Baking & Snack - April 2004 - 95

advertisements aren't too effective if the vehicle is dirty
and damaged.
"A big piece of maintenance is the body," Mr. MacKie
said. "As an industry, bakers feel very strongly about
having well-maintained, good-looking vehicles, so they
spend a lot of time repairing the dings on the bodies."
One way to reduce the number of dents on delivery
vans is to increase their maneuverability. To that end, one
chassis manufacturer offers an industry-leading 50° wheel
cut on its heavy-duty vehicles. "The greater maneuverability of the vehicle, the less likely you are to have dents,
bangs, broken mirrors and bumps on the front and rear
corners of the van. Greater maneuverability allows you to
do a better job of squeezing into tight places," he said.
Yet, the manufacturer said that the reduced turn
radius offers even a greater advantage for bakery fleets.
"The most important benefit from the 50° wheel cut is
that it speeds up delivery," he said. "It's easier for a driver
to get in and out of places, so it takes less time for stops,
thus the driver can make more stops per day."
Bumpers can be another key to maintaining the body of
delivery vans, which are prone to accidents because they
are asked to squeeze into tight spaces or must be parked in
high-traffic areas. Several different shock-absorbing bumpers are available for commercial vehicles, noted another
manufacturer. These bumpers offer the same functionality
as a stationary bumper but with the additional benefit of
absorbing the energy of minor impacts using steel or rubber springs to dampen the impact, he said.
ON THE SAME PAGE. Efforts also are under way to increase communication lines between fleet and transportation managers and a company's sales team, Mr. MacKie
said. Often there is disconnect between these two pieces,
he said, that may require equipment to be used improp-

closer than you think
engine features a transmission that allows it to gain
efficiencies by using the electric motor at specific
times for torque and startup. "There are times when
you use heavy amounts of fuel, and this would help to
reduce fuel consumption," he said.
Although this technology is still "down the road
a piece," he predicted more announcements coming
in the near term about hybrid engines. These engines
could improve fuel economy by at least 50% and
reduce emissions up to 90% - a perfect fit for new
emission standards set to take effect in 2007.
While hybrid may be the next step, the supplier
said it may not be the long-term answer. "Among the
options out there being tested now are fuel cells that
may have potential in the future."

ᮡ Maintaining the body of a delivery vehicle extremely important
because they often serve as moving billboards for bakeries and
snack food manufacturers.
FREIGHTLINER CUSTOM CHASSIS CORP.

erly and lead to breakdowns.
One example of this is that delivery vans with their
large cubic capacity are subject to be overloaded with
product. If the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is too
small for the load they are asked to carry, maintenance
issues may surface prematurely, the supplier said. "We are
talking to more bakers about GVWR, and more bakers
are asking us whether they need a heavier GVWR," the
product manager said.
More bakeries are purchasing vehicles with a 14,500 lb
to 16,000 lb GVWR, he noted. "They would like to stay
at 10,000 lb GVWR or below, but with the weight of the
vehicle combined with the weight of the product they
start with first thing in the morning, it is certainly not
conducive to a GVWR below 10,000 lb."
One way to reduce vehicle weight and increase payload
is to eliminate a set of tires on the rear of the vehicle. One
supplier said it is offering more chassis with a single set of
tires on the rear, as opposed to dual tires. The single rear set
of tires, combined with a fuel-efficient diesel engine, provides a 15% to 20% savings in fuel as well as better utility
inside the vehicle, as the space between the two wheel boxes
is expanded from 40 in. to 60 in. Additionally, the operator
maneuverability inside the vehicle is much better, he said.
Common sense can go a long way to ensure that a delivery van reaches its projected life expectancy. By performing preventive maintenance and routine checks, a bakery
should be able to reduce maintenance costs over the
lifecycle of the vehicle. Also, fleet suppliers are continuing
to offer more options on the vehicles that make the vans
easier to maintain, which could help reduce the number of
service technicians or at least give them realistic expectations in what they are asked to maintain. Even with today's
soft job market, finding qualified personnel to work on
delivery vehicles can be difficult. Thus, reducing the
amount of maintenance would be welcomed, as would
decreasing the overall cost of fleet ownership for bakeries
and snack manufacturers.
Ⅲ

April 2004 / BAKING & SNACK / 95

Baking & Snack - April 2004

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