#Tico shunt truck drivers#
#Tico shunt truck driver#
#Tico shunt truck software#

Hence, Kalmar and Capacity have mounted steel plates and posts around the catalyst and DPF units to minimize damages. On-road terminal tractors with EPA07 engines now come with very expensive exhaust stack components that can cost $3,000-6,000 to repair.

#Tico shunt truck software#

Unofficially, I’ve heard that a small percentage of users are having problems with their EGRs and that new software patches are on the way from engine manufacturers.Īnother factor is exhaust stack damages, which are not uncommon in this kind of work. It could throw a wrench into some tight shipping schedules.

#Tico shunt truck drivers#

Having to stop shunting operations for 20-50 minutes while the DPF unit cycles through a high temperature burn-off is a new variable that shunt drivers never had to deal with before. I’m curious to hear how the new engines are functioning in the shunt community. Still, the urge to go for the off-road option must be tempting.Ĭustomers going this route can choose an industrial engine rather than one of the EPA07 motors with soot-burning capabilities.Īn off-road tractor, however, can never leave the yard under its own power, and fuel and servicing have to be supplied on-site. The majority of terminal tractors sold in Canada are plated and street legal. TICO’s cab is fiberglass rather than metal, and is much wider, allowing the insertion of a second seat for training purposes.Ī company looking to buy a shunt truck should consider whether it will be utilized in-plant or be required to drive on-road. According to its Web site, they’ve been making shunts for use in ports since 1985, but are now marketing them throughout North America. (TICO) manufactures its own version of a terminal tractor at its plant in Savannah, Georgia. There’s a new player on the scene, as well. Although some shunt drivers prefer one to the other, I’ve driven both and they’re so similar I have to look twice to see which brand I’m driving. Some companies with large fleets tend to have both makes in their repertoire. Ottawa is the most recognizable name but Capacity has also established a major presence in Canada. Two major shunt truck manufacturers supply most of the world’s needs: Kalmar which makes the Ottawa models in Ottawa, Kansas, and Capacity which produces the Trailer Jockey brand at a plant in Longview, Texas. Allison automatic transmissions are ubiquitous in the shunt truck world as are Meritor axles. Power is supplied by Cummins or Cat engines, usually around 200 hp since the units aren’t required to go fast. The trucks’ short wheelbases give them amazing maneuverability. Manufacturers can and do create just about any kind of variation of shunter, from articulated sectional frames to special gooseneck booms. Yard donkeys generally sit on single axles with rigid rear suspensions tandems might be necessary for some heavy on-road applications but they are rare. Entrance is gained through the rear sliding door with steps accessing either side of the trailer. The cabins are square, narrow and flat-sided with lots of glass allowing almost 360-degree vision.

Shunt trucks squat a little lower than Class 8 tractors and the hydraulic boom has to be able to fit inside the frame so the fifth wheel can lie flush with the deck.

#Tico shunt truck driver#

It’s estimated one can do at least three times the work of a driver who has to crank the dollies and pull the pin manually. And a good shunt driver is worth his or her weight in platinum. Today’s fast-paced shipping environment would not be possible without shunt trucks. The hydraulic concept picked up speed in the late 80s and early 90s with the introduction of Just-in-Time material handling and automated loading systems. In the old days, trucking companies would supply the shunt driver with an old city truck to move trailers around the yard. Fifty years later, in April 2008, Kalmar has just produced its 45,000th shunt truck.Įven so, these specialized tractors were slow to catch on. According to Kalmar Industries, makers of Ottawa tractors, the first truck equipped with a hydraulically-lifted fifth wheel was fabricated in Kansas in 1958. The little dogs lift outrageous loads and thread trailers through obstacles into seemingly impossible spots and corners.īut today’s shunt truck was only an afterthought. Yard tractors do the grunt work behind the scenes in closed yards, terminals, ports and distribution centres, operating night and day, often reversing as much as driving forward. Even the average dumb-ass four-wheeler is familiar with the “stars” of the highway: the glamorous Freightliners, Kenworths, Macks, Volvos, Internationals and Peterbilts.īut shunt trucks usually go unnoticed and unappreciated.