Prime mover

摘要

Ask sales engineers at the truck manufacturers about what to consider when specifying a new tractor unit, and most will reply with another question: "Who is buying the truck?" And they don't just mean, what's the likely application and duty cycle but, literally, who. Why? Because fleet engineers range from sophisticated to dyed in the wool. Many point, for example, to the fact that tractors are still ordered with sliding fifth wheels and lead-up ramps. "We have had air suspension since 1990 so specifying these 'just in case' doesn't make sense any more. All it does is adds height and weight," says a Volvo spokesperson.