Conducting your truck fleet in 2015
I’ve always had a soft spot for classical music. There’s something about all the individual instruments coming together to make moving, powerful music. It’s not unlike spec’ing a truck. As a fleet manager, you carefully determine what truck equipment instrument goes where to create an application-specific, street-savvy rolling symphony. Taking the first step into the
Elevating lift axles: An in-depth look at axle options
When it comes to applications such as dump trucks, flatbeds and cement mixers, on front and rear discharge mixers, as well as trucks in refuse applications, tank trucks in oil and gas, and trucks in municipal applications, lift axles are a popular option. “Lift axles are very different from steer and drive suspensions. Unlike drive
Diving into engine downspeeding
To improve efficiency of the powertrain, engine downspeeding can be achieved with either a 6×4 or 6×2 axle configuration. However, all the driveline components must work in concert to ensure proper performance. “Regardless of axle configuration, customers should always work with their OEM, engine rep and or axle rep to specify the correct drivetrain configuration
Three ways 6x2s are winning over fleets
Often times, any topic filled with apprehension can be seen in a new light thanks to a bit of old fashion education. There’s no clearer example of that than the growing interest in 6×2 axle configurations from fleets across the country. In the past, fleets had three main concerns with 6×2 axle configurations: 1. Traction;
Medium-duty, big business potential in 2015
In the vocational markets, activity is strong across the board and retail sales of construction trucks continue to grow for just about every application. “Last year the industry sold more than double the number of construction units than it did in 2009,” explained Anthony Gansle, Peterbilt marketing manager, on-highway product. “There’s been significant year-over-year growth
What’s trucking’s biggest equipment trend?
Without a doubt, the heavy-duty trucking industry took one of its biggest leaps forward in 2014 in terms of getting the latest equipment technologies into fleets and on the road. There was no shortage of efficiency solutions as truck OEs and suppliers showcased everything from downsped engines and integrated powertrains to aerodynamic packages and vehicle connectivity
Kenworth aims to meet fleet needs with T680
Gary Moore, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president, says that there are several economic trends affecting our industry: “U.S. housing starts and automobile production have shown solid growth in 2014. These are important indicators as almost everything needed to build houses and manufacture automobiles is shipped by truck. Those factors, combined with the stronger
Expanding on automatic tire inflation
Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) let you monitor and manage tire pressure, but automatic tire inflation systems (ATIS) provide additional tire support by automatically maintaining optimal pressure levels. “Through periodic checks combined with the option to communicate tire pressure data to the main office, an automatic inflation system helps to reduce the possibility for human
TPMS systems provide CSA violation prevention benefits
Fleet managers are under increased equipment performance pressure, not the least of which comes from ensuring that their trucks on the road meet all CSA standards. Violations can quickly add up, and improperly inflated tires—especially flat and blown tires—can be a red flag for enforcement officers. That’s where tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), as well
Watch: Detroit Assurance safety system demonstration
Detroit unveiled it’s new, proprietary safety system called Detroit Assurance, which combines Active Brake Assist (ABA) with Adaptive Cruise Control for collision mitigation and to reduce severity of accidents. Check out the video above of the Detroit Assurance system in action with Brad Williamson, manager, engine and component marketing for Daimler Trucks North America, behind
Detroit Assurance introduction focuses on safety
“If you look at some of the things that have been happening in our industry, safety is becoming more and more of an issue to make sure that drivers are safe, the public is safe and equipment is safe,” Brad Williamson, manager, engine and component marketing for Daimler Trucks North America, said to a room
Concerning tire casings for retread
Regardless of the retread you select, the process rests on the quality of the tire casing. It takes a quality casing to produce a quality retread. Every aspect of the new tire building process impacts casing quality, including the tire building process, grade of materials selected, engineering modeling, tire design and the tire’s dimensional specifications.
