7/29/24

Highway Products | TruckSlides


Johnny Burke of Kanopy Kountry, is a 3rd generation locally owned and operated truck accessory shop, located in Medford Southern Oregon, and with over 30 years of business experience deals with many different brands of truck accessories. But when it came to choosing what truck slide was going to be installed on his personal truck, he trusted the family with over 40 years experience at Highway Products TruckSlides. Johnny loves its ease of use and versatile functionality, extreme weight handling and overall build quality, and lets not forget the exclusive Highway Products lifetime warranty. Add all that up and Johnny feels confident in recommending Highway Products TruckSlides to his customers. To learn more about Highway Product TruckSlides visit https://highwayproducts.com/truck-acc... To learn more, call 1-800-TOOL-BOX (1-800-866-5269) or visit us online at www.highwayproducts.com

7/26/24

Smart Solutions for Smaller Fleets with Dave Prusinski | Workshops | Ford Pro™


Dave Prusinski, the Global Chief Revenue Officer for Ford Pro™ Intelligence, delivers a workshop on how Ford Pro helps to level the playing field for small businesses. Our always-on, cloud-based Ford Pro™ Intelligence platform combines data from your vehicles, charging hardware, and daily fleet activity in one place to help simplify your business operations and accelerate productivity. Learn more at https://ford.to/3WgGG1S


7/23/24

Next Step in the UPFIT Process: Ensuring Proper Maintenance.

While mistakes may not often happen when maintaining upfits, they can occur. Having the right "tools" for the job is essential.  - Photo: GETTYIMAGES.COM/KARANDAEV

 - Photo: GETTYIMAGES.COM/KARANDAEV

Your upfit is installed, and you are now utilizing it in your operations. The next step in the upfit process is ensuring proper maintenance.

Top Upfit Maintenance Challenges:


A huge challenge many fleet managers face in maintaining upfits is simply communicating the value and importance of proper upfit maintenance to field personnel and drivers.


“Most drivers understand the importance of oil changes, brake services, etc., and will typically make sure their vehicle is serviced in a timely manner. But prioritizing upfit maintenance in a similar fashion typically isn’t something that comes naturally. The fleet manager must educate their frontline personnel on the critical aspect of properly maintaining the vehicle’s equipment; not only to maximize its effective lifecycle and control costs but also to ensure the safety of their fleet personnel in the field,” said Jeff Klinghoffer, regional engineering manager for Holman Enterprises.


At the end of the day, it comes down to education and awareness.


“As a fleet manager, you’ll need to communicate the importance of proper upfit and equipment maintenance to your drivers. Beyond that, you can certainly implement processes and procedures to assess the condition of the vehicle and its upfit regularly. You can also explore potential gamification or incentive programs to help secure buy-in from your drivers,” Klinghoffer added.


Let’s face it; fleet managers have a lot on their plate.


“Fleet managers face daily challenges mixed in with bigger picture issues that include building a safe, reliable, and appropriate truck for the job while making executives and stakeholders happy. Finding the time to answer all of the challenges can be difficult,” said Mathew Marcussen, director of customer relations for BrandFX. “Taking the time to do research and learn more, in the beginning, will reap great savings, benefits, and efficiency in the end. Also, purchase a body that maintains its good condition over a long period will reduce the cost of repairs and service.”


When it comes to the different types of materials used in upfitting, you need to select the right material for the job.


“Ladder racks on top of cargo vans are impacted by either the snow and ice removal chemicals in the Midwest or the salty air near coastal regions. Using aluminum and stainless steel in those products is a must to provide the customer a quality product that gets them a good return on their investment,” said Katie Groves, national fleet sales manager for Adrian Steel.


Don’t forget to depend on those who know upfitting best.


“Partner with an upfitter that has a national presence and a team that can support these instances,” Groves recommended.


6 Mistakes Maintaining Upfits


While mistakes may not often happen when maintaining upfits, they can occur. Here are a few top ones to avoid:


Mistake 1: Lack of Inspection


Just as drivers need to inspect your vehicle for leaks, tire wear, etc., they should examine their upfits, too.


“Constantly check routing and clipping for rub points, just because a battery cable was tied up nicely last time you inspected it doesn’t mean a clip didn’t break loose since then,” said Brad Howard, director of Operations for Fontaine Modification.


Mistake 2: Ignoring Preventive Maintenance


When it comes to the vehicles themselves, preventive maintenance (PM) second nature, but that may not be true for upfits.


“Fleet managers realize that adhering to a recommended PM schedule is vital to optimizing the vehicle’s lifecycle and controlling the total cost of ownership. However, the same methodology also applies to a vehicle’s upfitting and equipment, but preventive maintenance for these items is often overlooked,” said Kelly Klemisch, regional engineering manager, Holman Enterprises.


To avoid this mistake, work upfits into your PM strategy for your vehicles.


“Regular service for equipment such as air compressors, material handling units, and aerial devices should be included in the unit’s PM schedule. Additionally, you can also include inspections in the schedule as well, so drivers receive reminders for those items as well. Or, at the very least, take measures to keep these PM items top-of-mind for drivers and operators. For example, you can track crane or compressors hours on an interior door decal,” Klemisch added.


Mistake 3: Not Adjusting Upfits Correctly 


Make sure that ladder racks are correctly adjusted to your ladders. 


“A properly adjusted ladder rack will keep the ladder secured on the van during transportation, reduce noise that could cause driver distraction, and extend the life of both the ladder and ladder rack,” said Katie Groves, national fleet sales manager for Adrian Steel.


Mistake 4: Misusing Upfit Equipment


You should also ensure your drivers and frontline workers fully understand how to use the vehicle’s equipment properly.


“Many vocational vehicles feature sophisticated and complex attachments, so training your employees on the best practices for using these units will help to minimize premature wear and tear and maximize the equipment’s effective lifecycle. This also applies to something as simple as a vehicle’s storage units. We often see fleet personnel overloading a service body or interior shelving with more than it is intended to hold, and this really impacts the longevity of these items,” said Klemisch of Holman Enterprises.


Mistake 5: Wrong Service Timing


When you service certain upfit items is also essential.


“When you service trucks, and related upfits is a big item. One example is a snowplow: make sure to service at the end of the snow season AND beginning of the season,” said Patrick Clark, director of fleet sales for Dejana Truck and Utility Equipment.


Mistake 6: Improper Equipment Storage

Where you store your equipment has a considerable impact on its useful service life.

“Also storing equipment inside helps preserve the life. Work with the local upfitters to make sure you are servicing cranes, liftgates, plows etc correctly,” said Clark of Dejana Truck and Utility Equipment.


Source: https://www.worktruckonline.com/10120069/value-of-effectively-maintaining-upfits

7/20/24

Protect Your Receiver Hitch With Bolt Lock Receiver Hitch Keyed Lock Kit #BoltLock


Featuring patented BOLT Breakthrough One-Key Lock Technology the BOLT Receiver Hitch Lock works with your vehicle ignition key. Use the BOLT Receiver Hitch Lock to secure your hitch to your truck and never worry about losing or having to remember which key goes to your receiver lock again! Available with either a 1/2" or 5/8" diameter pin the BOLT Receiver Hitch Lock is suitable for Class 1-5 towing applications. Featuring an automotive grade lock cylinder and a stainless steel lock shutter and cap to keep out dirt and moisture, each BOLT Receiver Lock comes with a solid stainless steel pin and a weather resistant jacket ensuring the long life of your lock.

7/17/24

FORD AND GOOGLE TO ACCELERATE AUTO INNOVATION, REINVENT CONNECTED VEHICLE EXPERIENCE


Ford and Google come together in first-of-its-kind partnership to create unique services and capabilities for Ford and Lincoln customers, and to accelerate Ford’s transformation plan

Ford has also named Google Cloud its preferred cloud provider to leverage Google’s world-class expertise in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML)

As part of this new, six-year partnership—and beginning in 2023—millions of future Ford and Lincoln vehicles at all price points will be powered by Android, with Google apps and services built-in

To drive ongoing innovation, Ford and Google are establishing a new collaborative group, Team Upshift, that will push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities

Dearborn, Mich., and Sunnyvale, Calif., Feb. 1, 2021 – Ford and Google today announced a unique strategic partnership to accelerate Ford’s transformation and reinvent the connected vehicle experience. Ford has also named Google Cloud its preferred cloud provider to leverage Google’s world-class expertise in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). As part of this new, six-year partnership—and beginning in 2023—millions of future Ford and Lincoln vehicles at all price points will be powered by Android, with Google apps and services built-in.

To drive ongoing innovation, Ford and Google are establishing a new collaborative group, Team Upshift. Leveraging the talent and assets of both companies, Team Upshift will push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities. This may include projects ranging from developing new retail experiences when buying a vehicle, creating new ownership offers based on data, and more.

“As Ford continues the most profound transformation in our history with electrification, connectivity and self-driving, Google and Ford coming together establishes an innovation powerhouse truly able to deliver a superior experience for our customers and modernize our business,” said Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford.

“From the first moving assembly line to the latest driver-assist technology, Ford has set the pace of innovation for the automotive industry for nearly 120 years,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet. “We’re proud to partner to apply the best of Google’s AI, data analytics, compute and cloud platforms to help transform Ford's business and build automotive technologies that keep people safe and connected on the road.”

As its preferred cloud provider and starting later this year, Google will help Ford leverage Google Cloud’s AI, ML and data analytics technologies to accelerate the automaker’s digital transformation, modernize operations, and power connected vehicle technologies with Google’s trusted, secure, and reliable cloud. With Google Cloud, Ford plans to:

Further improve customer experiences for customers with differentiated technology and personalized services;

Accelerate modernization of product development, manufacturing and supply chain management, including exploration of using vision AI for manufacturing employee training and even more reliable plant equipment performance;

Fast track the implementation of data-driven business models resulting in customers receiving real-time notices such as maintenance requests or trade-in alerts.

Ford and Google have a shared vision to bring enjoyable, safer and more efficient connected vehicle experiences built to minimize driver distraction and keep customers at the forefront of technology with over-the-air updates. Beginning in 2023, Ford and Lincoln customers globally will start to benefit from unique digital experiences built on top of the Android operating system and with Google apps and services built-in, which include world-class map and voice technology:

With Google Assistant, drivers can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, by getting things done with just their voice.

With Google Maps as the vehicles’ primary navigation, drivers can reach their destination faster with information on real-time traffic, automatic rerouting, lane guidance and more.

With Google Play, drivers will have access to their favorite apps for listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks and more. These apps are optimized and integrated for in-vehicle use.

Android in the car also enables Ford and third-party developers to build apps that provide a constantly improving and ever-more-personalized ownership experience.

“We are obsessed with creating must-have, distinctively Ford products and services,” said Farley. “This integration will unleash our teams to innovate for Ford and Lincoln customers while seamlessly providing access to Google’s world-class apps and services.”

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services.  Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.

About Google Cloud

Google Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 150 countries turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems.

About Google

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc

7/11/24

NHTSA’s New SaferCar App


Our new SaferCar app allows you to save your vehicles, car seats, equipment, or tires in a virtual garage on your smartphone. If a recall is issued, you’ll get an alert.

7/08/24

Girl Dad | Ram Trucks


Fatherhood is a journey. Enjoy the Ride. Happy #FathersDay.

Ram Trucks

7/05/24

Inside Billion $ Factories Producing Massive Trucks From Scratch - Production Line


With this feature on FRAME, we explore the production process of the Ford Super Duty trucks. Check out how this American manufacturer designs and builds heavy-duty trucks in its state-of-the-art facility in the United States!

7/02/24

Ford CEO Jim Farley discusses the rapid evolution of electric vehicles


Ford CEO Jim Farley joins CNBC's Julia Boorstin for a discussion on EVs, rapidly evolving vehicle technology, and how drivers' shifting priorities are reshaping what we expect in cars and trucks. NBCUniversal News Group is the media partner of Aspen Ideas Festival.