What's new

CF pups in the UPS Freight fleet

U

UPSFreightDUId

TB Lurker
Credits
0
Heres some pix of some former CF pups in the UPS Freight fleet that were acquired when Overnite and Motor Cargo merged, I'm not sure when Motor Cargo purchased these units, or from what terminal but Motor Cargo (for those not familar with them) was a Western carrier. Whether or not these units will ever wear a UPS Freight paint scheme is unsure, I don't forsee them surviving as UPS Freight is eliminating ribbed side trailers in favor of the newer smoothside Great Danes and Stoughtons...
006.jpg

You can still see the brackets for the full length side CF name plates along the trailer
008-1.jpg

030.jpg

For some reason either this unit never received Motor Cargo name plates or they were removed
031.jpg

The gladhands on the left side always threw me off when hooking up, anyone know the reasoning of their placement on CF equipment?
This unit was used in dedicated service btw Los Angeles, CA and Dallas, TX
 
033.jpg

Not sure if the black paint was applied by Motor Cargo after being purchased
036.jpg

037.jpg

CF number still attached to the side wall
038.jpg

Nice shot of the loadbars on vertical tracks in the pup, and the red lines denoting the halfway mark along the trailers inside height to aid in loading...

If anyone has any other input about this equipment feel free to post, I always thought about the rich history with these units while unloading/loading them...
 
I have one of those big CF signs, unused, hanging on my garage wall. The last picture reminds me of how effing cold those aluminum floors were on my feet when it was zero
degrees.
 
I spent 10 years at CF. Still don't know why the landing gear crank was on the passenger side of the trailer.
 
It was an effort on the companies part to help the drivers loose some weight!!! It didn't hurt you to walk around that truck .... gave you a little exercise driver!!!! Air line and dolly crank handles were always on the passenger side.
 
Today another one of these trailers rolled through my terminal, another 3 series CF pup, same as above. I checked the builders plate on the front, Road Systems out of Searcy, AR. It was built in 1986, I did a walk around and this unit was in damn near perfect condition, some of the wood interior was torn off, but the floor was perfect the outside ribs and walls were perfect as well.

I toted around an Overnite 48 footer in the city the other day that was 20 years old and it looked like it had been in a warzone compared to this CF pup. Is Road Systems still around? Were the CF pups built to some kind of heightened specs as they have held up quite well over the past 22 years??
 
We have a bunch of these units also at O.D. We purchased a company that was based out west and almost the entire fleet was former C.F. pups. Some of them pull better than our new trailers. Feels weird having all that history riding behind you knowing how it all went down.:console:
 
Barney said:
I spent 10 years at CF. Still don't know why the landing gear crank was on the passenger side of the trailer.
Click to expand...



Just a thought... Lets just say you were to break down along a busy highway and had to swap out tractors... which side of the trailer would you want to stand on to roll the landing gear down??? I am just guessing??? But it would be safer.
 
Road Systems is still here for the moment. We are taking some lay offs like every one else. The Cf trailers were built about the same as the conway trailers except for the smooth skin wall on the CTS trailers.
 
Madhatter, you must be talking about Utah-Wyoming Freight Lines, I spotted one their pups being pullled by an OD city unit in my area a while back...

I guess that does make sense Stimpy on the gladhands/crank location...

Appreciate the info tll2000ar, I wasn't sure if any other companies had contracts with Road Systems for pups.
 
air lines and cranks always on passenger side to keep driver away from the traffic when stopped on shoulder of the highway . told this by safety man in ako.
 
tll2000ar said:
Road Systems is still here for the moment. We are taking some lay offs like every one else. The Cf trailers were built about the same as the conway trailers except for the smooth skin wall on the CTS trailers.
Click to expand...
cf was the owners of road systems till the so call spinoff. leland james doing to keep everything in house R/S alway built our trailers. on the the last we had to lease them and our tractors big pats doing
 
what a shame, to see what one man's dream and lifes work became. we all were part of a once great company destroyed by greed. many fond memories,and great friends.
 
UPSFreightDUI'd said:
Today another one of these trailers rolled through my terminal, another 3 series CF pup, same as above. I checked the builders plate on the front, Road Systems out of Searcy, AR. It was built in 1986, I did a walk around and this unit was in damn near perfect condition, some of the wood interior was torn off, but the floor was perfect the outside ribs and walls were perfect as well.

I toted around an Overnite 48 footer in the city the other day that was 20 years old and it looked like it had been in a warzone compared to this CF pup. Is Road Systems still around? Were the CF pups built to some kind of heightened specs as they have held up quite well over the past 22 years??
Click to expand...

That "1986" trailer was actually a new trailer built on a 1986 axle. This was done for tax purposes as I understand it.
 
Road systems is still around, making trailers, dollies and if I remember correctly dock plates for Con-Way.

I think they also refurbish 45 and 48 footers for city use for con-way.
 
How did Motor Cargo handle the stuff like tires and brakes? Oak Harbor has about 200 of these old trailers and they had 24.5 tires and wedge brakes. The rest fleet had 22.5 rubber.

As the brakes needed replacement they pulled the axle and replaced them with new axle with cam brakes.

As for chains The genius in charge decided to put chain hangers under each trailer and put chains for the trailer on them. However lots of new hires never got the word that the old CF boxes had different size tires and chains. Caused for a few wrong chains on the tractors and/or trailers. I guess management never heard of chain extenders.

Then there was the matter of when they changed out the tires to 22.5. Some would never look and grab the 24.5 iron and start hanging them.

One time at a dark terminal I needed some 24.5 iron as I was heading over the Cascades. Checked two trailers and they had nothing but the third had a gold mine of chains--a pair of new, never on the ground, three railers hanging there. Guess the mechanic didn't know the difference.

Ed, The wooden shoes have dry rot.
 
:hide: If you ever make the mistake of pulling out from under your trailer, and did not remove the airlines, and electric cord.............being on the passenger side helps prevent busted skulls when they come through the back glass. :smilie_132:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top