Going Postal

 Canada Post Corporation has been in the news recently for setting a "green" target for its delivery fleet. Half its 14,000 truck fleet will be zero-emission by 2030 and the rest by 2040. They have already committed to some Navistar "eStar" electrics with 160 km range and 6 to 8 hour re-charge. Those trucks will also have cassette batteries that can be changed out in 20 minutes. They will also be getting GM "Zevo" mini-vans to be built in Ingersoll, ON.

In the meantime of course they will have to replace older vehicles before the electrics come along. Currently, at least in Halifax, Canada Post runs Utilimaster stepvans.

As the faded red paint would suggest, some of these Utilimasters must be getting tired.

Recently a batch of new vans has appeared in the local headquarters parking lot, but have not entered service yet.

They have several interesting features:

They have a lift panel on each side (but different on the left and the right sides) - maybe that will mean easier conversion to food trucks! They are also quite low profile, and so may not have standing head room inside.

They have sliding doors on both sides, (which block the side panels when open). The doors have very odd looking windows - the top portion may slide down. They are also conventionally fueled (gasoline or diesel). There is a fuel flap on the left side ahead of the rear wheel. And the ones I see are right hand drive.

The VIN numbers show that they are F-150 regular cab 4WDs from the Kansas City assembly plant, but everything from the frame out may be from someone else.  They do have a Ford steering wheel however! and I believe they have been labelled as C250s.

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Most famous truck in Halifax

There is a proliferation of (usually ugly) food trucks these days sprouting out at odd places at odd times.

With a paint job meant to look like Graffiti, this carefully fitted out Ford is probably better looking, and in much better condition that most Halifax food trucks.

But there are still some traditional fry wagons on the street occupying regular positions.

There is nothing particularly scary about Monster Fries' Utilimaster, which has been stationed at Point Pleasant Park this year.
(Utilimaster is owned by Spartan Motors and includes the former Union City Body Co, that bought General Motors' chassis division back in 1998.)

The most famous is certainly Bud the Spud and his vintage Grumman Olson Kurbmaster. Bud and Co have been in the business for 30 years plus and are a fixture on Spring Garden Road.
(When Grumman Olson was declared bankrupt in 2001 it was purchased by an investment house. The step van line is now known as Morgan Olson.)

The white colour is no accident, since the operators stress cleanliness to attract patrons. 

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All aboard the Titanic

This year is the 100 th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, April 15, 1912, and Halifax in particular is marking the event with many ceremonies, memorials and exhibits. (Rescue ships from Halifax recovered many of the deceased and they are buried here in three different cemeteries).
1. Ambassatours have decorated one of their Prévost bendi-busses. It is not amphibious, so I am pretty sure the tour does not go offshore.

Canada Post is issuing new stamps and have decorated a number of their delivery vans accordingly.

2. The new stick-on graphic covers the entire vehicle, except for a few small areas around ventilators and body seams.

3. The standard issue Canada Post Utilimaster for comparison purposes.

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Coming soon to a street near me

One of the last places on earth where the ubiquitous brown UPS trucks are never seen is the Atlantic region of Canada. The four provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland get UPS service, but it is provided under contract by Purolator (which in turn is owned by Canada Post - a competitor.)
UPS has announced that in the new year it will terminate the contract with Purolator for the three Maritime Provinces, leaving Newfoundland to carry on as is.
That will mean we will be seeing the the famous brown trucks here soon.
Because the UPS used to obliterate all reference to any maker, it was virtually impossible to tell who made the trucks. Sometimes there was a makers logo in the steering wheel, but that was about it.
Purolator of course made a big splash with their Utilimaster hybrids, which they introduced here last year. There will still be many of those on the road, but it will be interesting to see what UPS brings in.
Odd as it may seem I have never taken a photo of a UPS truck. Fortunately I was able to grab this dandy today-which I am sure is no indication of what we might seeing in 2012.
1. UPS is a proud sponsor of the Metro Food Bank Society, but this well worn GMC is likely not an example of their typical truck.

2. Purolator's Utilimaster hybrids (with their very distinctive sound) deliver UPS stuff on contract for now. Will UPS step up the plate with comparable environment savers?

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Purolator goes Green

1. Unit E1610127 makes a delivery on Brunswick Street, December 31, 2010.

2. There's a bar code indentifier, a convertor's sticker, but no Utilimaster plate-just a blank spot.

3. Offside of another unit on Water Street December 31, 2010.

Purolator Courier (owned by Canada Post Corp) has gone all Hydrid-Electric in its Halifax fleet. The first models were introduced last month, but they have only gradually taken to the streets.

Otherwise not easily distinguishable from their Utilimaster predecessors, they have the graphics identifying them as Hybrid on the doors. There is also a sticker under the drivers side window identifying Balance Hybrid Electric as the conversion company. It also seems that they removed the cast "Utilimaster" name tag in the process - it used to appear just below the drivers side window.

I do see a Mickey Mouse wiring job to the mirrors, but the rubber fender skirts are a dressy touch, even though the rear dualies appear undersized.

There is also a bar code on the drivers side of the hood identifying the unit number - this matches the number painted above the driver side windshield.

[See November 23 post for photos of conventionally powered Utilimasters.]

Update: press reports indicate that these trucks are built on a Ford E450 strip chassis with 5.4 liter Triton gasoline engine. This is the Balance hydrid electric system from AZD (Azure Dynamics.) AZD also produces bus truck and car electric and hydrid drives.

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Step Vans duke it out in the streets of Halifax (and everywhere else)

Just as the school bus builders are down to two main competitors (Thomas/Freightliner and Bluebird) so the step van builders are down to a pair of main players.

1. Purolater runs this Utilimaster.

2. Canadian Linen Supply has a Morgan Olson, that carries a Freightliner hood badge - very rare!

3. Canada Post operates a fleet of small Utilimasters.

4. FedEx ground has thisUtilimaster in its fleet.

Utilimaster builds the Aeromaster model. Utilimaster was, until 2009 owned by John Hancock/Manu-Life, the Canadian Insurance giant. They have now found a home with Spartan Motors Inc, which builds chassis/cabs for fire apparatus and entire fire trucks, specialist and military vehicles. Interestingly they do not build the chassis for step-vans! Utilimaster is based in Wakarusa, Indiana and Spartan in Lansing, Michigan.

Morgan Olson (until 2001 Grumman Olson) is owned by JB Poindexter & Co (JBPCo) which also owns Morgan truck bodies, Commercial Babcock truck bodies (Toronto based), Eagle Coach and Federal Coach (hearses and buses) and a raft of truck accessory outfits including Leer, Raider and Pace Edwards and other companies. JBPCo is based in Houston, and Grumman Olson in Sturgis, Michigan.

All step vans are built on"strip chassis" - basically a frame with a drive train. These are made by only three manufacturers: Ford, Freightliner and Workhorse (a division of International Truck & Engine Corp, which is owned by Navistar International Corp)

Both Utilimaster and Morgan Olson offer step-vans built on any of the three strip chassis. There is usually a choice of Diesel or gasoline engines and light duty and heavy duty frames.

On any given day it is possible to see about equal numbers of step-vans from each manufacturer, but it is not always easy to determine whose they are! There is little badging going on, sometimes the mudflaps are used to advertise the step van builder, and very rarely does the strip chassis manufacturer get any credit.

Both builders offer specialist vans for bakeries, linens, utilities and other uses, in addition to the more or less standard vans, but even these are offered with many options. All the big van operators such as FedEx, Purolater and UPS seem to buy from both builders, and all are rather coy about which strip chassis they use. It's a bit of fun to try to guess.

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