First Class

Winter 2015

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FIRST CLASS l 17 Peterbilt's lightweight chassis helps maximize payload in the 4,000-gallon tanks that carry fuel products to the diverse SC Fuels' customer base. "Some of our equipment varies for the service it performs or the region in which it operates. Our goal was established to operate equipment that varied as little as possible from site to site, or region to region," says Griffith. "It made sense to focus on the one supplier who could meet all of our needs." Most of the trucks are either fitted with stake beds or tanks that will carry about 4,000 gallons of fuel. They operate within about a 100-mile radius, run up to 24 hours a day and some will make up to 13 or 14 stops on a single route, servicing the fleet operators — food services, municipal- ities and power companies, for example — that choose the efficiency and convenience of having fuel brought to their equipment, rather than having to go get it. "They want to be able to get in their trucks and go," says Griffith. The right spec Griffith and SC Fuels management personnel found knowledgeable support on the local Peterbilt dealer level and an innovative engineering team at Peterbilt "They like the turning radius. That matters in the congested areas in which we operate. They also like the comfort of the cab." headquarters in Denton, Texas. Griffith was further impressed by the level of col- laboration and experience the Peterbilt team had working with Weld-it Company, the Los Angeles-based tank manufacturer SC Fuels prefers. "That relationship is very strong," says Griffith. "That became a selling point for us." The spec included PACCAR PX-7 Engines for the Model 337s, and PACCAR PX-9 Engines in the Model 348s. Griffith says the engines are reliable and light- weight, and the weight savings offered by the Peterbilt chassis as a whole was also an important factor. Any weight saved on the chassis can be added to the fill capac- ity of the tanks, he says. While it's challenging to get a good read on fuel economy due to the variable nature of operations and the amount of idling time they do, Griffith says he's happy with the fuel economy he gets with the PACCAR engines and the automatic transmissions he specifies. The drivetrain is also popular with SC Fuels' drivers, as is the entire truck. "They like the turning radius," Griffith says. "That matters in the congested areas in which we operate. They also like the comfort of the cab. And it's definitely a plus for us to operate newer, quality equipment like these Peterbilt trucks. The guys coming in from smaller jobbers who are running older equipment definitely notice the difference." Customers notice the difference too, according to Griffith. "We hear about our trucks," he says. "They go out there, especially with a polished tank, and it's a very impressive, nice-looking piece of equipment. A big part of our image is our trucks." FC

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