Partnering on the ‘Perfect Truck’
BY AsphaltPro Staff
The two Trout River auger trucks that were so integral to American Pavement Specialists’ Mountain Road project are the only two in existence, Bill Stanley said. The trucks were designed in collaboration with Trout River Industries in 2022.
“We came up with an idea for these live bottom trucks to develop an attachment that can be easily removed from the rear of the truck,” Matt Stanley said, adding that removal takes five minutes and the truck can then be used as a regular truck. “The design started as just a wild idea in my father’s head.” After several phone calls with the engineers at Trout River, APS had a CAD drawing a few weeks later and production began shortly thereafter.
“The Stanleys know their equipment,” said Barry Wells of Trout River Industries. “The spec’d the auger attachment out, knowing every aspect of what it needs to do. They know the types of problems they’re running up against every day, from manpower to maximizing efficiencies.”
The 2023 season was the first time APS used its new trucks. “Despite being the so-called ‘guinea pig’ for the designs, we operated them all year and were able to provide crucial feedback to improve the design even more,” Matt said. “It’ll certainly be cool when these trucks become a staple in the industry and we can proudly say we were a big part of it.”
Trout River plans to begin selling the trucks to the public this spring, but has already received numerous inquiries from contractors who have seen the Trout River auger truck on social media. “We are looking to roll out the auger attachment for all Trout River live bottom trailers and truck boxes across the globe later this spring,” Wells said. “The auger attachment is really about making an old school job more efficient.”
This article originally appeared alongside the cover story, “American Pavement Specialists Makes Winter Work Work,” in the March/April 2024 issue of AsphaltPro Magazine.