TRUCKS

Getting Back on Track: Fleets Prep for Redeployment after Quarantine

May 23, 2020 by Oswaldo (Ozzie) Flores Leave a Comment

Special to Auto Trends Magazine.

America’s trucking fleet is getting back on the road.

With much of America’s trucking operations being grounded for the past several months during the COVID-19 outbreak, fleet managers (as well as the rest of the nation) are chomping at the bit to get back to work. But what does that look like in a world where trucks have been sitting idle for 90 days or more?

A trucking fleet is designed to be used, and the fleet management software systems that have been installed to ensure efficiency, compliance, maintenance and safety are built to mainly monitor a fleet that is in motion – not one that’s been grounded. As we break out of our forced economic slowdown, fleets need to move forward with a fresh outlook and new set of compliance standards.

This re-deployment of a stale fleet cannot be figured out “on the fly.” Too much can go wrong on the road – that is, if the trucks even get that far. If vehicles are down for even a little longer than usual, mechanical issues can seep in.

Just like having wear and tear from the road, trucks can have wear and tear from sitting in a lot. With that in mind, here are three key strategies to getting your fleet back on track:

How to Bring Your Fleet Online

After sitting dormant for an extended period, each truck will be prone to a host of mechanical problems.

Before deployment, schedule a mobile or in-house mechanic to approve the vehicles, leaving enough time to properly inspect for road readiness. If you are unable to have a technician do so, plan to have vehicles scheduled for inspection by your regular shop to review the following:

1. Tires: Gauge the pressure of all tires before deployment. Air can leak out while trucks sit because the pressure builds at fixed points on the tire. Keep portable air compressors handy in the vehicle yard.

2. Batteries: Test the condition of each one and their respective charge capacities. Make sure to have readily available jump-starters on hand.

3. Fuel: Check fuel levels and, if possible, the condition of the fuel. After several months, it’s easy to lose track of who topped off and who didn’t.

4. Brakes: Make sure all brakes are fully functioning before going back on the road. Even if they haven’t been used, brake pads can deteriorate over time and brake calipers can freeze up from non-use.

5. Suspension: Closely inspect all steering components to ensure the vehicle is handling properly. Short test drives are recommended for evaluation prior to heading out on a long haul.

6. Fluids: Check all fluid levels, including radiator, brake, steering and washer fluids. Excessive leaks should be apparent from vehicle-sitting and may be a leading indicator of more serious troubles.

7. Third-party devices: If equipped with aftermarket mechanical (PTO, cranes, lifts, etc.) or electronic devices (cameras, GPS, etc.) these need to be checked for proper operation as well.

Without knowing where the problems lay within each vehicle, it is critical to conduct a thorough evaluation on every truck. This way, the failures can be addressed before it’s too late. Unfortunately, trucks can break down or cause a serious accident if they are not proactively maintained, and many of these mechanical issues are avoidable if detected ahead of time.

How to Remain Compliant in the “New Normal”

Once you determine your fleet is ready to go from a mechanical perspective, there are a series of regulations – including many that have been updated on account of the coronavirus pandemic – fleet managers need to understand. Being well-informed of the latest rules, as well as their exemptions and exceptions, is crucial to operating safely and efficiently – beyond avoiding compliance-related fines or violations.

Lawmakers, government agencies, and industry associations have issued guidance about everything from where to find food in a quarantine zone and how to remain socially distant with roadside assistance to sanitizing the cab and wearing protective gear.

Here are 10 key resources for understanding the compliance landscape in our new era of COVID-19 and perhaps beyond.

1. North American emergency declarations (exemptions and exceptions) broken down by federal and state governing bodies: https://www.cvsaemergencydeclarations.org/?country=USA&state=ALL&agency=ALL

2. Hours of service waivers and extensions as issued by the FMCSA: https://www.trucking.org/COVID19/federal-declarations#HOS

3. If licensing has been disrupted by COVID-19, drivers may secure waivers for their CDL and medical cards:
https://www.trucking.org/COVID19/federal-declarations#CDL

4. The latest guidance on preventing occupational illness and injury from OSHA:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/trucking_industry/

5. CDC guidance on New York City and other hotspots:
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s0326-nyc-truck-driver-guidance.html

6. Certain states are not required to train third parties in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out if this waiver applies to your team:
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/waiver-knowledge-test-training-certain-third-party-cdl-test-examiners-response-covid-19

7. Some disqualifying events may not be applied to drivers’ records during the emergency period:
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/2020-04/FMCSA%20Notice%20Enf%20Disc%20on%20SDLA%20DQs-Convictions%20Uploads%20-%20Apr%2017%202020.pdf

8. The bill providing workers with paid sick leave, tax credits, and free COVID-19 testing; expanding food assistance and unemployment benefits; and increasing Medicaid funding:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6201

9. New out-of-service criteria for North American truckers issued by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance:

CVSA’s New 2020 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria is Now in Effect

10. Emergency waivers and extensions for trucker drivers with learner permits, who are pursuing licensing:
https://files.constantcontact.com/dbfea8d5301/c981bed6-226c-40d3-91e7-25dc0db6d2a1.pdf

Staying informed about policies is important during this time of change. Many of the waivers are temporary, though, and will need to be renewed in June or the rules will revert to their pre-pandemic state. Make sure to keep checking back regularly with these resources as compliance codes are changing often on a federal level and varying within individual states.

How to Bring Your Personnel Online

Since the machinery is only as good as the people controlling them, we’ll also need to “reboot” the staff – drivers, mechanics, dispatchers, etc. – to ensure they are refreshed and up to date on the latest operating procedures. This re-onboarding takes time and should be planned for long before redeployment.

Take time to retrain drivers on policies and procedures, providing them with a quick, but mandatory, refresher on high-level items that are critical to your business.

With COVID-19, it is strongly advised that each company implement new safe practices for touchless delivery, if possible, to protect both your employees and your customers.

Conduct a quick audit for all documents. Items that need to be in the vehicle(s) at all times may include the following:

Fuel card associated to proper vehicle(s)
Accident kit
Insurance documentation
Registration paperwork
Employee handbook
Vehicle operations manual
User manuals for third-party devices installed in the vehicle (ELD etc.)
Masks and gloves
Disinfectant wipes and spray

Administrative staff should also refresh themselves on company policies and procedures when it comes to requirements due to accidents, vehicle tow away procedures, missing fuel cards, maintenance requirements, etc.

As a fleet manager, your personnel is your most precious cargo, and ensuring the team’s safety and education is the most valuable form of compliance you can practice. Remember that they are working under extraordinary circumstances and be mindful of those pressures. Take the time to thank everyone for their continued effort, hard work, and patience during these unprecedented times. Words of encouragement and thanks go a long way towards providing a great experience for the customer and employee.

Having a fleet management software provider you trust as your partner is crucial during such an unprecedented time. With all the mechanical inspections, compliance monitoring, and staff education that needs to take place in preparation for redeployment, automation and recording technologies can be incredibly useful. For instance, a digitized maintenance process, portal and schedule to determine which vehicles had required immediate attention prior to the shutdown is more likely to be accurate and easy to reference than a paper trail which has to be tracked down among a fleet team that’s been sitting around for months.

Now more than ever, the condition of the fleet and its team needs to be ready to roll. Not only is the economy depending on all the logistics services these trucks provide, but the safety component and new risks from being idle cannot be overstated.

The key to executing this very delicate and high-stakes re-entry is having systems and processes that are current and keep up with the ever-changing compliance requirements of this new normal. Only an experienced fleet management software provider, who understands these compliance requirements as well as other critical business needs and best practices, can make jump-starting a trucking fleet as easy as possible, while maintaining efficiency and safety.

To ensure your fleet is in good hands, managers must continually review their software vendors and determine if they are providing the best services and features as they relate to maintenance, compliance, safety, and personnel. With all the disruption this year, are you confident that your provider can steer your fleet back on track?

Image by fkevin from Pixabay

Nissan Trucks: Moving Forward

September 27, 2019 by admin 4 Comments

When it comes to Nissan trucks, you’ll find three models. A fourth may be on the way.

The Nissan Motor Company is a strong player in the truck market, which is comprised of traditional body-on-frame pickups and utility vehicles. Add in its line of large vans and this automaker is a noteworthy force in the commercial sector.

Competition, though, is fierce as GM, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, and Toyota, put up some stellar models. Honda also has its Ridgeline crossover truck and we’re expecting Hyundai and Volkswagen to soon jump in as well. Outside of its NV vans, there are three Nissan models which drive customers to showrooms. We’ll also mention a fourth that’s likely to return.

Nissan Trucks, Not Crossovers

To keep things simple, crossovers and other unibody models are not part of this discussion. Instead, our focus is on the models offering true four-wheel-drive excitement!

1. Nissan Titan, full-size pickup truck.

Launched in 2004, the Titan has always trailed the Toyota Tundra among the “also-ran” trucks, which are not Ford, Chevrolet, Ram, or GMC. In 2017, the Titan XD rolled out, followed by an all-new Titan itself in 2018. Sales increased five-fold over 2015, as Nissan expanded the line to include Single Cab, King Cab (extended), and Crew Cab body styles. A 5.6-liter V8 engine powers all models, although a Cummins 5.0-liter turbo-diesel V8 is optional with the Titan XD.

For 2020, Nissan will drop the Regular Cab and the Cummins option. Furthermore, this model receives a facelift, an updated gas engine, and an all-new 9-speed automatic transmission. Other changes include new grilles and lighting elements, a 7-inch instrument panel screen, and a newly available 9-inch touch-screen display. Expanded cubby space, an available panoramic sunroof on the crew cab, and optional wireless charging elevate this model.

Despite cutting back on the body styles and engine offerings, Nissan’s new focus should help this manufacturer do a better job targeting its core buyers. Still, we’re not sure if Nissan will improve upon its average 50,000 annual sales with the refreshed model.

After a 15-year run, the current-generation Nissan Frontier will likely be replaced.

2. Nissan Frontier, midsize pickup truck.

The Nissan Frontier is an old truck. In fact, it was last updated in 2005, which is 15 years ago. Typically, manufacturers overhaul their trucks every five or six years, so the current Frontier is way behind the curve.

And yet, its old design isn’t hurting sales as Nissan can count on about 75,000 units sold each year. That’s after reaching the bottom in 2009 when just over 27,000 units were sold, which is also the year industry sales collapsed.

The good news is that a new Frontier is on the way. The bad news is that we don’t know when it will arrive. That said, we’re forecasting a new Frontier to roll out in 2020 as a 2021 model, a vehicle based on an updated version of the current platform. That’s the same strategy Toyota has used by the Tacoma, which is also the segment’s best-selling pickup truck. Besides including the latest tech features, the 2021 Frontier will have a more powerful V6 engine paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. We expect the six-speed manual gearbox to return.

There are two other changes we think Nissan will include, although they aren’t confirmed. The first one involves tapping NISMO to build a version to take on the Tacoma’s TRD line. This makes perfect sense, especially if you want to emphasize the truck’s off-road chops. The second one involves offering a 2.8-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, which is a Cummins design. This would allow Nissan to maintain its relationship with Cummins, while offering an engine option few competitors have.

The Nissan Armada may see significant changes for 2021.

3. Nissan Armada, full-size utility vehicle.

The Nissan Armada is a bigly SUV, which competes with the likes of the Toyota Sequoia and Chevrolet Tahoe. Oddly, it isn’t underpinned by the same platform supporting the Titan. Instead, Nissan utilizes a separate platform which supports the Japanese-based Nissan Patrol.

Sales of the new Armada more than doubled in 2017, before pulling back slightly in 2018. Nissan should average a respectable 30,000 units sold annually moving forward. And just as the Titan received a new transmission for 2020, we expect the 2021 Armada to include similar changes.

This Frontier-based Xterra has its share of off-road thrills.

4. Nissan Xterra, mid-size utility vehicle.

We last saw the Nissan Xterra in 2015, which is a midsize utility vehicle based on the same platform underpinning the Nissan Frontier. Nissan discontinued this traditional SUV due to declining sales, poor fuel economy, and mandated safety updates, which made carrying out an update prohibitive.

Well, with a new Frontier on the way, might we see the return of the Xterra? That’s possible, especially since Toyota’s 4Runner continues to sell well, a model based on the Tacoma’s frame. Ford will soon have the Bronco, and we’ve always thought GM might do something along the same lines.

Nissan already has such a model in place…in China. Dubbed the Nissan Terra, this SUV is slightly smaller than the Pathfinder, but larger than the previous Xterra. Since it already exists, Nissan would have to do very little to prepare this vehicle for the U.S. market. And if that’s Nissan’s plans, we may see an all-new Xterra arriving after the Frontier, perhaps in early 2021 as a 2022 model.

Might this Asian-market Terra make it to the U.S. as the Xterra?

Nissan Trucks: It’s a Wrap

So, there you have it. Our take on Nissan trucks and the company’s place in the U.S. market. Most definitely, many factors play into a manufacturer’s decision to build or update any model. Beyond the Titan, the three other Nissan models are heavily influenced by what Nissan builds elsewhere, even if there are some differences between models.

See Also — Highlights of the 2019 Nissan XD

Photos copyright Nissan Motors.

How to Share the Road With 18-Wheelers

March 9, 2013 by Joe Fernandez 1 Comment

Light-duty vehicles including passenger cars have been sharing the road with trucking rigs for decades. Usually, that relationship is a mutually respectable one, with both truck and car driver giving each other plenty of room to maneuver. Unfortunately, some people skirt in and out of traffic, weaving between 18-wheelers enroute to their destination. That sort of driving is dangerous, possibly deadly, and should be avoided at all costs. You can share the road with 18-wheelers by keeping the following five points in mind:

1. Keep your distance. The distance you keep between cars is typically one car length for every 10 miles per hour you are traveling. Thus, if you are moving at speeds of 60 mph, then a six-car length separation is warranted.

With trucks, you need to provide much more room, following 20 to 25 lengths behind the rig noted Ted Cash in his interview with the Deseret News. That extra length will help truckers to see you, keeping you out of his blind spot.

Peterbilt 2. Consider the road conditions. Your car may be equipped with anti-lock brakes, all-season radial tires and the best brakes. You may be able to stop your vehicle fairly quickly and easily with more care needed when road conditions are less than ideal.

Those less than ideal conditions are particularly tough for truckers and should cause you to evaluate how much room that you give them. Trucks weigh tens of thousands of pounds and when fully loaded take more time to stop. The spacing recommendation made in the first point should be increased as road conditions warrant.

3. Pass with care. Many car drivers assume that truckers can see them at all times. After all, rigs are big and cars are small. That smallness, however, can leave you outside the truckers range of vision and put you both at risk.

If you can see the truckers side mirrors, then he can see you. Stay in his mirrors when you plan to pass. Also, when a trucker wants to pass you, you can signal your awareness of his intentions by flashing your head lamps. This is a common courtesy, one that demonstrates that you have everyones safety in mind.

4. Buckle it up. All drivers should wear their seat belts, one of the best ways to protect you in an accident. According to the National Safety Council, seat belts saved more than 75,000 lives from 2004 to 2008. In 2007, 42 percent of the people killed in vehicular accidents were not belted in.

If you are struck from behind by a truck, the weight of the rig compared to the weight of your car will mean you will sustain extensive damage. By wearing a seat belt you can avoid hitting the steering wheel or the dashboard, or being thrown out of position included being ejected.

5. Stay alert always. Inattentive drivers, cars and truckers alike, are more likely to get in an accident. In fatal crashes involving cars and trucks, 78 percent of fatalities were car occupants according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

No driver should take to the road when tired. Drowsy driving results in decreased situational awareness, slower reflexes and impaired judgment. Never drink and drive and do not talk on your cell phone. Most certainly do not send text messages. If your eyes are sore or you are constantly yawning, pull over and get some rest. Tired drivers have been found to fall into micro-sleep whereby they sleep for a few seconds to a few minutes. The consequences here are enormous.

Safe Driving

Trucks and car drivers alike can exercise much precaution when taking to the road. Avoid passing trucks on the right and never cut in front of a truck. Remember, in a collision you are more likely to be seriously injured or killed than the trucker as your 4,000-pound sedan goes up against an 80,000-pound 18-wheel behemoth.

References

Deseret News: Truckers Offer Tips on Safe Driving Around Trucks http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600150351/Truckers-offer-tips-on-safe-driving-around-trucks.html

U.S. Department of Transportation: Safety Tips for Car Drivers http://www.sharetheroadsafely.org/cardrivers/carsafety_tips.asp

U.S. Department of Transportation: Highway Safety Information System: An Examination of Fault, Unsafe Driving Acts, and Total Harm in Car-Truck Collisions http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/humanfac/04085/index.cfm

GM to Reopen Shuttered Spring Hill Plant

September 21, 2011 by admin 1 Comment

New midsize models to be built in Tennessee.

GM is returning to the plant that launched Saturn, a different kind of car company. Its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant has been out of commission for the past few years, but will eventually reopen as part of the contract terms the automaker has agreed to with the UAW.

Spring Hill Returns

What mid-size models will make it to Tennessee have not been confirmed, but that may include the Chevrolet Malibu, Buick Regal and Buick LaCrosse. Those sedans have found a home at plants in North America, but if demand for the next generation Malibu surges, this model might find a second home in Tennessee. Automotive News [subscription required] reports that a pair of crossovers — the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain — could be built there as well.

Another plant, located in Wentzville, Missouri, will receive a $380 million upgrade. That plant, which will continue to build full-sized Chevrolet and GMC vans will be joined by a mid-sized pickup truck, likely the same vehicle GM introduced in Thailand in March 2011. That vehicle was not initially slated to be sold in North America, but will replace the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon once GM closes its Shreveport, Louisiana, plant in June 2012.

Truck Market

The small to medium truck market has fared poorly in recent years as larger pickups offer comparable fuel efficiency, much more capacity and start at prices not too far about smaller trucks. Sales of the Colorado and Canyon are up sharply this year, but the segment is still dominated by the Toyota Tacoma.

The UAW says that GM agreed to continue building full size Chevy and GMC pickup trucks at its Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant when the next generation model arrives in 2013. That plant will receive $230 million in upgrades. A new compact may be built at an unspecified plant too, with Automotive News speculating that the model is the three-door Opel Astra which would be sold here as a Buick.

Out of Mexico

And in a sign that some jobs sent beyond the U.S. eventually do come back, GM has agreed to add hundreds of jobs to three plants in Michigan, positions it had planned for Mexico, but reversed course and agreed to hire here. Each of these changes are part of GM’s latest collective bargaining agreement with the UAW, a four-year pact that still needs to be voted upon by the rank and file.

See Also — GM Touts Free Summer Plant Tours

Book Review — Ford F-Series: America’s Pickup Truck

September 20, 2010 by admin 1 Comment

Built Ford Tough

The most storied name in the world of pickup trucks is the Ford F-Series, a broad line of full-sized trucks introduced by the Ford Motor Company for the 1948 model year. More than six decades later the Ford F-150 and related trucks are the best-selling trucks in America, indeed the best-selling passenger vehicle year after year.

Six Decades

A truck possessing such a heritage has quite a following, with multiple millions of these vehicles on the road all across America, Canada and Mexico. As a tribute to the truck and marking its 60th anniversary, author William G. Scheller wrote Ford F Series: America’s Pickup Truck, a Ford authorized glossy coffee table book outlining the history, purpose and prestige of this vehicle.

Scheller takes the reader back well before the F-1’s release, showing Ford’s earlier involvement in the pickup truck market. Indeed, it was a modified Model T pickup truck that initially performed light truck duty for farmers, retailers and other business people, the first in a string of trucks built by Ford for that purpose.

Subsequent trucks were built on Ford Model A, Model B and Model BB platforms, each one offering improvements in horsepower, suspension and payload. Truck models built immediately after the Second World War ended resumed the styling theme dominant in 1942 when America’s assembly plants were converted for war use, but by September 1947 the first of the all-new F-Series trucks were ready for the market.

Detailed Dissection

Readers will note that the author takes care to cover every model year from 1948 through 2009 with a detailed year-by-year break down of the changes made. In earlier years, those changes were apparent in annual exterior updates involving the grille and oftentimes the tires, wheels, side trim or mirrors, color schemes, truck bed and tail fascia. These days Ford typically makes regular cabin amenity updates in addition to releasing a special new model or package offering.

The six lengthy chapters of the book cover the founding of the Ford Motor Company and then flows to cover significant periods in the history of the F-Series, usually involving a generational design change and always including accompanying full page color photography of the trucks for that era.

Ford F-Series:
America’s Pickup Truck

Extra Large Hardcover
Ford Motor Company Authorized
240 Pages
Archived & Enthusiast Photographs
Extensive Model Year Features
2008 | Universe Publishing

Notable Finds

Some of my favorite finds included:

The 1948 model. I was fascinated to learn what drove Ford to produce the F-Series in the first place and how quickly they brought this truck to the market, just two years after war production shifted once again to making cars. Immediately, customers took to the truck and have continued to exhibit strong interest year after year.

The model variations. Ford has always built countless variations of trucks on the F-Series theme. Today’s F-150 model is joined by the F-250 and F-350 with Super Duty models in the mix. Through the years Ford has built panel trucks, tractor-trailer trucks, dump trucks and emergency vehicles based on this platform. Ford’s E-Series vans are derived from the same platform powering the F-Series trucks.

Engineering updates. Scheller notes every change in the suspension including the introduction of twin I-beam front suspension during the 1960s and updates to voltage, steering, engines and transmissions. Pivotal for Ford was the introduction of diesel engines through its relationship with Navistar. Those engines are now built in-house.

Technological improvements. In recent years, the F-Series has become more car-like in ride and refinement. Vinyl seating is still standard, but leather interiors, sophisticated audio systems, navigation units and Bluetooth connectivity are available. Many customers appreciate the multiple roles of these trucks: family vehicle, workhorse and recreational model combined.

Reduced Price

There is one drawback you will want to note when considering this book: it goes through the 2009 model year. With 2011 trucks now in showrooms and offering new engines, transmissions and other amenities, more recent information would be of interest to readers. Alas, the publisher (2008 | Universe Publishing) says that no updated version is being planned.

No matter, your F-Series enthusiast will probably enjoy the book as much as I did and still am. Importantly, this hardcover, which has a cover price of $50, has now been reduced to under $20 through popular book distributors such as at Amazon.com.

See Also — Book Review — Behind the Wheel

With Some Help, You Can Change Your Timing Belt

August 4, 2008 by admin 1 Comment

Changing your car’s timing belt isn’t as difficult of a job as you might think it is, but it is something that must be done at least once within your car’s lifespan. Most timing belts will last anywhere from about 60,000 miles to just over 100,000 miles; your car’s shop manual can give you a rough estimate when it should be replaced. For the record, timing belt failure can take place at any time, but if you keep up with your car’s maintenance trouble can be averted.

How A Timing Belt Works

As a backgrounder, a timing belt works to turn the camshaft at exactly half the speed of the crankshaft. The camshaft causes the intake and exhaust valves to open and shut in time with the engine’s pistons as they move up and down in the cylinders.

When the timing belt breaks, you won’t be able to go anywhere as the engine will no longer run. In some situations, a timing belt failure could damage or even destroy a car’s engine; way too many car owners do not replace this important part until it has broken. As you can imagine, this can be a terrible problem when you are stranded and far from help.

Worn Out Belt? Not Easy To Determine!

Unfortunately, there is no iron-clad method to check that a timing belt has worn out. Instead, changing it at prescribed intervals will reduce the chance that it will break before it can be replaced. Furthermore, many mechanics will also advise changing the water pump at the same time as the timing belt – even if it hasn’t failed – as most of the labor that’s related to replacing a water pump has already been done when changing the timing belt. This is your decision as a water pump could last as long as your car or it could fail at some point in the future. If the latter takes place, you could be faced with a significant car repair bill in addition to going through all the trouble of being without your car for several days.

Weekend mechanics often feel comfortable enough to replace their car’s timing belt without the assistance of a garage. With a trusty Haynes or Chilton car maintenance and repair manual by your side, you can lift the hood and remove and replace the timing belt (and water pump) in no time.

Shop Around And Save

You can buy needed automotive parts at a local auto parts store, shop online for parts from a wholesaler, or visit your dealer’s parts department to get what you need. Shop around — the price differential between auto parts retailers can be significant.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.