales days in the month. Other major automakers, including Toyota Motor Co, report the adjusted figures more widely tracked by analysts and investors.

There were 26 selling days in March, two fewer than a year earlier, meaning that Ford's adjusted sales decline would have been 7.6 percent.

Analysts had forecast an adjusted sales decline of up to 10 percent for Ford, now the third-largest automaker in the U.S. market behind Toyota.

Despite the overall sales decline, Ford pointed to success with its new Focus sedan, where sales rose 24 percent from a year earlier. In a statement, the company also said its Edge crossover was selling more strongly outside its strongest market in the Great Lakes region.

Ford shares were up over 2 percent at $5.85 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Nissan Still Thinking Diesel for Trucks

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. remains committed to diesel power for its Titan pickup in the U.S., a key product-planning executive told Inside Line at the recent Detroit auto show.
Tom Lane, Nissan’s corporate vice president for product strategy and the product planning division, says, “The market is a complete bloodbath,” but admits Nissan “could do a better job selling the Titan.”
However, he refutes rumors that have suggested Nissan is considering dropping the Titan, saying, “We’re not planning on getting out of this.”
In fact, just the opposite: Lane implies Nissan remains committed to adding diesel power for the Titan.
“I would expect Nissan to have diesel trucks in the future,” he says. “Fuel efficiency for trucks is a huge issue — and it’s a good powertrain for the truck customer.” Lane declines to mention when the diesel option will be in showrooms, however.
Lane adds that Nissan is not necessarily trying to pull domestic-pickup buyers.
“We want to be a little different,” he says, while noting that it’s also difficult to steal buyers from Ford, GM and Chrysler because of the intense brand loyalty in the pickup segment. Nonetheless, Nissan’s continuing commitment to diesel power can be seen as an effort to remain competitive with domestic brands — after all, each of Detroit’s Big Three has guaranteed diesel engines for their light-duty pickups, beginning with ‘09 models.
It once was believed to be a near-certainty Nissan would source its pickup diesel from an independent engine maker such as International Engine or Cummins, but the outside chance remains that Nissan could adapt a large V6 diesel made by partner Renault SA; a Renault-developed and manufactured 3.0-liter V6 diesel will be seen in ‘10 for the next-generation Maxima.