Scania Driver Competitions celebrates skilled truck drivers who drive carefully in tough situations.
Drivers such as Peruvian Henrry Tank Piedra, who travels steep, narrow mountain roads in the Andes. Tight corners, dense fog and vehicles approaching him at high speeds are but a few of his daily challenges.

http://www.scania.com/skills

White Trucks, also known as White Motor Company, was founded in 1900 by Thomas H. White. Thomas was also the founder of the White Sewing Machine company. Two years prior to that White had bought a Locomobile steam car and his son, Rollin, worked to improve its design and makeup. Rollin then patented this new version and offered it back to Locomobile.

White Builds First Vehicles

Rollin then managed to get his father to let him build a steam car using the redesigned motor in a car in a corner of the sewing machine company. His brother, Windsor, joined in the venture and they managed to put together 50 cars by October 1900 and after testing, they were offered for sale to the general public in April 1901.
At this time, White Motor Company was still a part of the White Sewing Machine Company, but they separated in 1905 to form its own company. One of its first notable historic moments was the building of a steam car known as Whistling Billy, which Web Jay drove on July 4, 1905 at a then record speed of nearly 74 miles per hour.
In 1909, one of White’s cars was chosen by William Howard Taft as the first official president’s car, which got the White Motor Company lots of positive publicity.
The last of these steam powered cars came in January 1911when White Motor Company changed to making gas powered vehicles.

White Motor Company Gas Vehicles

Even though the White steamer car was considered to be a good vehicle, the standard being accepted at the time was the combustion engine, which used gas to power it. White knew this, so he licensed rights to the Delahaye style of gas powered cars. Delahaye was a car producer at the time.
Tractors Join the Vehicles at White Motor Company
At this time, Rollin White was getting interested in making tractors and created them from White Motor Company vehicle parts. The main company, however, didn’t share Rollin’s enthusiasm for tractors, so he created his own company called Cleveland Motor Plow, and that turned into Cletrac Tractor later on.

White Motor Company Buses

During the 30s, White Motor Company made buses to take people through the National Parks in the U.S. and they ran in seven of the National Parks in the western U.S. Some of these early White buses have even been restored and still are in operation at the parks.

White Begins Making Trucks

White Motor Company stopped making cars right after World War I and started making trucks. At that time they sold about 10 percent of all the trucks in the U.S. White made several sizes of  vehicles, including light all the way to semis. They were a strong company, and managed to add several other  companies to their holdings throughout the next few years, including Sterling, Autocar, Diamond T, and REO. They also sold Consolidated Freightways, but didn’t own them outright.

Notable Historic Events for White Corp

Throughout its history, White  has had several notable events occur since it began making trucks. These include:
In 1932 the White Corporation  briefly merged with Studebaker due to low sales during the Depression, but two years later, they reorganized and became the White Motor Corporation.
In 1949, one of White semis appeared in the James Cagney movie White Heat.
In 1967, White formed a Western Star section and it sold vehicles in the western part of the U.S.
In 1953, White purchased the Autocar Company, and from then until the 1970s they distributed vehicles from Freightliner, but still were making trucks under their own company name. Their sales went down in the 1960s and they briefly tried to merge with their old sewing machine company but that move was disallowed by the federal government.
They also considered mergers with other companies around this time, such as Daimler and Renault. However, ultimately it was Volvo AV that got White Truck’s U.S. assets in 1981 after White went bankrupt in 1980 and lost $311 million.
It’s assets in Canada were bought by Bow Valley Resources Services and NovaCorp. White officially went out of business by 1985 under its own power, but Volvo kept the White brand name until sometime in the 1990s.

White Under Volvo Brand

During the 1980s, White  made vehicles under the White name and Autocar even though Volvo owned them, so it was known as Volvo-White. Volvo later bought out the heavy trucking owned by GMC in 1987 and merged it with White, thus forming a brand called White-GMC. Later, Volvo stopped using the White brand name and was just known as Volvo Trucks.
During the 1980s, under Volvo, they created improved styles of trucks, including the Integral Sleeper in 1982, which was a long distance vehicle; the Conventional in 1983, which had been upgraded; as well as the Autocar DS in 1984, the Integral Tall Sleeper truck in 1985 (known as the Globetrotter of America); the Aero in 1987; a construction style vehicle called the Autocar that had an integrated driveline, also in 1987. By 1996 Volvo was no longer using the White brand name and was known as Volvo-Autocar.
As you can see, over the years the White Motor Company and White changed hands and names several times during its history. Although somewhat of tumultuous road it is White that helped to make many valuable changes and improvements in the trucking industry that will continue to be felt today.

Volvo Trucks has its headquarters in Sweden and is considered to be the second biggest brand of heavy truck manufacturer. It is owned by Volvo Group-AB Volvo. As of 2011, Volvo was making their trucks in 15 different countries and has been selling more than 100,000 trucks a year all over the world. The Volvo Group also consists of trucking companies Renault, Mack, and UD trucks.

Early History of Volvo

Volvo produced its first truck in 1928, but had also been making cars the year before. The first truck was the LV series 1. It came with a 2.0 L four cylinder engine that had 29 horsepower and that first year they sold 500 of this model. While most trucks of this era had chain-drive systems and solid rubber tires, Volvo was being innovative and the LV vehicle was shaft-driven and had pneumatic tires.
This model was much more of a success than Volvo expected and unlike other trucks made in the 20s, Volvo had designed the entire vehicle. After the first 500 sold out quickly, they had to hurry to do a second series of 500 more trucks, which were considered Series 2 and had a few modifications, such as widening its track to 1,460 mm, and reducing the previous double rear axle to only one, which made it safer, though it drove slower.

Volvo Produces First Six Cylinder Trucks

In 1929, Volvo came out with the very first six cylinder truck, dubbing it the Series 3 truck. It was fairly close to the Series 2 trucks in design however, so only the motor was different. It had wooden wheels, which were not that practical for heavy work and its two wheeled brakes were not considered as safe as brakes nowadays for the weight of these medium duty vehicles. The company manufactured and sold about 3,000 of these trucks.

Volvo Makes First Three Axle Vehicle

In the 1930s, Volvo came out with their first truck with three axles, which was called the LV64 LF. It was made to comply with the rules then that only allowed smaller loads on each axle due to the fact the roads in the 30s were pretty terrible.

Volvo in the 1930s

The 1930s was when Volvo began to be a lot better at making more modern style trucks and their volvos were using diesel fuel and changed from wooden to steel wheels and to hydraulic style safer brakes.
With this move to be more innovative, Volvo became a more dominant force in the Nordic countries for selling and making Volvos, and by the end of the 30s they were more recognized in the world of heavy and medium weight trucks.
The LV series of Volvos were considered more modern and helped to get Volvo established as a big exporter of vehicles to countries all over the world. During this time frame Volvo continued to make improvements in their trucks, making chassis changes, longer wheelbases in some models, and larger margins for overload in off road style trucks.
Especially the LV 8 and 9 were considered to be models that helped Volvo have a stronger position as a major player in producing trucks. In these models, the engine was moved from the usual spot behind a front axle to sit on the top of the front axle, which helped make for better distribution of axle load. Since there were road restrictions concerning axle weight, this made these two trucks very popular.
Plus, these vehicles had a more aerodynamic design and were rounded instead of having the usual more vertical or horizontal shapes. Plus, drivers were happy that these trucks had a standard heater, which many at that time didn’t have. The LV 8 and 9 were also more able to be modified and adapted to do a variety of jobs.

Volvo in the 1940s

World War II in the 1940s caused Volvo to go into producing trucks for the Swedish army more so than for anyone else. This relationship with the military helped Volvo long term because it gave them a chance to develop rough terrain trucks that later could be produced for the construction field.
By the mid 1940s Volvo was getting more experienced in the heavy duty type trucks, something they hadn’t done much of prior to the war. The L29 trucks that came out were a more powerful style with a diesel engine and were introduced in 1946. The Swedish road commission was pleased with them because these trucks were good at handling the harsh weather and in helping with road construction in Sweden.
Volvo’s First Diesel Engine
Volvo also made their first diesel engine in the 40s called the VDA, or Volvo Diesel Type A, which was a pre-combustion style of motor. However, it proved to be hard to get going in cold weather, so a newer version was brought out in 1946 and became very popular in Volvo’s trucks. The later LV series of Volvo trucks had this new diesel engine in some of them.

Volvo in the 1950s

Volvo’s next vital change in their motors came in the 50s, when they change to a direct ignition VDC engine, which was better in fuel consumption levels. It is considered the ancestor to today’s Volvo truck engine. Volvo was considered a pioneer in using a turbo charged engine that was stronger and more efficient. Plus, Volvo was then able to make heavier weight and longer style of trucks.

Volvo in the 1960s through the 1990s

Trucks were very popular for transportation by the 60s and were becoming a more flexible tool. By then, the truck cabs had rubber suspension systems, more visibility due to higher up cabs, and more comfort for drivers in the seats as well.
The 1970s brought more refinements for trucks in general and they had tilt cabs, turbocharged engines, better horsepower, and could go faster. Two very dramatic entries into the world of Volvo trucks were the F10 and 12 trucks that were made in 1977. They had better ergonomics and were safer and set the stage for trucks of the next few decades.
In the 1980s, trucks were getting more sophisticated with stronger and better motors, air suspension systems, and more earth friendly features, plus more ways to make the truck drivers more comfortable on those long hauls across the country.
Plus, trucks were getting even more valuable as a means of transporting goods and services across the U.S. and elsewhere and were considered very efficient, especially when they could combine them with sending products from the manufacturer to the rails, sea or air by bringing them from their originating places by truck.
Trucks were getting safer, had cleaner emissions, were less noisy, had better engines and were getting more refined in several ways.

Volvo Today

Today, Volvo is going strong and has manufacturing in Sweden, Belgium, South Africa, the US, Brazil, Australia, India, China, and Russia and several other places. They are famous for being a global presence in truck manufacturing.
The 21st Century Volvo truck is even stronger, as well as being safer and more earth friendly that it has ever been. They make several models of trucks all over the globe and by 2011 Volvo had made more than half a million trucks in the U.S. alone. The Volvo Group is a leader in the manufacturing of trucks, buses and construction gear and is a lead producer of heavy duty diesel engines worldwide.
Volvo Trucks produces vehicles in 19 countries and sells them in more than 180 markets worldwide and is still taking innovative steps in the world of trucking.

Volvo on Facebook

Isuzu Motors Limited is a well-known Japanese company that has made both cars and trucks in several sizes, and their heavy duty commercial truck series are very popular and widely used. They have become a very well respected and innovative company.

Start of Isuzu Motors Limited Brand

Though it didn’t have the Isuzu name as yet, the company has its beginning in 1916 when the Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Company joined in with the Tokyo Gas Electric Industrial Company to make vehicles. Two years later, they were given permission to do this and to sell the new vehicles in Japan, with the cars made being designed by a UK company called the Wolseley Motor Company.

Isuzu Starts Producing Trucks

Isuzu branched out into their truck making venture in 1922 with their first commercial truck being the Wolseley Model A-9. In 1934 they came up with the Isuzu name in honor of the Isuzu River in the Ise Shrine area, and by 1949 they officially took the Isuzu Motors Limited name and were making headlines as the biggest heavy duty truck maker in Japan.

Isuzu  After World War II

After the war, Isuzu began to make their vehicles at an even faster pace to keep up with the new demands on the company. They produced commercial trucks designed to transport food and other products, which were used in the reconstruction of Japan after World War II. The need for these heavy duty commercial trucks helped create a boom in the manufacturing at the Isuzu plants.

By 1959, Isuzu was producing several kinds of heavy duty commercial trucks and had designed a cab forward control truck dubbed as the N series. This style of truck is still popular because of the turning  radius, and the fact that it is easy to drive. In 1960, the N Series trucks were also made featuring a diesel engine. This was the first time this was done in the manufacture of this type of truck in Japan.

Isuzu Over the Next Decades

Isuzu manufacturers continued their innovation over the next few decades, coming out with the medium weight series F trucks in 1970, a flat low series truck four years later, a wide cab in 1980 and they came out with trucks with front end suspension in their trucks in 1990.

In 1995 Isuzu introduced the C&E series of heavy duty trucks and in 1997 the company showed how innovative it was by producing Japan’s very first four bag air suspension in their trucks with the GIGAMAX series.

In 1998 developed a bedless style of truck called the Forward V and in 1999 they debuted the Forward MAX, and in 2002, their more efficient Smoother F transmission was placed in some of their truck models.

Isuzu Motors Works With the U.S.

The U.S. first worked with the Isuzu Motors Limited in 1971 when General Motors made a deal with them to make Isuzu vehicle for the very first time. This began the Isuzu venture to work with other U.S. companies in the next 30 years as they made similar deals with Chevrolet and Dodge.

In fact, by 1999 General Motors had become the majority stakeholder in Isuzu at 49 percent, but sadly this occurred around the time of a major recession and Isuzu ended up shutting down these operations in the U.S. and instead focused mainly on making commercial trucks and diesel engines.

Modern Isuzu Motors Era

These days, Isuzu still has some of its N and F series of commercial trucks driving around the world. Plus, they are still making commercial trucks designed for towing, hauling building supplies, working in pest control, and landscaping. It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of the Isuzu trucks that have been sold in the U.S. are still running due to their high quality and workmanship.

In 2005, Isuzu was known at the biggest truck manufacturer in the world for heavy  and  medium duty trucks by 2009 they have made more than 21 million diesel engines, which are currently being used by the companies Renault, Opel and General Motors.

Today, Isuzu  has its headquarters in Tokyo and is still turning out quality trucks with a multitude of uses.

2000 Sterling L7500 Crane Truck, 3126 CAT Engine

History of Sterling Trucks

William Sternberg began the original Sterling Trucks Company in the beginning of the 1900s under his own name. The Sterling name came in 1916 due to the fact that Sternberg was German, and during this timeframe many people didn’t like the Germans due to World War I, so he didn’t want the company to have a German name.

Sterling Trucks Through The Years

Since its start, the Sterling line of trucks has undergone many changes, as well as a temporary shutdown, as well as changing owners several times.

Early Sterling Trucks

The Sterling Trucks company made both medium and heavy duty trucks . It also produced vehicles during World War II. They continued on in the business until the 1950s, when White Trucks bought them out in1951 and called the new merger Sterling White.

Later, White Trucks retired the Sterling brand of trucks and the name went dead for a while. At that time, the Sterling Trucks brand had made more than 12,000 trucks.

Sterling Trucks Reborn

Nearly 50 year later, the Sterling Truck brand was revived in 1997 when Daimler- Benz bought the Ford Heavy Duty Truck Division. In 1997, after Daimler-Benz purchased the assets of Ford Motor Company’s Heavy Truck Division, the Sterling brand name was resurrected and re-launched the following year.

The new version of Sterling Trucks made heavy vocational duty trucks as a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America and was then manufactured in Portland, Oregon. The trucks were made for a multitude of applications;, trucks for sanitation, dump trucks, and school bus chassis. The trucks were made in Canada, however, and were then sold in several places, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

During this timeframe in the Sterling Trucks history, it was doing well and making about 15 percent of the trucks being produced for the Daimler company. Sadly, by 2008, Daimler decided they were disappointed with production of Sterling trucks, as it had slowed down considerably.

Therefore they closed it down that year, costing about 3,500 people their jobs. Daimler said they did it in order to merge their truck making operations in North America with two other brands: Freightliner and Western Star. The final plant in Portland, Oregon closed down in June 2010.

Types of Trucks Sterling has Made Over the Years

Sterling Trucks has made several types of trucks and other vehicles over the years. Besides trucks, they made class 8 tractors. Their trucks were a series of both medium and heavy duty cab and chassis with the truck bodies produced by a different company. Sterling Trucks were sold for use in fields like construction, snow removal, and trash removal.

In its second rendition of its existence, Sterling Trucks made light and medium cab and chassis trucks that were actually made by Mitsubishi Fuso and Dodge, but were named the Sterling 360 models and the Sterling Bullet models. These trucks were a lighter weight, so they could be used in lighter duty applications.

The Sterling 360 truck was, for instance, a medium duty cabover, and it was sold in Canada, the U.S., and overseas in Europe, New Zeland, Asia and Australia.

The Sterling Bullet truck was a cab and chassis style of truck and was similar to the Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500.

The Set Backj axle A Line truck line was a Sterling Truck. It was considered to be a long haul truck and could be ordered with a sleeper for long haul application.

The Set Back axle L Line of Sterling trucks was considered to be their “work horse,” it could be ordered with a heavy or double frame and and off road suspension for heavy duty applications.

The Set-Forward axle L Line truck competes with the owner operator trucks. It has a longer wheelbase for more efficient distribution of weight and more under . It also had a lighter and more flexible hood that was aerodynamically shaped to give truckers more visibility.

The Acterra was a Class 5-7 truck with a great many straight truck applications, flatbed, box truck, crane truck. This was a very popular midrange truck.

All in all, Sterling Trucks has undergone many changes in both names and products, but some of its vehicles are still on the road and working hard in many different industries and locations.

This week’s CDL Life video  talks about the upcoming Mid America Trucking Show, a big contest for drivers to lose weight on the road, the growing budget for the EPA and what it means for you drivers, Natural Gas options, a New Transportation Bill and more.

For more info on the weight loss contest click here:
http://www.cdllife.com/2012/health/tca-offers-incentives-for-truckers-to-lose…

In addition to Peterbilt Trucks for sale, Hammer Truck Sales commercial truck sales division regularly carries International Trucks, Kenworth Trucks, Mack Trucks, Freightliner Trucks, Sterling Trucks, Volvo Trucks, GMC Trucks, Chevy Trucks and White Trucks. All of our used semi trucks have been reconditioned as have our used service and work trucks for sale.

Trucking News Central Video –  this week covers the best GPS for truckers, Trucking gear to save you fuel, the mothers of trucking, stopping human trafficking at truck stops, the cross border program is failing, and a beautiful Peterbilt golf cart.

Hammer Truck Sales’ commercial truck sales division regularly carries Peterbilt Trucks, Kenworths, Mack Trucks, International Trucks Freightliners, Sterling Trucks, Volvo Trucks, GMC Trucks, Chevy Trucks and White Trucks. All of our used semi trucks have been reconditioned as have our used service trucks and work trucks for sale.

This week on Trucking News Central they discuss the battle against toll roads, how nukes are transported, women truckers, Highway Heroes, Class sevens that get 12mpg, and custom sleepers like no others and Shirley changed her hair.

In addition to International Trucks for sale, our commercial truck sales division regularly carries Peterbilts, Kenworth Trucks, Mack Trucks, Freightliners, Sterling Trucks, Volvo Trucks, GMC Trucks, Chevy Trucks and White Trucks. All of our used semi trucks have been reconditioned as have our used service trucks and work trucks for sale.