Universal e-track wheel strap for car haulers

OK, there are lower-profile solutions for wheel-strapping to e-track, but this little beauty allows you to use the same wheel straps on both vertical and horizontal e-track. See this strap



Design allows idler to swivel AND bend at the central pivot point.

Ohio Car Hauler Fire

Westbound Turnpike open again in Archbold - WTOL.com: News, Weather and Sport for Toledo, Ohio

ARCHBOLD, OH (By WTOL) - The westbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike in Archbold are open again after a half dozen vehicles were destroyed in a vehicle hauler that caught on fire. The Turnpike was closed between State Route 108 to State Route 66.

It happened just before 7 a.m. Friday. Westbound traffic was at a standstill for a couple of hours while crews put out the fire.

The vehicles are nearly unidentifiable because they were so badly charred.

Witness reports from nearby residents said it was a huge fire ball and they heard several small explosions.

The highway patrol said the driver of the truck was not hurt.

It is still unknown what caused the fire

Chinese Car Hauler

I can only imagine what the hell that thing weighs!

The lowest profile e track clip for auto tie-down in the history of the universe.

Allows you to use the strongest 6M E-track fitting on horizontal e-track without putting a twist in your wheel straps.  A must-have item for anybody hauling high end vehicles in an enclosed trailer.  Several different strap set-ups available with this piece of hardware.  This is one of the more popular ones.

What is the best smart phone for car haulers?

I have absolutely no idea.  But as I am on my THIRD warranty replacement for a Motorola Droid Razr, I can tell you that this is one tricky little phone you'll want to avoid.  As a business owner, I live on my phone, so having a phone with a screen that locks up in the middle of a call... or worse, won't even let me dial... pure pain.  The Droid Razr is a fast, beautiful phone... it's wonderful in every way, except for when it locks up and won't let you make phone calls.  It's a great phone for a college student, or someone who just wants something to surf the web at Verizon's blazing 4G speeds.  But as for me, I am a knuckle-dragging, troglodyte who primarily uses his phone to... well.. make and receive phone calls.  I think I'm going to trade this beautiful new phone for a scratched up iPhone 4 at the second hand shop. 

Do you have hydraulic fluid running in your veins?

Was talking to a car hauler this afternoon, and he gave me a great phrase.  He said his girlfriend wanted to know why he was always working.  He said that he told her, "That's what I do, I'm a car hauler. It's like I'm addicted to it.  I've got hydraulic fluid running through my veins."

Incidentally, he says a lot of the GM vehicles are now wheel strap vehicles:  Malibu, Cruze and Traverse.

New app for carhaulers

Just got this press release (below)  from Dave at EZ-Dispatch.  If you haven't checked out this software for carhaulers, you owe it to yourself to find out more.  It automates so many functions of the car hauling business, it is hard to enumerate them in one short article.  How would you like a program that allows you to scan a VIN and download auto data including weight?  Update your customers?  Create a bill of lading with the touch of a button.  Oh yes, and it is affordable, too.  Dave offers a money-back guarantee to his customers, and in all the years (six?  seven?) that he's been at this, he's never had to give anyone their money back.  It's that good.

So here is the latest news flash from EZ-Dispatch:


We have a free app for drivers using Android powered phones that will let them scan VINs. Not only will it insert them into the BOL and invoice for accurate billing, but also quickly tally the weights before loading. You can find the app on the android app store under EZDispatch and the instuctions for its use are on Transportfool.com. If this turns out to be popular with the drivers we will consider developing one for the iPhone as well. If you want to try the scanner and you do not have an EZDispatch login you can use driver for the login and driver for the password. If you have any questions you can reach our office at 405-382-2866.

Nissan and Chrysler soft tie-down rules

Hearing from a lot of guys that some locations are not allowing side strap at all.  Supposedly all over-tire type straps (with the 3 rubber tread grabs) which hook directly into the carhauler deck.  Don't know what the guys are going to do with Kaufmans with those expanded metal decks.  I don't think I'd feel comfortable with a Nissan Titan strapped into mesh behind my head.  If you're buying a 3/4 car wedge and you're thinking about hauling out of assembly plants, better think of something besides Kaufman, because that deck plate will give you fits.

The world's most expensive car hauler.

The World’s Most Expensive Car Hauler | The Truth About Cars

This cracks me up.  The USS Ronald Reagan had to go from San Diego to Washington to have some work done, so they saved some expense by shipping the sailors' cars on the flight deck!  If you assume approximately 1,000 cars being transported for three days, then the cost per car would be roughly $10,000.  Now, since the carrier had to make the trip anyway, I'm not going to waste time talking about excessive government spending, yadda-yadda-yadda.  It's just fun to think about a load price of $10,000 per car.  Which you'd pretty much have to get to make the payments on the most expensive car hauler ever built! According to the article in the link above, the aircraft carrier will set you back between 4.3 and 6 billion-with-a-b dollars.  A new Cottrell stinger costs slightly less.

Car Fire Shuts Down I-71 In Gallatin County - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

Car Fire Shuts Down I-71 In Gallatin County - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati: GALLATIN COUNTY, Ky. -- A car fire shut down Interstate 71 north in Gallatin County on Tuesday morning. Tuesday, December 27, 2011.

New rules for cell phone use by truck drivers go into effect January 3rd 2012

Here are the highlights on the final ruling on cell phone use from the FMCSA. 

1	Q: What is the effective date of the Mobile Telephone rule?
	A: The effective date of the rule is January 3, 2012.
2	Q: Are wired or wireless earpieces allowed?
	A: Yes. Hands-free use of a mobile telephone is allowed using either a wired or wireless earpiece, or the speakerphone function of the mobile telephone. Wireless connection of the mobile telephone to the vehicle for hands-free operation of the telephone, which would allow the use of single-button controls on the steering wheel or dashboard, would also be allowed.
3	Q: Is Push-to-Talk allowed?
	A: No. A driver’s use of the Push-to-Talk function on a mobile telephone violates the prohibition against holding the phone. This includes the continuous holding of a button that is necessary to use a Push-to-Talk feature through a mobile telephone, even when the driver is using a connected microphone or wireless earphone.

Tractor trailer hauling cars catches fire

Tractor trailer hauling cars catches fire

Car Hauler Catches Fire In Scott Co. | LEX18.com | Lexington, Kentucky

Car Hauler Catches Fire In Scott Co. | LEX18.com | Lexington, Kentucky

Dang!

What car haulers call stuff.

As an old English major, I have always been interested in the words people use to communicate.  As a salesman selling car hauler straps and accessories around the United States, I enjoy interacting with people from different regions and hearing the different words and dialects people use.  In today's fast-paced world of Internet marketing, it is especially important to keep one's ear tuned to the words people use when asking about certain products.  For one thing, you need to understand what people are asking for and not sell them the wrong thing. It's also important for another reason, because you need to describe products in such a way online so that when people use a certain phrase or word they will be directed to the proper item.

For instance, we sell a lot of what I call ratchet wheel straps.  I  have also heard these referred to as tire straps.  More recently, I've heard several people refer to these type of straps as wheel-over straps.  I made a special point to write this one down, because this phrase solved a problem I've had for a long time.  You see, there are two major forks in the evolution of tire straps, wheel straps or whatever you want to call them.  There are the straps that have the rubber tread grabs on them and go over the top of the tire, and there are the type that are a type of lasso strap and go to a ratchet handle at the side of the trailer.  Actually, before the wheel-over type straps became popular, there were basket-style wheel straps, but we'll leave that alone for now.

When customers call up, they usually just say that they need wheel straps, so we always had to ask: "Do you mean the ones that go over the top of the tire and have the three black rubber tread grabs?  Or do you mean the ones that go around the tire in the 10 and 2 o'clock position and go out to the rub rail on the side?"

With all the customers we get, you can imagine how many times a day we have to ask these questions!

But the last month or so, I've heard several people refer to the straps with the tread grabs as "wheel-over" straps, and I think we may start to use that phrase here at Autohauler Supply.  I think that little decisions about what to call stuff... that's really how languages develop and evolve as things change. I think it is an example of the collective wisdom of a group of people.

Still, as a lover of language, I enjoy asking the question:  "Who do you think invented the word "The"?  I mean, someone had to be the first to start using that word. 

Well, enough of that... I've got to go sell some more wheel straps or wheel-over straps  or tire straps or lasso straps or carhauler straps or whatever the heck they're called.  If you need any, give me a call! 866-855-4285