Tom Gelinas, Author at Fleet Equipment Magazine
Replacing wheels and drums: Preventative maintenance program insight for long service life

Is there any fleet manager who isn’t interested in minimizing his fleet’s operating costs but doesn’t understand that he needs to utilize every bit of service life out of his equipment that’s economically possible? That’s true, of course, for trucks, tractors and trailers, but it’s also true for the parts that make up a fleet’s

Replacing wheels and drums Alcoa Wheels
Spec’ing engine protection: Lube oil filtration keeps the engine clean

Lube oil, called the life blood of an engine, is called on to do more than most people are aware. We all know that it keeps engines running by reducing internal friction in the engine. It does this by actually keeping moving parts separated with a thin fluid layer. It helps protect internal metal surfaces

Spec-Engine-Protection-Lube-Oil-Filtration
Spec and manage fuel efficient tires

If even only one of your trucks is used in an application during which it is at highway speeds and you’re not using fuel efficient tires, you need to take another look at what you have mounted on that truck’s wheels. Paul Crehan, director of product marketing for trucks at Michelin North America, said, “Fleets

fuel efficient tires Corrected
Good preventative maintenance can cure CSA headaches

Ever since the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration launched its initiative called Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) there has been increased attention to the condition of over-the-road equipment. Everyone wants to avoid problems during a roadside inspection because every infraction will be reported to the FMCSA and made public via the Internet. According to some fleet

Avoiding CSA Headaches Violations
From sleeper to day cab: Cab conversion might be a consideration for fleets

If you need some additional equipment, you might want to look into a retired over-the-road sleeper that is economically capable of a new life as a day cab. If, on the other hand, you need to dispose of some sleepers that are still alive and well but have 800,000 to a 1 million miles on

Prairie Tech 5 sleeper cab
Improving profitability within fleet repair facilities

Shops can improve their productivity and profitability if these utilize outside repair and refinish sources by inquiring if they provide such Express Scratch Repair (ESR) services. This improves the shop’s productivity by having dents, scratches and other imperfections repaired at the same time other services are performed. It also gets equipment back on the road that

Sherwin Williams Fleet Repair
“Managing” can minimize downtime: Why trucks experience unscheduled downtime and addressing remedies

Unexpected out-of-service events, especially when they happen on the road, are always expensive—too expensive to be dismissed as being inevitable. Yet many fleets, in their busy day-to-day operations, too often fail to address how the road breakdowns that they do experience might be avoided in the future. Dick Hyatt, president of Decisiv Inc., a provider

Minimizing Downtime Ryder Fleet
Training: An investment in efficiency

Training technicians on the correct use of shop tools and equipment, from vehicle lifts to diagnostic tools, should be considered an investment—not an expense.

Designed for fuel economy

Engine manufacturers have made great strides in improving fuel economy, but fleet managers must also do their jobs writing specs to take advantage of the fuel saving potential of new designs.

Not your daddy’s tires

Today’s low rolling resistance tires are designed to optimize fuel efficiency while delivering satisfactory traction and durability.

Electrical connections and inverters

Suppliers have introduced new products aimed at addressing lingering concerns due to corrosion in electrical systems

Calculating cost of ownership

Especially for a private fleet, this is a figure that’s important to know, but not one that’s easy to calculate.