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Does Your Truck Have Class?
While many have heard of truck classifications, few really know what they are, how they are determined, or why they are important. If you drive a truck, it has a classification. Trucks are classified by Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which includes vehicle curb weight, passengers, payload, and trailers.
Trucks range from class 1, which are ½ ton pick-ups such as a Toyota Tacoma or a Dodge Dakota, to Class 8 — tractors & trailers, and everything in-between. So…does your truck have class? Yes it does, and here are the classifications.
Light Duty
- Class 1 — 0-6000 pounds – Example: Toyota Tacoma
- Class 2 — 6,001 to 10,000 pounds – Example: Ford F-150
- Class 3 — 10,001 to 14,000 pounds Example: GMC Sierra
Medium Duty
- Class 4 — 14,001 to 16,000 pounds – Example: Dodge Ram 4500
- Class 5 — 16,001 to 19,500 pounds – Example: International MXT
- Class 6 — 19,501 to 26,000 pounds – Example: Ford F-650
Heavy Duty
- Class 7 — 26,001 to 33,000 pounds – Example: GMC C7500
- Class 8 — 33,000 pounds – Example: all tractor trailers
Why is it important to know truck classifications?
Truck classifications may affect taxes, government regulations (DOT), drivers license, and road restrictions. For example, did you know you must be 21 to receive a commercial driver’s license, or that medical examinations are required for all CMV drivers beginning at class 3? Taxes vary by classification, including regulations for over and less than 26,000 pounds. As well, considerations such as whether a CMV is leased or owned will affect the Interstate Motor Fuel Tax.
Does your truck have class? Yes it does, and it’s important you know its class.
Your Bottom Line - Trailer Skirts Pay for Themselves
According to Truck Info, the American Trucking industry uses 12.8% of fuel purchased in the U.S.A. In 2006, 432.9 BILLION gallons of fuel were used. With these large numbers, small savings add up quickly. One way to increase fuel economy on tractor-trailers is by installing skirts. Science Daily stated, “Creating an improved aerodynamic shape for truck trailers by mounting side-skirts can lead to a cut in fuel consumption and emissions of up to as much as 15%.” In a related Trucking Info article, Greg & Dannele Decker, who operate Alberta based Triple Decker Transport, were quoted saying they saved 8.94% in fuel after installing skirts. Greg drives a 2008 Volvo VN780 equipped with a D-16F 500 horsepower engine that pulls an ‘02 Utility 3000R reefer equipped with Windyne skirts. Other publications like, National Geographic, Trucker to Trucker, and Fleet Equipment Magazine, have shared similar results.
The current Diesel fuel price in the US is $3.85 per gallon. If installing skirts on trailers saved a total 8.94%, as it did for The Deckers, that’s a total savings of nearly 15 billion dollars annually in the US alone. This would impact our economy, trade deficit, and the environment. Sometimes the best ideas with the biggest paybacks are simple. The time has come for trailer skirts.
Are you a tractor-trailer owner/driver? Check out these ideas for saving fuel. Also, if you’d like to know how much skirting on your rig might save in fuel? Try this ROI calculator from Transtex.
Life in America Without Trucking
While researching the trucking industry’s impact on American consumers, I found this piece prepared by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) (pdf). This article effectively describes “The potential consequences of restricting or halting truck traffic in response to a national or regional emergency.”
According to Forbes Custom, “Trucking is the driving force behind all companies’ worldwide supply chains, moving nearly everything consumed in this country. Nearly 80% of U.S. communities receive their goods exclusively by truck. Virtually all U.S. goods touch a truck during at least one leg of the supply chain. Trucking moves nearly 70% of all freight tonnage in this country. Even goods that have traveled by railroads eventually wind up on a truck for the ‘last mile’ of the delivery.”
What would happen if the trucking industry suddenly disappeared from our lives?
- Groceries, fuel, medical supplies, garbage removal, and clean water would all soon become scarce.
- In a week or two, garbage and waste would become more than a nuisance and an eye sore. It would become a potential health hazard.
- Grocers would run out of perishables in two or three days.
- Banks would run short of cash and ATM’s would be out of money in as little as a day.
- Hospitals and pharmacies would begin running out of medications. For example, some would be out of oxygen in only a day or two.
- The clean water supply would quickly be disrupted, as vital cargo would not be shipped to water purification plants.
- Most gas stations would be out of fuel in less than a week, and some, in a day.
I believe many of us take the American trucking industry for granted. I know I have, but considering the statistics, it’s obvious how different our country would be without this vital industry, and the 10 million Americans it employs.
How the Trucking Industry Affects You & Why We Support It
The trucking industry — sometimes referred to as Transportation or Logistics — is huge in North America and around the globe. It’s bigger than huge. If affects most parts of daily American life, and is a big part of TKO Graphix’s business. According to the Bureau of Transportation, trucking accounts for nearly 60% of all shipping in our country, more than tripling rail and water transportation, and three times more than what is shipped via pipeline. When the trucking industry is impacted, we are all affected.
Higher costs on fuel and equipment, along with regulations on capacity and driver’s hours, hit all of us. The cost of clothing, hardware — even the cars we drive — are impacted by trucking costs. The industry is so large that savings of only a fraction of a cent per vehicle add up to millions when multiplied by the 11,717 million tons of freight shipped annually. As well, it affects more than the cost of material goods – it affects the availability. Without the trucking industry, we would be hard pressed to have avocados and apples from the west coast available on the east coast. Without a viable, healthy, and profitable trucking industry, our entire supply system could topple, affecting food, medicine, and fuel distribution.
The TKO Brandwire Blog has always steered clear of politics and controversy. We have always believed a business blog is not the place to express political beliefs. However, we will inform you of industry related news, and we’ll occasionallly offer our own perspective on legislation affecting the trucking industry. Our customers need to be informed, and we’ll be glad to share and lend support. There is a time to stand and be counted, and for TKO Graphix, the time is now.
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