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Westmor (Morris, Minn.) offers a bobtail on these chassis with a 500-gal. to 1200-gal. tank. This Blueline MX bobtail is dubbed the “maneuverability model.” Milt Swenson, territory manager, vessel sales and special projects, explains, “This for getting in and out of smaller areas. It’s typically a smaller truck on a Ford or Chevy chassis. It’s not as prevalent as the bigger bobtails.”

“Diesel tends to have a little more power. Customers may have other diesels in their fleet, too, so they may want a new one for that reason,” McElroy explains. “People buy the Ford gas engine to get a propane conversion put on, because Ford offers a gas prep engine for conversions to natural gas or propane. Texas is trending toward dedicated alternate fuel vehicles with grant money available through the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality.”

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Safety, Handling
Along with these latest developments and current offerings of chassis, the truck builders highlighted longer-term trends they see in the equipment options chosen when speccing a chassis.

“Most of our customers are looking for safety, first and foremost,” says Joey Runnels, vice president of Mississippi Tank (Hattiesburg, Miss.). “That means visibility out of the cab; an automatic transmission, so there’s nothing to shift; and aftermarket backup cameras and sensors.”

“Disc brakes are becoming popular, as opposed to drum brakes,” says Swensen of Lin’s Propane Trucks. “There is an up-charge for discs, but they stop better. Disc brakes are not a huge percentage, but there are more coming though.”

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“A locking rear differential has become almost a standard item; it is not standard on the trucks, but it has become kind of a standard in our industry,” says Bloomstrand of Rocket Supply. “It’s all we stock and it’s something most customers want. When you are in snow or on soft ground, like you might be with an agricultural customer, a locking rear differential allows both wheels, on both sides of the truck, to lock in rather than having one wheel spin.”

“Another thing to consider is weight savings on the chassis,” he adds. “Aluminum wheels and the engine you spec can make for a lighter chassis. That means you can carry more.”