Pondering the issue of speed governors
May I ask a favor? It’s OK—I’m not trying to borrow money or power tools. What I really need is for someone to explain to me, in terms that are both simple and concise, what the issue with speed governors is. I am prone to confusion about many things, but speed governors and heavy trucks?
Fleet profile: Plastic Express drives for efficiency today and tomorrow
Plastics are everywhere. From automotive to construction to simple packaging, plastic products are possessed of a ubiquity almost like no other. Nearly all of the plastic around you has, at some time, been on the back of a truck. Based out of City of Industry, Calif., Plastic Express is an operation that is an almost
Changing your truck ownership attitude
Some interesting talking points came out of the FTR Conference, held recently in Indianapolis. Arguably, the most important conclusion is also one that should seem the most obvious. As we move towards a regulatory environment in which GHG emissions reduction—and therefore fuel efficiency improvements—is paramount, both large and small fleets are welcoming a reduction in
Trucks: Today’s rolling technology platforms
Daimler Trucks North America Senior Vice President Friedrich Baumann is clear as to the direction in which the North American truck industry is going. “Today, it is as much about the service as it is the product,” he says. You have heard this many times before. In fact, it’s been a nigh-on constant refrain from
The Phase 2 impact on OE R&D
We now have the proposal for Phase 2 of the joint EPA/NHTSA proposal and, in truth, I was disappointed by the time I had reached end of the first page—1,339 pages is not a proper Government discussion document. I had expected—and had $10 on— the tome weighing-in north of 1,500 pages; to come in shy
In the driver’s seat
There has been a lot of talk about autonomous trucks of late. Note, please, that the talk has been about autonomous trucks and not driverless trucks. Had there been at any point—in no order of particular preference—a toaster oven or the collected works of Robert G. Ingersoll within reaching distance of the steering wheel this,
A tale of two truck markets
Every now and again the opportunity to make a direct comparison across two markets presents itself. Usually, closer analysis shows that such comparisons are rarely perfect but in the vexed tale of license renewal, I may have come across one worthy of comment. Presumably, as a result of crimes and misbehavior in a previous life,
The next BIG thing?
If there was one single theme to emerge from the recent Mid America Trucking Show (MATS), it revolved around the notion of total cost of ownership (TCO). We have been here before: TCO in industry parlance is not a new mantra, but one that is being chanted with increasing verve by OEMs as they continue
Truck safety is not optional
The need for truck operators to be every wary about both vehicle and driver safety was bought into stark focus recently by events in the United Kingdom. A laden construction truck, driven by a 19-year-old who had only recently passed his CDL ran out of control in a suburban neighborhood. The accident happened at a
The cost of integration in the trucking industry
Last year was the year of integration for the North American Class 8 business. What was previously the strategy that dare not speak its name became, over the past 12 months, the strategy whose name was everywhere. Wards Data implies that the take rate on in-house engines now sits at 61.8%, based on sales figures,
The impact of plummeting oil prices on trucks, business
Oil has a tendency to polarize opinions. To some, it is the ultimate economic enabler, the product that ushered in an era of mass mobility, globalization and staggering industrial achievements. To others, it is the devil in liquid form—the root cause of all environmental degradation and the cause of wars pestilence, famine and despair. As
