Published: April 2026
Scott Gulan, an almost 20-year veteran of Superior Industries, still recalls his reaction when he saw a RazerTail® Truck Unloader for the first time.
“I thought everybody should have one,” says a smiling Gulan, now director of business development at Superior.
What stood out to him was that trucks could dump straight onto a conveyor without extra handling, while moving large volumes quickly to keep downstream equipment running steady.
“It took me a while to embrace that many aggregate plants don’t really have an application for them,” Gulan says. “But when the trucks leave their plant, that’s where we start to play.”
No Backing Up Required
One of the unloader's key features, its drive-over design, allows trucks to pull in and dump without backing, improving safety and labor efficiency.
“Truck drivers don't have to be as experienced because they're not backing up to hit a target,” says Tom Koehl, a conveyor application engineer. “You also don’t have trucks backing one at a time while others wait for position.”
By design, the RazerTail Truck Unloader also eliminates material rehandling.
“Instead of dumping material on the ground and picking it up again with a loader, it flows straight from the truck through the hopper and conveyors to a stockpile or processing point,” Gulan says.
While stationar truck unloaders require more earthen ramp buildup, the RazerTail Truck Unloader allows operators to prepare sites more quickly, especially advantages in portable applications.
“The historical way to unload trucks is with a stationary system where the truck dumps its entire load,” Koehl says. “That setup requires enough height to contain material, often meaning 9-foot ramps and significantly more space.”
With Superior's portable truck unloader, the required height drops to around 3-feet, reducing both site prep and space requirements.
Where It Works
Since its debut in 2005, the RazerTail Truck Unloader has been used across a wide range of applications, including transloading, roadbuilding, stockpiling, site prep, and frac sand operations, giving operators a more efficient way to move material from truck to its next step.
“Transloading is one of the most common, where material moves from trucks into railcars, ships, or barges,” Gulan says. “It’s also used on highway and roadbuilding projects when contractors need a steady flow of raw materials into on-site batch plants.”
The RazerTail Truck Unloader is also used to start the stockpiling process in aggregate operations, while opening the door to additional opportunities in grain and coal stockpiling.
“In grain applications, it's used when trucks need to unload material into stockpiles,” Gulan says. “That may happen after harvest or when grain is trucked to another site, stockpiled, and covered.”
In coal unloading, it’s also been used as a feed hopper.
“They don’t necessarily buy it just for that, but once it’s on-site, operators may feed it with a loader to start the reclaim process," says Gulan.
In frac sand, the RazerTail Truck Unloader allows operators to build stockpiles closer to their wellheads and reduce reliance on long-haul trucking.
Measurable Performance Gains
The difference shows up in how the operation performs day to day, reducing degradation, increasing throughput, and boosting uptime.
“If it’s in an application where the truck is dumping material and picking it back up with a loader, that’s usually a case where we would compete,” Gulan says. “There is a certain amount of degradation when material is dumped and rehandled, often causing it to break apart and create unwanted dust or fines.”
On throughput, Superior has clocked cycle times and determined sizable gains.
“A single truck can cycle through in about 11 seconds under ideal conditions, but in real-world operation it’s closer to 25 seconds,” Koehl says. “That consistency also improves uptime, since operations avoid the starts and stops that can slow production and strain downstream equipment.”
Opportunity in Your Market
For dealers, simply having a RazerTail Truck Unloader in stock can open the door to sales or rentals as McCourt Equipment has proven time and again.
“If you have them in stock, you will rent and sell them,” says Walter Shook, a territory manager at Superior. “Customers often don’t realize the benefits until they rent one, but once they do, they typically end up buying it.”
That momentum points to a broader opportunity for dealers willing to introduce the RazerTail Truck Unloader into new markets.
“I was surprised at CONEXPO-CON/AGG that a lot of people didn’t really know what it was,” Gulan says. “As people understand what it can do, it opens the door for more applications and new opportunities in many markets."