As the pandemic that began in 2020 continued into 2021, it certainly didn't stop essential medium-duty work truck fleets from continuing to learn and improve their businesses. Below you'll find the top 10 articles that resonated most with Work Truck readers this year.

• All About Truck Tires - Load Ratings, Sizes & More: Tires are more than “where the rubber meets the road,” and understanding sizes, load ratings, why ply no longer matters, and more is important for today’s fleet managers.

• Measuring Hours vs. Miles in Medium-Duty Truck Performance: To achieve the most accurate insight into the wear-and-tear on a vehicle, fleet managers need to review all performance measurements.

• How to Determine Tire Load Ratings: Paying attention to a replacement tire’s load rating is critical. The tire must be able to safely support a given amount of vehicle weight. If the tire’s load rating is insufficient, the tire may become overheated and can self-destruct. 

• Re-rating GVWR - Why and How it's Done: Sometimes, it is not in a fleet’s best interests to have a vehicle at a given GVWR. Changing the GVWR to a special value can be done, but the process is complicated.

• 2021 Medium-Duty Truck of the Year Ballot Open: Many readers were eager to vote for their pick. Selected from a field of 14 tough contenders, the Ford F-600 Super Duty chassis cab was the truck that best fit their fleet requirements.

• Pros & Cons - Diesel vs. Gas in Class 3-4 Trucks: Choosing between gasoline- or diesel-powered trucks requires striking the right balance between performance, fuel efficiency, and budget.

• 9 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Spec’ing Liftgates for Medium Duty Trucks: Spec’ing the right liftgate for an application can be challenging. Here are helpful suggestions to ensure the right liftgate is spec’d for the job. 

• Air Brakes or Hydraulic Brakes?: Choosing the right brakes for a medium-duty truck can make spec’ing complex; however, there are clear-cut reasons to use both, depending on payload and work environment.

• 8 Mistakes to Avoid When Ordering Medium-Duty Box Trucks: To achieve balance between required cargo space and weight, experts share ways fleet managers can reduce the risk of error when spec’ing and ordering.

• 10 Factors in Spec’ing Drive-Axle Ratios for Medium-Duty Trucks: There is a wide range of drive-axle ratios for medium-duty trucks. Considering drive-axle ratio impacts a truck’s top-end speed, load-pulling ability, and overall fuel economy, fleet managers must choose carefully.

Did you have a favorite article this year? Let us know! Be sure you are signed up for all our newsletters as well as our print or digital edition of the magazine, and we'll continue to bring the articles that matter the most to the fleet industry.