New Heavy Highway Hauler for the Army

[RHClarke]

One of the nice things about working in the equipment world is the access to the new kit. Here is the Army's latest rig that was on display last week:




Nice digs...

[Grant Bowker]

It did look like a lovely new toy when I saw it. A few things strike me about it. I hope no-one trained in the "knock trees over with the bumper" school of driving gets their hands on it, that bumper that folds as the hood opens looks like a pretzel waiting to happen. It also seems funny to paint it "hide it green" and put "look at me" strobes on it. The colour coded air lines at the back of the cab stood out like a sore..... perhaps a coat of mud will tone them down.

More seriously, they don't look like they were built as tactical trucks and if they are meant as highway haulers painting them alnost any other colour would have helped all the other idiots on the road to see them and not get run over as they do somthing stupid the truck driver doesn't have time to react to.

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Grant Bowker

... I hope no-one trained in the "knock trees over with the bumper" school of driving gets their hands on it, that bumper that folds as the hood opens looks like a pretzel waiting to happen. It also seems funny to paint it "hide it green" and put "look at me" strobes on it... they don't look like they were built as tactical trucks and if they are meant as highway haulers painting them alnost any other colour would have helped all the other idiots on the road to see them and not get run over as they do somthing stupid the truck driver doesn't have time to react to.

Grant,

You are correct - this is not a tactical vehicle. The bumper is strong enough to move your average passenger car out of the way, but is not designed for "off road" use. The truckers I spoke to indicated that it was decided to "go green" to match the trailers and the cargo it will be hauling.

As for vehicle colour and stupid drivers, how many snow ploughs/emergency/road repair vehicles get whacked every year despite having bright colours, flashing lights and other "don't hit me" signals?

Anyway, if you should see this baby rolling down the highway, remember, you saw it here first!

[servicepub (RIP)]

I saw this last week, pulled over, hood open and a mobile truck repair van attending to its needs. Hope it doesn't spend more time with the mechanic than it does with the driver.

Any specs on this new toy?

[Grant Bowker]

Originally Posted by servicepub

I saw this last week, pulled over, hood open and a mobile truck repair van attending to its needs. Hope it doesn't spend more time with the mechanic than it does with the driver.

First question. Is it a coincidence that I saw it in Sheffield road, in the vicinity of the local International truck dealer?
Next question. Is it public information whether these were bought under the terms of the Standing Offers? If so we can probably deduce something about specs (and costs since those are part of the online offers). Otherwise does Merx (however that is really spelled) have a way for viewing awarded tenders?

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Grant Bowker

First question. Is it a coincidence that I saw it in Sheffield road, in the vicinity of the local International truck dealer?
Next question. Is it public information whether these were bought under the terms of the Standing Offers? If so we can probably deduce something about specs (and costs since those are part of the online offers). Otherwise does Merx (however that is really spelled) have a way for viewing awarded tenders?

No surprises you saw it near a dealer...however, I would be surprised if these beasts were not obtained under the competitive bid process - I will verify this with the truckers. Most contract awards are announced by a local politician or DGPA as a matter of routine procedure. As for specs, just go the International website and look up the civy model, and then guess the cost of a green paint job.

[rob love]

Not sure if things have changed, but in my day the DND drivers hated a truck if it came with a sleeper. The DND did not have sleepers back then, but occasionally the rentals would. That meant you were not staying in hotels, and were showering at the truck stops. And if there were two drivers, then you were almost "hot bunking" it, with an expected 16 hours of roadtime per day.

Seemed like our trucks would get a lot of options even the civvys wouldn't bother with (electric adjustable westcoast "moto-mirrors", self adjusting air brakes, and hotsy hot start coolant heaters) while the trucks wouldn't even be equipped with AM-FM radios. How times have changed...I see a TV in that sleeper.

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by rob love

... How times have changed...I see a TV in that sleeper.

The other corner has a small microwave...Despair not Rob, we old folks blazed the trail for those who now serve - it seems our "constructive criticsm" has paid off in a lot of areas...

[alleramilitaria]

watch,
the jobs will be subcontracted out and the rigs will sit on some post someplace. then in 2-5 years the trucks will be sold at about 1/4 of the purchas price.

[rob love]

Originally Posted by alleramilitaria

watch,
the jobs will be subcontracted out and the rigs will sit on some post someplace. then in 2-5 years the trucks will be sold at about 1/4 of the purchas price.

While they may fill the drivers seats with civilian drivers so that the few remaining military guys can go do more tours in Afgh, I can assure you that the Cdn forces does not release any vehicle until it is well past it's prime.

As to that microwave, I can only imagine that some bean counter is figuring that they can reduce the meal claims of the driver's since they have now been provided with a kitchenette.

The discussion about the khaki color earlier brought up some good points. Normally, the trucks would be white, although I have seen tractors supplied to the service bns in khaki. So unless these trucks are heading that way, I suspect it may be as much a recruiting scheme as anything else. "Join the army and drive a cool green truck" will be the thought of the impressionable young man watching this monster roar by with a LAV on the back deck. Little does he know that cool green truck will be the -5 degree cab of an MLVW on the trans-Canada highway in February.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Apr 03, 2008 19:05 ET
Pelican Products Canada Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Contract for Futuristic Military Transport Case

EDMONTON, ALBERTA AND TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA--(Marketwire - April 3, 2008) - The Department of National Defence has awarded a contract for 33,000 co-polymer cases from Pelican Products, Inc. (Canada) of Edmonton, Alberta. The cases are for issue to soldiers in the Canadian Forces to transport personal and military-issued equipment.

Lyndon Faulkner, CEO of Pelican Products, is based in the global headquarters in Torrance, CA. "We've been building watertight cases for 30 years, and we've seen the trouble that comes with unwanted moisture: corrosion in metals, rot and mold in fabrics. We're proud to offer a solution that will enhance the Canadian Forces readiness and safety".

The case is an advanced design of Pelican's 1630 ProtectorTM Case, and was designed and tooled with the Canadian Forces needs in mind. Kevin Deighton, V.P. of New Product Development, led the development team. "Our intimate knowledge of the needs of the modern soldier, coupled with the superiority of our co-polymer injection molded cases, gave the Canadian Forces the confidence it needed to choose the Pelican 1630 Multiple Operations Box. Assured that we could meet the needs of the Canadian Forces and win the MOB Case contract, we invested in a $300,000 production tool".

Because of its versatility, the Canadian Forces have designated the case as the Multiple Operations Box (MOB). In addition to the lightweight polymer wall material, the case has wide, ball bearing wheels for transport over rough terrain and an extending tow handle with memory that flexes on impact. A key attribute of the case is the use of an o-ring sealing lid that closes tight with a tongue-and-groove fit. This, in combination with a Gore-TEX® membrane pressure equalization valve, makes the MOB case watertight.

"With our design and technology team in California, we truly produced a case solution that helps to modernize the Canadian soldier," said Rick LeBlanc, Managing Director of Pelican Canada. "The Multiple Operations Box, in name and features, describes its multi-use capability with a number of containment and mobility solutions for the Canadian Forces."

With more than 8,250 cubic inches of usable storage space, the 1630 MOB Case is ideal for safely transporting and protecting operational and follow-on equipment including the standard Canadian Forces C7-A2 military issue rifle which stows inside the case without the need for complete weapon breakdown.

The 1630 MOB Case is designed with unique Canadian Forces requirements including a specially formulated (Federal Standard) brown case color, hot-stamped Canadian flag decal, and two removeable 4" x 6" clear identification document holders. These are just a few of the features required by the Canadian Forces to support military deployments throughout the world.

About Pelican Products

Pelican Products, Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of advanced lighting systems and virtually indestructible cases for protecting valuable equipment, with distribution centers in Barcelona, Spain - Edmonton, Canada - Tokyo, Japan and Adelaide, Australia. The company was acquired in 2005 by venture capital firm Behrman Capital. For more information visit www.pelican.com or www.behrmancap.com.

To view the Multiple Operations Box (MOB) Fact Sheet please visit Marketwire's website at: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/403mob_fact_e.pdf

[Rod Diery]

Originally Posted by pkitson

Any specs on this new toy?

C'mon guys, don't just tell us whether it will break down often or not. What is it?????

Cheers
Rod

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Rod Diery

C'mon guys, don't just tell us whether it will break down often or not. What is it?????

Cheers
Rod

I hope "not". To see the specs paste: http://69.20.127.42/portal/site/ITru...0085d0eb0aRCRD

[Grant Bowker]

The order must be for at least six, because I saw six in the same place and time (same Ottawa dealership as before).

[alleramilitaria]

how many HETs are in a canadian transport company?

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally Posted by Grant Bowker

First question. Is it a coincidence that I saw it in Sheffield road, in the vicinity of the local International truck dealer?
Next question. Is it public information whether these were bought under the terms of the Standing Offers? If so we can probably deduce something about specs (and costs since those are part of the online offers). Otherwise does Merx (however that is really spelled) have a way for viewing awarded tenders?

Grant: I've tried Merx, Mercx, etc, trying to find out if awarded tenders are posted.

No joy. If you find a way to get that info, lemme know!