Article reposted with permission from NAID. The original article can be found here: NAIDnews
If the shred-trucks in your fleet have “born-on” dates between 2008 and 2013, you and many others like you are almost certainly facing end-of-life decisions for your current chassis. According to NTEA, the average age of medium-duty vehicles— the backbone of any mobile shredding fleet—is between five and ten years. While this may be the average, the low mileage, high-hour applications common in most shredding operations may mean that these engine components, in particular, are experiencing an end-of-useful-life sooner than expected.
The year 2007 is widely known to mark the inflection point between the “pre-emission” and “post-emission” era for diesel engine technology, and while OEMs were allowed a legacy engine phase-out period through the 2010 model year, many OEMs began introducing new clean-air regulation compliant engine designs starting with their 2008 model year production. At the time, the two primary competing technologies launched focused on either EGR – engine gas recirculation, or SCR – selective catalytic reduction. As with the launch of any new technology, OEMs using both designs experienced their fair share of early learnings and re-designs. OEMs choosing the SCR strategy used early field results to refine sensor technology and implement other engineering tweaks, while Navistar International announced in July of 2012 that it would shift its strategy away from its proprietary EGR technology in favor of the SCR approach embraced by other OEMs.1
In the early days of the SCR roll-out, the silver lining for most shred-truck operators was the ability to have the fleet parked in a central location at the end of each workday allowing easier access to DEF level monitoring and preventative maintenance needs. By the year 2013 regulations requiring onboard diagnostics designed to detect issues and recognize faults became mandatory for all on-highway diesel engines. Overall the years from 2013 onward continued to bring incremental design change and increased reliability coupled with a shift towards improving fuel efficiency and MPG standards. More recent years have also seen the introduction of engines such as the Daimler DD8 that cater to the vocational truck users need for fuel efficiency, longer maintenance intervals, and various PTO options for shredding applications.2
For the many owners that find they are operating a battle-tested shredder mounted to an aging chassis and experiencing ever-growing maintenance expense, a chassis swap may be a viable alternative to an entirely new unit. More than one of the demo trucks at this years’ NAID Conference & Expo in Nashville featured re-furbished shred equipment mounted on a new chassis. Price ranges vary depending on the scope of work performed and are reported to range from the low to mid $100,000s. Some operators are also opting to add integrated hard-drive shredders to older shred bodies as part of the chassis upgrade to take advantage of increased customer demand for digital destruction services. Many operators are also finding that loan/lease options for refurbished equipment match what they would see on all-new trucks rather than the somewhat limited options present for used chassis/equipment financing.
Chris Isabell, owner of iSecure, Inc. in Grants Pass Oregon recently opted to go with a new chassis for an existing shred body and had this to say about his decision-making process and the results.
“This solution made complete sense for us because of the good condition, serviceability and relatively low hours on our shredding equipment. The durability of the original shredding equipment and good maintenance on our end meant that we had equipment that was well-suited for refurbishment plus a few upgrades (walking floor, electronics). We just needed a new chassis under it all. I feel like we just put a brand-new unit into service and yet we saved approximately $50,000. Our drivers are happy, and our financials look good.”
As we all march forward into another year of industry growth and increased customer awareness of sound information security needs, the good news for Isabell, and for all owners facing fleet renewal decisions, is the variety of options, new chassis technology, and vendor support available within the NAID network. While new shred-trucks will always be needed to support industry growth, owners now know they have at least a few viable options to give new life to old shredders.
For more information on Shredding Truck Refurbishment or to request a free quote contact Karl Ellwood at 866-520-8762 or karl@shredsupply.com, or visit: https://shredsupply.com/shredding-truck-refurbishment/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Frank Zellner is the VP Strategic Growth, vocational trucks for BMO Transportation Finance in Irving, TX and is available to assist with all your equipment and truck financing needs.
Frank.zellner@bmo.com
www.bmotf.com
REFERENCE LINKS
1 http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/article/story/2015/04/emissions-yesterday-today-and-tomorrowwhere-we-ve-been.aspx
2 http://www.ttnews.com/articles/egr-vs-scr-battle-also-ragestruck-classes-3-7-2010
2 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303684004577510602042441784
2 https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/27001/powerpacked-new-trends-in-diesel-engines