Automakers are starting to look for more ways on how they can improve further the design and features of their crossover in order to become more competitive in the market. Currently manufactured cars are designed for younger family buyers but as this population ages their needs also change and in the process they tend to look for something different. Automakers would like to be ready to answer these changing needs,also for trucks.

Ford has already introduced their concept crossover called the Airstream at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show – a vehicle, which they say, will satisfy consumers especially retirees who love to travel.

Aside from Ford’s Airstream another crossover with similar layout was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show designed also for aging baby boomers—the Nissan Bevel. This car is specially designed for 45 to 60 years old men who are “hobbyists” or DIY enthusiasts who always carry lots of things while traveling around.

The Bevel was a “category buster” and designed for people who just don’t want an off-roader or an MPV but for men and also women with hobbies, who love to tinker with things and handymen. The Bevel, just like the Airstream has an asymmetric door layout with a single offside driver’s door and wide-opening double doors on the nearside plus a rear tailgate that flips over to surprisingly turn into a loading shelf.

The trucking industry in the United States is booming more than ever. Even with the current rise in gas and oil prices, trucks must still run bringing products to stores and consumers. Without the trucking industry we would simply be reverted to the days of horse and buggies, growing our own food and living without many of the necessities that we have today. With that being said, it is important to realize that in order for truckers or trucking companies to haul the things that we need, they must first know where to locate trucks for sale.

You can find many trucks, from light to heavy duty haulers, virtually anywhere that you look. One of the best places to begin your search is on the internet. There are a wide variety of places where you can find information about specific truck models, such as a manufacturer’s website or a site that offers listings of used and new trucks for sale. Knowing where to begin your search is half the battle.

Once you have located a site that offers new and used trucks for sale, you simply need to keep in mind what budget you have for purchasing your truck and any other specifics that you have in mind, such as brand or luxury level. There are many semi trucks today that offer comfort capabilities that are very similar to what you experience at home. From extra large sleeping areas to room for a refrigerator, microwave, television and even a computer, you can put virtually anything in your truck and haul it with you on the road. Once you have determined how much you can afford to pay and any luxuries that you want, you will be ready to really start searching for your perfect truck.

Whether you purchase new or used, finding trucks for sale is not a difficult task. As long as you understand what you are looking for, finding it is fairly easy. If you prefer to shop locally, you can search through local or regional newspapers for what you are looking for. Of course, the internet gives you a much broader search. You can look in every state to see what other truckers may have for sale. And just think, if you locate a truck in another state, then you can travel there to pick it up. Once you buy it you can gain some added experience with your new truck by driving it home.

“Our trailer sales department is top of the line and offers the most and best selection of trailers than any other trailer dealer in Pennsylvania,” states Wagner “We are your one-stop trailer source, we inspect, repair, customize and finance trailers.” All Pro’s Trailer Sales Pa. facility is easily accessible from surrounding states, such as Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey and New York.

All Pro’s Trailer Superstore offers a broad product line of trailers for sale, including a full line of enclosed cargo trailers, enclosed car trailers and enclosed snowmobile trailers. “We are CarMate Trailers number one trailer dealer in the nation,” states Wagner “And we are also a proud trailer dealer of Pace American Cargo Trailers, US Cargo Enclosed Trailers, Carry-On Trailers and our top of the line Thule Aluminum Trailers. We are Thule Trailers number one trailer dealer in Pennsylvania.”

“We also stock an extensive line of equipment trailers, dump trailers, and landscape utility trailers by Cam Superline at our Trailer Superstore,” remarks Wagner.

Wholesale auction prices averaged $10,187 last month for large SUVs, down 26 percent from a year earlier and 1.7 percent from June, the Atlanta-based provider of
used-vehicle data said. Big pickups averaged $8,825, a drop of 20 percent from a year earlier and less than 1 percent from the previous month.

Such declines “suggest increasing risk for auto finance companies,” Wachovia
Capital Markets analyst Richard Kwas said in a note today.

The lower prices paid for the light trucks are cutting earnings at automakers’
finance units and other companies that offer vehicle leases. Demand for large pickups and SUVs has weakened as gasoline has stayed near $4 a gallon. Manheim’s figures are considered a measure of prices automakers may expect for vehicles coming off leases, known as residual value.

Chrysler LLC’s finance arm stopped providing leases Aug. 1. GMAC LLC, the finance company 49 percent owned by General Motors Corp., halted such contracts with incentives in Canada the same day. GM and Ford Motor Co. in the second quarter wrote down the value of their leases by a combined $4.1 billion and are tightening standards for the agreements.

Volvo Trucks North America officials announced this past week that they will produce 100 VNL 300 daycabs for the Clean Truck Program, which is scheduled to eventually replace 16,000 drayage trucks.

The VNL 300’s feature Volvo D13 engines rated at 405 horsepower, and meet the California Air Resources Board’s low-NOx idling standards.

Mack Trucks Inc. officials announced they received 100 orders for the Mack Pinnacle Axle Back daycab tractors for the ports. The Pinnacle daycabs come with 395-hp Mack MP7 engines certified to California’s low-NOx idle requirements at less than 30 grams of oxides of nitrogen emitted per idling hour.

Both ports have approved programs that will require trucks to meet 2007 engine emissions standards by December 2012, although that implementation may be delayed because of legal and regulatory action.

Both ports now face a civil lawsuit filed by the American Trucking Association. The suit is aimed at blocking the programs’ implementation of a concessions agreement that would allow only trucks from port-approved companies access to the ports.

Also, the Federal Maritime Commission has authority over approving the plans’ operation as it relates to interstate commerce, and has requested more information from the ports about the Clean Trucks Program.

Trucks with pre-1989 model year engines will be barred from entering the ports beginning Oct. 1 this year.

OOIDA has discussed the use of a day-pass system for temporary port access for long-haul truck drivers that make infrequent port visits at the Port of Los Angeles. Geraldine Knatz, Port of Los Angeles executive director, has said such a system will be put in place.

The drop followed two months of upward momentum for the Allentown manufacturer, which has seen its sales plummet in response to a housing construction slump and sluggish shipping industry.

Mack in June delivered 1,482 trucks to dealers, down from 1,649 the year before. The company does not build trucks on speculation, so deliveries directly represent customer orders.

The company has faced a protracted slump in truck sales that began in 2007. It was initially attributed to new emission standards that made trucks more expensive. But the demand drop has lasted much longer than the company initially anticipated as home building and freight shipping slowed and the overall U.S. economy headed south.

”It is still difficult to predict exactly when market conditions will improve,” Mack spokesman John Walsh said. ”Faced with higher operating costs and economic uncertainty, customers for the most part continue to take a wait-and-see attitude, delaying new mack truck purchases.”

Mack continues to work on improving the fuel economy of its trucks in response to record-high fuel prices, Walsh said.

In 2007, Mack delivered 18,600 trucks, down 50 percent from 2006. Through June 2008, the company has shipped 8,585 trucks to dealers, down 2.7 percent from the first six months of 2007.

The company had laid off employees in anticipation of a tough economy entering 2007, and currently employs about 550 workers at its plant in Lower Macungie Township. About 1,000 more work at its Allentown headquarters and testing site.

Many dealerships that have new cars also have a section of used cars from which you can choose. Although you have to be careful these are great, and for the most part are in good shape. But you must not see this as your only option.

The selection they can offer might be limited, and you shouldn’t settle for something you really don’t want because they don’t have anything else. Don’t forget that there are many cars for sale by owner out there that may just be exactly what you need. And chances are you may save some good money this way.

You can find listings for cars for sale by owner in your local paper. These classified ads may also be listed online, as most newspapers now have an online version of their paper, and they almost always include their classified listings. These classifieds are the best way to find cars that you may want that are very close to were you live. Take the time to read over the ads for cars for sale by owner very carefully, and then call the ones you find interesting.

You can also find cars for sale by owner by surfing the Internet. There are many sites that are designed just to help owners sell their cars to people in their community. There are more listings than just the car classifieds included in any local paper or on a website. The benefit of a website is that often the listings of cars for sale by owner are more detailed and you can also see pictures.

Cars for sale by owner are only a good deal if you know what you are getting.

Buying a new pickup truck can be very confusing. Of course you could go for a well known brand or manufacturer but still here are many options to consider.

Below are some guidelines that could point you in the right direction in buying a new truck.

The first thing that you should consider is size. Ask yourself just how big a pickup truck do you need? This shouldn’t be a very difficult decision for you to make. All you have to consult are your needs and your budget.

Keep in mind the price of a new pickup truck varies. It can range from the affordable (like buying an ordinary car) to the very expensive (like buying a luxury car). A good basic pickup truck can be owned for around $20,000 while a full sized fully loaded pickup truck an go for as much $30,000 or more.

Keep in mind one of the most important features of a pickup truck is its engine. So the engine should be a primary consideration when buying a pickup truck. Most pickup trucks will have a V6 engine. This type of engine consumes a fair amount of fuel depending on what you will be hauling or pulling. However, full sized pickup trucks usually have V8 engines that use up gas pretty fast. A diesel engine is recommended if you need lots of power for towing things around.

Another consideration is the number of people a pickup truck can carry. Would you be using the pickup truck to transport people? Then you would be better off buying an extended cab pickup truck which can carry 5 or more people. You could also get a crew cab which can be a very good replacement for a car and can also seat up to 5 individuals. But if you are basically using the pickup truck to tow and transport things, then you could just buy a regular cab pickup truck which can hold two to three individuals.

Determine the size of bed you will need. The bed is the part of the pickup truck used for transporting things. Pickup trucks usually are equipped with 6½ to 8 foot beds.

Look at the drive-train options. Pickup trucks come with either a manual or automatic transmission and you could choose between a two wheel driven or a four wheel driven pickup truck. Many pickup trucks offer limited-slip or locking differentials and electronic traction control.

Check the truck box configurations. Trucks come with different cargo box. Most have fairly straight exterior sides, with arched areas just inside the bed to accommodate the rear wheels. Many also have spaces in front and behind each arch so there’s more room to tuck shorter cargo. On the other hand, some pickup tucks have flared fenders to provide more storage space. This type of cargo box is called a step-side box.

The Internet is a very good source for new and used pickup trucks. There are many websites specially dedicated to automobiles and trucks. From there, you can get in touch with local dealers. And even read a review of the vehicles for sale. Using such website is very easy for both sellers and buyers. Using such websites can definitely save you time when buying a pickup truck. Most automotive websites serve as an online market place for cars and pickup trucks. Sellers post the vehicle they want to sell. Then a buyer can browse through it. When a buyer wants to buy a vehicle, the website puts him touch with the seller. And that’s it. They will even handle the transporting to your driveway.

Ox Bodies, a dump truck manufacturer in Bennettsville, came to South Carolina about five years ago and employed 30 people in the county.

Dale Pilger, president of Ox Bodies, said the closure is part of the company’s con-solidation process.

“We had discontinued manufacturing at that plant some time ago and had been doing only installations for customers in that geographic location,” he said. “With (the close of the plant) we are consolidating that service at (the Fayette, Ala., headquarters) but will be using the (Bennettsville) site for logistics. We’ll manage chassis and finished trucks for our customer at the location so they won’t be affected by the actual plant closure.”

The company is a designer, manufacturer and installer of medium and heavy duty Class 6- 8 dump bodies, platforms, pup trailer bodies, trash bodies and related dump truck body accessories.

Pilger said the trucking industry has been a challenge lately and it was important for the company to be cost and production effective.

Marlboro County Administrator Cecil Kimrey said it’s tough when something closes and the county will have to roll with the punches.

“We hate to lose any employment with our unemployment rate as it is right now,” he said. “We’ll just have to work harder to find more companies for the area.

“I was aware that (Ox Bodies) wasn’t doing well here and knew there was a possibil-ity that it could close but you really hate to see them go.”

According to the latest unemployment figures for June, Marlboro County was the only county out of seven counties in the Pee Dee to show no change in unemployment rates.

All other counties showed slight increases for June, according to the S.C. Employ-ment Security Commission’s monthly report released July 18.

Marlboro County was ranked third in the state for unemployment in May, but now ties Chester County for fifth in the state with a 10.8 percent unemployment rate for June.

Doris Ann Breeden, executive director of Marlboro County’s One Stop Workforce Center, said the effect of the layoff already has been seen in the unemployment office.

“The laid off employees have already come in and filed their claims,” she said. “It’s been about two weeks since they came in and, of course, we encourage them to register for work that’s available to them that they are qualified for.”

Breeden said the employees were furloughed June 30.

“This just adds to the (unemployment) numbers we have,” she said. “It’s going to be tough because a lot of those people that were laid off from Ox Bodies were local people that aren’t used to commuting far to work.

“The possibility of commuting to Florence or Myrtle Beach will be an adjustment for them.”

Pilger said there would be one employee stationed at the Bennettsville location to handle logistics.

The move is expected to be announced Thursday as part of a plan to overhaul U.S. plants so Ford can make more cars and small vehicles and fewer large trucks and sport-utility vehicles, these people said.

Ford will also report its second-quarter earnings Thursday. Analysts expect the company to report a substantial loss. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker has had massive declines in sales for its full-size pickups and SUVs, mainly as a result of rising fuel prices and a softening economy. The company has shut down truck production in several plants for most of the summer and delayed the launch of its 2009 F-150 pickup by two months until November.

Relatively consistent demand for Ford’s small pickup, the Ford Ranger, is one of the few bright spots in the dismal truck market. While sales of the Ford Explorer SUV fell 33.2% and its F-series pickups dropped 22.7% for the first half of the year, Ranger sales declined only 3.9% for the same period. As part of the company’s cutbacks first announced in 2006, Ford said it would shutter the Twin Cities Assembly Plant, which makes Rangers, by 2008. In 2007, the company revised its plans, saying the small-truck plant would close sometime in 2009. Now the life of the plant, while working with a single shift, has been extended until 2011.

News of the plant’s life extension will coincide with an announcement about a broad reshuffling of Ford’s product portfolio. The auto maker plans to convert three truck plants to car production as demand in the U.S. market reacts to $4-a-gallon gasoline prices.