A pair of entrepreneurs have signed an agreement to market an innovative truck trailer with movable side panels in North America.

Bob Hakken and Duke De Leeuw of Holland, MI, signed a deal with Wingliner International to distribute Wingliner System kits in the Canada, Mexico and the U.S., according to web site Rapid Growth. The venture, dubbed Wingliner North America, will produce and sell the Wingliner kits in the hopes of revolutionizing the market.

“We just really believe in this product and see a bright future,” says Hakken. “This could really snowball into something really big because it’s cost effective. We’re very excited.”

The side walls of a Wingliner, which is popular in Austria, can be moved into nearly any position, including flat in less than 10 seconds by using hydraulics. The sidewall lifts up, folding in half as it goes up to eventually sit flat on the roof of the trailer, exposing the entire trailer.

The kits retrofit onto a chassis of any type of commercial vehicle, the guys said – truck, trailer, semi-truck, swap trailer, container or dump. The advantages of the trailers, they claim, is that goods can be accessed easily resulting in a reduction of time and operating costs associated with the loading and unloading process.

“In the trucking industry, pent-up demand is growing,” Hakken says. “So many fleet owners have been sitting on the sidelines due the economy. But as that turns, they’ll be faced with replacing equipment on the road. They’ll be looking for ways to become more efficient.”

Currently, Wagner Wood Products, owned by Hakken and De Leeux, uses one of the trailers; although there are a handful of others in operation the U.S. According to the Rapid Growth story, the pair learned of the Wingliner when they were looking for a more efficient trailer for hauling plywood.

If the product catches on here in the U.S., Hakken and De Leeux could become very rich men.

For all of us who believe that companies want to do right by the environment first and foremost, a lesson was delivered on Friday that being green is still about making money.

Smith Electric Vehicles and its parent company Tanfield Group pulled out of its agreement to supply Ford Motor Co. with battery electric technology to convert the Ford Transit Connect into an all-electric model in the second half of 2010.

The reason: Tanfield doesn’t want the competition. It admitted as much in a press release announcing the move.

In the release, Tanfield stated “it was concerned that the market for electric car-derived vans would become increasingly competitive.” See Tanfield, through Smith Electric Vehicles, recently debuted the electric Smith Newton and according to the release, the company “believes that investing in the existing Smith platforms represents a better use of its financial resources, allowing it to take full advantage of a potentially very sizeable market and to gain market traction more quickly.”

In other words, Smith didn’t want to be supplying a competitor with the technology it was basing its own vehicle on. I don’t necessarily blame them, but sometimes the greater good should prevail.

For Ford’s part, it quickly partnered with Azure Dynamics and delivery of the electric Transit Connect should not be delayed. It was, and still is, slated for a debut in the second half of 2010. That’s the good news.

Let’s not cast a cloud over all companies because there are plenty of businesses willing to share their technological developments with any and all competitors because they believe it is the right thing to do. And it’s certainly not wrong for any company to want to keep its proprietary technology in-house.

In the end, the U.S. and Canadian truck market should still see an electric Transit Connect sometime next year, and perhaps with Smith going it alone, there will be viable competition in the electric van market. Let’s hope.

I haven’t had a chance to thank the fine people at Fontaine Fifth Wheel for a visit I and other journalists made to their new facility in Trussville, AL, last week. The trip was wonderful and the management of Fontaine could not have been nicer.

The trip served as a bit of an eye opener for me when it comes to fifth wheels. Like so many other people within the industry, I sometimes forget the importance of fifth wheels. It’s almost like fifth wheels are the Rodney Dangerfield of trucking. Everyone knows they are there, so as long as the trailer stays attached to the tractor, no one cares.

But to the employees of Fontaine, that is the furthest from the truth.

“Here’s this 80,000 lb. rig rolling down the road, a 20,000 lb. truck, a 60,000 lb. load potential and it has a 2 inch pin and something’s got to grab that and hold it under all conditions - stopping, slamming, whatever - so we take safety and performance really, really seriously,” one executive said.

To ensure that all their fifth wheel products withstand whatever road conditions are thrown at them, Fontaine created what they said is the largest research and development facility for fifth wheels in the world in the Trussville building.

“Aside from safety, the second most important thing in our entire operation is research and development,” said President Henry Bell, “and I wanted to dedicate a huge space to those guys for whatever they wanted to create. And we’ve had to cut back significantly, just like every business has, but one area that we didn’t decrease a penny was R&D, and we’re real proud of that; that’s our future.”

Fontaine has a number of different testing scenarios, including some that are unique to their operation, just so that drivers of both cars and trucks can be safe on the roads.

So next time you purchase a truck, remember that the fifth wheel is not just a throw-in, but a vital piece of safety equipment. Fontaine certainly believes that.

Fiat is wasting little time in putting its stamp on the “new” Chrysler. The news yesterday was the split of the Dodge brand into two separate entities focusing on their respective products.

The Dodge Ram Brand will be led by Fred Diaz Jr. as president and CEO. Ralph Gilles will serve as president and CEO of the Dodge Car Brand. The two men will be responsible for the profits and losses of their respective portfolios.

The question, as an outsider, is why the split?

“The brand-focused strategy has been refined further with the unbundling of the Dodge Brand which now consists of the Dodge Ram Brand and the Dodge Car Brand organizations. This reorganization will allow us to protect and develop the unique nature of the product offerings within the Dodge Brand,” Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler Group CEO said.

OK, at least there is a plan. Fiat must feel that having two separate entities can improve the products. I wonder if there is something else behind the move. Only Fiat knows for sure.

The company had previously announced it was no longer going to sell the Dodge Sprinter. Mercedes-Benz USA is taking over the Sprinter brand.

In this tight economy, it’s always a pleasure to see positive stories about trucking. I saw just that last week when I received a press release about a new company forming in Indiana.

Rapid Freight Solutions, a full-service transportation services company providing truckload, dedicated, less than truckload, expedited freight, specialized automobile transportation and intermodal container drayage service, was founded by sisters Megan Bissmeyer and Jenny Kehrer.

“Jenny and I are anxious and eager for the challenges that lie ahead of us,” said Megan, the company’s CEO. “Despite the recent downturn in the economy, there are endless opportunities in this industry, and although it won’t be easy, we are confident that we have put the right people and resources in place to be successful.”

The two are quickly proving they have the right stuff, sending their first load out on Sept. 18. The company expects to have 15 power units operational by the end of the year with plans to expand to 30 in 2010 and 50 the following year. Rapid Freight Solutions’ fleet will include dry vans, open car haulers, tankers and flatbeds. But more importantly, showcasing their smart business sense, the sisters, who both worked for Carmel, IN-based Performance Marketing Group for the past 14 years, purchased much of their equipment at reduced rates.

“We were able to establish the infrastructure of our company for a fraction of the cost we might have in years past through the selective purchase of our equipment,” said Jenny Kehrer, COO. “That will serve us well over the long run.”

Veteran industry presence Lenny Sales has been hired as operations and sales manager. And with more than 20 years of experience, Sales knows a winner when he sees one.

“Rapid Freight Solutions has a blueprint for success and a detailed plan in place for growth,” he said. “There is something at RFS that has long been missing in the transportation industry. This is a company with a vision of redefining how transportation should be approached - raising the bar in all aspects of the business and changing the entire perception of what a trucking company should look like and act like. It is no longer a race to see who can do the job the cheapest and hope to make a profit. It is building relationships with customers and employees alike and putting integrity back into the equation.”

The goal, Megan said, is to “create one of the finest transportation services in the nation that will emphasize quality, safety and performance.”

Whether the company succeeds in this difficult climate, we’ll have to wait and see. But it is certainly off on the right foot.

As trucking fleets continue looking for ways to cut costs while becoming greener, Recaptured Energy Technologies (RET) says it has a solution. A hydraulic braking and propulsion system that can be retrofitted onto your current vehicles.

The advantages of such a system, which use wasted brake energy and converts it into power used to propel the vehicle, is a reduction of fuel while also cutting emissions, the company says. According to RET, the hydraulic option is advantageous over hybrid electric alternatives because of its energy efficiency, enhanced acceleration characteristics and its retrofitting capability.

“The unique benefit of our system is that it can be retrofit to existing vehicles, so there is no need to purchase new alternative-energy vehicles that may not provide anticipated fuel economy,” says Sam Jones, president of Recaptured Energy Technologies. “Because the system is specifically designed to be retrofit, existing vehicles will see lower emissions, less engine management and reduced fuel consumption.”

Jones also touts the economic benefits of retrofit technologies.

“Retrofitting existing vehicles makes economic and environmental sense and would create jobs immediately as the evaluation and conversion process could begin right away,” Jones says. “Purchasing new hybrid vehicles is a costly endeavor and does not bring jobs to the area.”

Of course, RET would prefer you choose the retrofit option as that’s what it’s banking its livelihood on. Ask a provider of new vehicles which option is best and they will tout a new hybrid, citing its advantages. Either way, though, the environment wins. And with grants and tax credits available, the final choice may have a lot less to do with short-term economics and a lot more to do with what makes the best long-term business sense.

According to Matt Stone, who writes a blog for Motor Trend, rumor has it that the new Fiat/Chrysler partnership may be the end of the Cummins-powered diesel engine in the Dodge Ram. I sure hope not.

Fiat, which just announced it will be sending the Dodge Sprinter back to Mercedes, might be bringing over a few of its vans to sell here. Gualberto Ranieri, vp of public relations for the Chrysler and Fiat partnership, told Bloomberg News the company is considering selling either the Fiat Ducato or the Daily – or maybe both – here in the U.S. Those vans are made by Iveco, a Fiat subsidiary.

But back to Cummins. The loss of the engine business, of course, would be a hit for Cummins, which recently has begun calling furloughed workers back to the job. There were 245,840 Dodge Rams sold in 2008, many of them with Cummins engines.

But just as importantly, it might mean the end of the heavy duty Rams with Cummins powered engines. That would be a shame as many people swear by Cummins power.

Fiat, in this country, is more associated with cars than anything else. From a public relations standpoint, while I know Fiat will want to use its own technologies, and I have no doubt that Fiat’s diesels are quality engines – after all, the company has plenty of experience in Europe running diesels and operates one of the largest commercial truck businesses in the world in Iveco - I’m just not sure how well a Fiat diesel pickup will sell here. I can imagine the sales pitch now: “The new 2011 Dodge Ram. The truck that runs with the hum of a car. Only from Fiat.”

Doesn’t really say power now does it?

It’s a subject that is often taken for granted. Except for those injured by lift trucks. Lift trucks are vital to the operations of warehouses and, if not used properly, also very deadly.

For anyone who operates a lift truck, or employers who utilize lift trucks in their operation, I don’t need to tell you that. But, there are organizations out there that can help. In North America, the Industrial Truck Association is gearing up for its fall conference, to be held Oct. 24 through Oct. 26, in Austin, TX. Undoubtably a wonderful opportunity to network and learn more about the industry. You must be an ITA member to attend, but like any industry organization, the experiences and lessons you can learn from others far outweigh any potential costs of attending.

ITA, though, can be just a starting place to learn about safety. Manufacturers, such as Toyota Material Handling, Clark Material Handling, CAT Lift Trucks and others, can serve as wonderful resources.

In England, the Fork Lift Truck Association is readying for its Safety Week from Sept. 21-27. As part of that, the organization’s web site offers free tips, tools, and other resources to support lift truck safety. Tips that can be beneficial to all.

Unfortunately, most injuries involving lift trucks occur not the operator, but to innocent bystanders. A little safety knowledge can go a long way.

Late last week, I received a press release from the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) telling me that “most Americans agree with professional truckers about Mexican trucks.” OOIDA picked up on a Rasmussen Report that said 66% of American adults surveyed do not want Mexican trucks to carry loads on American Highways.

OK, fine. I don’t doubt that it is true. However, the survey, conducted Aug. 10-11, asked 1,000 adults the following question: “Mexico wants President Obama’s help to end the ban on Mexican trucks operating in the United States. Should Congress let trucks from Mexico cross the border and carry their loads on American highways?”

For the record, 19% said yes, 66% no and 15% were not sure with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. I wonder if the question had been framed differently, how different the results would have been. Perhaps put this way, “most Americans” would feel differently: “If Mexican trucks abide by all U.S. safety regulations when traveling on U.S. highways, should they be allowed to travel inside the U.S.?” Or, how about this question: “If allowing Mexican trucks to haul goods into the U.S. would reduce consumer prices, would you want the U.S. government to allow those trucks into this country?”

My point is simple: the answers you receive all depend on how the question is framed. I’m fairly certain that through a series of questions, I can prove that the sky is green. True? Of course not, but based simply on the questions asked, I could lead you to that conclusion if you take no other information into account.

According to Rasmussen, the poll has a “95% level of confidence.” I’m no polling expert and I’m not sure what that actually means, but I don’t see how 1,000 adults is a statistically representative sample of the 217.8 million adults (age 18 and over) in the U.S. according to the Census Bureau.

But, in the end, I guess 660 people is the “majority of Americans.”

The Texas State Legislature passed several new bills in its most recent session that will affect the trucking industry in the state. The two most prominent are in regards to idling and cell phone use.

No longer will drivers be allowed to use wireless devices within a school zone while operating their vehicles unless it is a hands-free device or the vehicle is stopped. If the goal, and I assume it is, is to improve safety around schools where children walk and play - oftentimes not paying attention to their surroundings – then I’m fine with that.

There is, of course the debate about whether hands-free devices are any safer than using an actual phone, but the alternative may be banning phone use altogether. And from someone who drives about 120 miles a day to and from work, that may not be such a bad idea at all. But I digress.

The other law with a big impact is the idling regulation. No longer can trucks sit idle while drivers rest in their sleeper berths. That’s good for the environment, but not so much for fleets pocketbooks. As we know, it can get warm in Texas in the summer. It is good for the APU industry, though, as any fleet traveling into Texas will want to have some sort of auxiliary cooling and heating system.

The new laws go into effect September 1.