Building and maintaining modern utility infrastructure demands an unprecedented level of field equipment versatility. In this product showcase, check out 10 of the latest advancements from today’s leading aerial equipment manufacturers – built to deliver the elevated reach, material-handling capacity, extreme-terrain mobility and enhanced dielectric protection needed to keep crews safe and timeli…
After three years of law school, Maria Neve realized that she did not want to practice law. Instead, she pivoted to alternative fuels and transportation safety, consulting for automakers and the U.S. Department of Energy. That path eventually led her to fleet, where she chose to stay.
“I’d like to say I found fleet, but fleet definitely found me,” she recounted in a recent interview with UFP. “Wh…
We hear it all the time: “I’ve been pulling stuck vehicles out on the farm for 30 years. I don’t need training.”
Experience has value, but successful recovery of a stuck vehicle does not necessarily indicate that the recovery was done safely. Sometimes it means that everything simply worked out (i.e., you got lucky).
Vehicle recovery techniques, recovery equipment and safety expectations have see…
When wintry weather arrives, utility crews in colder climates often rely on tracked all-terrain utility vehicles (ATUVs) to reach places that conventional trucks and equipment can’t. Proper spec’ing, preventive maintenance and operator preparation all play a role in keeping these machines moving.
Ideally, fleet professionals will spec ATUVs for their intended application, which is critical to equ…
Fluids and lubricants are generally part of a fleet’s preventive maintenance (PM) checklist along with assessing tires, brakes and other wear components, helping to ensure that vehicles don’t experience unscheduled downtime.
“The reality is that fluids are an integral part of the fleet business, so whether it’s engine oil, engine coolant, transmission, all the fluids in a drivetrain system – all…
For utility fleets, a truck is a toolbox, workshop and commute all rolled into one machine. Driving to and from jobsites presents a certain level of inherent risk exposure – exposure that will likely increase if operator behavior does not align with industry regulations and best practices. Today’s telematics systems can help to mitigate exposure. Vendors say the technology has matured from basic…
Utility work zones often place serious hazards on the same strip of pavement as your crew. Where a driver observes another row of traffic cones, a worker sees the hard edge of their worksite. Danger lurks in the space between those two perspectives.
Fortunately, industry employers can take three steps to reduce this risk. Begin with identifying site-specific hazards that could generate significan…
Billed as the place where roadway safety and innovation intersect, the American Traffic Safety Services Association’s 57th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo will take place February 5-9, 2027, at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in California.
The event brings together the people, technologies and ideas shaping the future of roadway safety via industry-leading education and…
Winter often puts utility fleets to the test. Snow-covered roads, frozen ground and remote jobsites can complicate access, while dropping temperatures place added stress on vehicles and equipment. Keeping crews safe and operations moving requires preparation long before the first major storm hits.
That is why commitment to readiness and operational discipline runs throughout this issue of UFP.
Tu…
The Hard Hat Caddy is an innovative, versatile PPE storage solution designed to keep essential safety gear organized, protected and easily accessible. Its unique, multifunctional design allows the caddy to be hung from a vehicle headrest, worn on the hip or magnetically attached to metal surfaces, giving workers convenient access to their gear wherever the job takes them.
More than just a hard ha…
The Fire Extinguisher Holster from Line Work Bucket Products, designed for a 2.5-pound extinguisher, mounts inside a bucket corner with adjustable hooks that fit 2- to 4-inch bucket lips. It includes an inset bottom shelf and a retention latch, with no bungee cords required. UV-stabilized polypropylene, stainless-steel set screws, bumper standoffs and a tongue-and-groove lid interface are enginee…
The Kranken is a patented, stainless-steel, corrosion-resistant, constant-tension snow chain tensioner designed for utility trucks, bucket trucks, commercial vehicles and heavy-duty fleets operating in demanding winter conditions. Installed in under 30 seconds, its self-balancing mechanism automatically maintains tension as tire chains settle and shift during operation.
Tighten it once, and The K…
Summit Truck Bodies has completed the rollout of its next-generation hydraulic crane lineup, adding the 620, 629, 820, 1020 and 1029 models.
The five new cranes extend the platform that was first introduced with the 829 and later scaled into the heavy-duty capacity class with the 1229. Together, the seven models offer maximum lifting capacities from 6,000 to 12,000 pounds and options in both 20-f…
Weather Guard’s redesigned line of Transfer Tanks has been engineered to reduce downtime, simplify installation and deliver longer service life for today’s work trucks. Built around the realities contractors and fleet operators face when fueling equipment in remote work areas, the next-generation Weather Guard Transfer Tank incorporates structural improvements that deliver increased durability an…
Buyers Products has expanded its GuardDogg headache rack offering with a new aluminum construction option. Building on the popularity of the existing steel GuardDogg, the aluminum version delivers the same practical design and drill-free installation in a lightweight, corrosion-resistant package.
The aluminum GuardDogg is designed to help contractors and fleet operators maximize their work trucks…
Elliott Equipment Co., a Stellar company, recently announced that Smyrna Truck, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fouts Bros Inc., has joined the Elliott dealer network as an authorized dealer. Smyrna Truck will offer the Elliott lineup of truck-mounted aerial work platforms, digger derricks and BoomTruck cranes from its headquarters in Milledgeville, Georgia.
Fouts Bros, a family-owned company servin…
Ford Pro Advantage is a new, industry-first, manufacturer-backed certified pre-owned program for Class 1-7 commercial vehicles, including chassis cabs and incomplete trucks and vans. It helps businesses find affordable, used, work-ready commercial vehicles with added confidence and support. Available through more than 700 Ford Pro Commercial Vehicle Centers, the program offers certification optio…
The recently introduced Weather Guard Configurator is an interactive digital tool designed to simplify van upfit planning and spec’ing. Combining vehicle-specific compatibility, real-time 3D visualization and quoting in one streamlined experience, the Configurator helps users build the right upfit for their vehicle, visualize it before they buy, and move from idea to order with greater speed and…
Reading Truck Equipment and Masterack are integrating their operations to create one of North America’s largest commercial vehicle upfit organizations.
The move combines Masterack’s leadership in cargo management solutions for commercial vans and pickup trucks with Reading’s nationwide network of commercial vehicle upfit, installation, parts and service locations, offering consumers access to exp…
Ten-Nine Technologies is scaling production of TENIX, its patented cathode additive, as the battery industry’s shift toward manganese-rich chemistries accelerates. The company describes TENIX as “anti-aging for batteries.”
Unwanted chemical byproducts build up inside batteries each time they are charged or discharged; this is the same process that raises your smartphone’s temperature and shrinks…
