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Sorry to have been so long since the last entry... been a wild year for me. Let's see, what's been going on?..

As the former owner of a 1996 Ram 3500 and the present owner of a 2005 Ram 3500, I've been awaiting this introduction for quite some time.  It was going to determine whether I hung on to my 05 or started saving for a new one. In my blog post on the 2009 Ram 1500, I noted three things that I hoped would appear on the 2010 Ram HD, and it looks like I scored on all three.  The front bumper is indeed fully separate from the body (unlike the 1500) so that auxiliary equipment like plows and winches can be installed easily.  The ST model offers an all-vinyl interior that you can get dirty.  And the front springs in particular have been uprated and it now appears that they may permit a snow-plow package for the diesel pickups (a Dodge first, Ford has offered it for years). As for the truck itself...

A couple of good articles from the November/December issue of Road King magazine that are worth a look... Color Me Safe - High visibility seat belts encourage truckers to buckle up  - more truck manufacturers are offering, and more operators are installing, brightly colored seat belts. Trying Times - During some tough years this driver discovered his resolve to succeed - a 25-year veteran of the highway shares his experiences with health, family, and finances...

Coming out of the Thanksgiving weekend, what I am most thankful for is making it back home to San Francisco without incident driving a 16' rental truck. I had to rent a truck to take back a piece of furniture and a few miscellaneous boxes that my parents had been storing for me since I left home back in 1996. I finally bought a house this summer, so I was going to have space for the gorgeous china cabinet I inherited from my grandmother...

The late arrival to the party could very well be wondering why they bothered. Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA was quoted in Automotive News last week from the Paris Auto Show regarding the company's outlook on the Tundra.  Lentz noted that Toyota does not want to get caught in the Ford F-Series vs Chevy Silverado war for first place in sales, or market against the all-new Dodge Ram 1500 or Ford F150.  He acknowledged that many of the former buyers of pickups - commuters and those who wanted the "image" - have left the market for more fuel efficient vehicles (aka, cars) and likely won't return. Toyota expected to sell 20,000 units per month after a fairly successful launch year, but their September 2008 sales were a dismal 7696, down over 60 percent from the September 2007 tally...

I was talking to Vikki (pilot of the red Pete on your left) the other night, and she told a story that emphasizes a point I made in my CarSpace Guide Driving With The Big Rigs - specifically item number 4. Vik said she was hauling a piece of construction equipment on a flatbed.  She was slowing down for a traffic light when another vehicle not only changed into her lane, but did so while slowly coasting, causing Vik to really lay into the whoa pedal.  At that point, Vikki said she heard the terrifying sound of a tie-down chain snapping due to the change in weight transfer force.  "All I could think of was that bulldozer joining me in the cab," she said.  After a barrage of bad language into the CB, Vik pulled over and replaced the chain before proceeding. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles includes the following stat in its driver's manual: - stopping distance including reaction time from 55 mph in a car is 190 feet - stopping distance including reaction time for a loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes is 430 feet Before you make that lane change to "jockey for position" at the red light, make sure you have not cut the available stopping room for a much larger vehicle behind you.  Unless of course, you like the idea of potentially being pushed into an intersection of cross traffic at speed.  Or as in the situation Vikki had, if the other chains had not held, you could cause serious injury or death to a trucker without ever making vehicular contact.

Earlier this week, Ford announced that the redesigned 2009 F150 will be delayed about 2 months to help clear inventory of the existing model.  Ford blamed the economic downturn and rising fuel prices for the slower-than-expected sales of their biggest selling vehicle The following are the May 2008 and year-to-date sales numbers for the top selling vehicles in the US, in order of May sales: Honda Civic      53,299       164,994 Toyota Corolla   52,826      152,308 Toyota Camry   51,291      198,309 Honda Accord   43,728      166,158 Ford F-series   42,973      235,924 As many people know, the Ford F-series (150 through 550) has been the best selling vehicle nameplate for 25 straight years.  And by the year-to-date numbers, they had something of a headstart before fuel prices blew through the roof in March. I was going through some archived email and stumbled across this... caveat:  July 2005 was the famous Employee Discount program at all of the Big 3...

TravelCenters of America (TA) and Pilot, two of the national truck stop chains, are reporting a few of their stations in upstate New York are selling diesel for (drumroll) $5.039 per gallon. Let's stop and think about this for a moment. A tractor-trailer pulls in and needs 200 gallon of diesel.  That will cost over a thousand dollars at those stations.  For ONE fill-up...

Thanks, Vikki!

Yes, that annual assault on the highway by families with freshly-dismissed-from-school kids in the backseat playing those corny road trip games or poking each other until a parent bellows "Don't make me come back there!" In the current issue of Road King magazine, there's an article reminding truckers that the assault is near, and to be careful of those drivers who may be in over their heads.  In the article, Roehl Transport's Brian Hammond, the orientation and driver development manager, mentions something I have been saying for ages... "[Hammond] often wonders why there aren’t similar licensing requirements for driving the RVs as there are for semi-truck drivers."  I don't know about you, but when I see some old guy trying to handle a full-size Winnebago on any road, I get FAR away from him.  If the stricter CDL is required for people who generally still have their reflexes, you have to wonder why retirees are allowed to pilot similar sized vehicles with just the ability to pay for the thing. If you are planning to partake to the roads this summer, keep the same things in mind the article advises truckers.  Expect everything.  Yes, that car will dart out in front of you.  Yes, that van will speed through the puddle and splash water 10 feet in the air before you can close your window.  Yes, your kids will only want burgers and fries the whole trip.  (OK< that last one really isn't a driving concern, unless you just passed a fast-food joint and the next exit with one is another 80 miles.) But above all, be patient.  If you're sitting in traffic like this, just relax.  Everyone around you is also sitting in that traffic and their need to move forward is no greater or lesser than yours.