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Now that the snow has melted and flowers are in bloom, it can only mean one thing: it’s time to get trucks ready for summer. Investing a few hours now can save days of downtime when the scorching temperatures of summer return.

As urban legends go, the belief that retreaded tires aren’t safe or practical ranks up there with the idea that one can find an honest politician during an election year. The reality is that a retreaded tire produced by a top-quality retreader will perform as well as a comparable new tire and at a lower price.

For a family-run company that has been in the beverage business for more than a century, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Atlantic, Iowa, is by no means stuck in the past. Late last year, the company grew from two locations to nine, expanding its territory to cover most of Iowa and portions of adjoining states. As part of the acquisition, Atlantic also has accelerated its shift to end-load equipment, including the recent purchase of 16 new Kenworth T370 tractors and 13 new trailers.

Beverage Industry conducted its annual fleet survey to get the latest data on the size and makeup of current delivery fleets as well as operational concerns and strategies. Continuing trends in this year’s results include the popularity of small vans, as well as the continuing split in favor of end-load trucks and trailers versus traditional side-load equipment.

Ford Motor Co.’s new F-Series Super Duty will offer Trailer Reverse Guidance, a technology that uses cameras to see more angles, monitor conditions surrounding the truck and provide real-time coaching guidance while maneuvering a trailer. The Super Duty is the first Ford vehicle to offer as many as seven cameras, three of which are used in Trailer Reverse Guidance. More than just digital rearview mirrors, the functions of these cameras include the following:

Who runs the A/C in the middle of winter? You do, if your truck has a defroster. In modern HVAC systems, the air conditioner activates when you use the defroster. It removes excess moisture from the air, so it has a big effect on how quickly and effectively the defroster can clear the windshield.

In today's business world, the toughest expenses to plan for are the direct and indirect costs that arise from meeting regulations and the instable regulatory environment.

In today’s business world, the toughest expenses to plan for are the direct and indirect costs that arise from meeting regulations and the instability of this environment.

In today’s fast-paced world, having the ability to communicate quickly and easily is important. This is especially true in beverage warehouse and distribution operations where time is money and using telematics to track the location, movement, status and behavior of beverage vehicles can help get the most bang for the buck.

There’s gas as in gasoline, and then there’s gas as in propane, often referred to as “autogas” by fuel industry insiders. In many applications, propane can deliver measurable cost savings compared with conventional gasoline and diesel powertrains.