Interpreting used oil analysis
“Think of oil analysis as a visit to your engine’s health care professional,” says Edward Covington, vice president, quality assurance at WIX Filters. “Oil analysis provides fact-based information on the oil’s condition, which can then be used to determine the engine’s condition. The data will help answer questions such as is the oil and filter
Oil analysis and filter trends
“Many of the modern heavy-duty engines equipped with EGR and SCR technologies generate higher levels of organic and inorganic acids, as well as higher amounts of soot in the oil,” says John Gaither, director of heavy-duty product engineering for Luber-finer. “This requires modern filtration technologies to address these newer challenges.” One of the benefits of
Redefining value: Ford rolls out its new Transit vans
Although the Ford Transit full-size van is brand new to North America, sales are off to a quick start. In June, deliveries were made of 490 vehicles and the manufacturer is now expecting that number to rise rapidly. Production of the eventual replacement for the E-Series van—first sold in 1961 as Ford Econoline—began at the
Bailey’s Logistic Services fields a leased fleet for efficiency, cost effectiveness
“We had been a company that historically owned its trucks,” says Chad Johnson, executive manager of Bailey’s Logistic Services, who oversees 50 vehicles used at locations in Denver, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City and Birmingham. “When I joined the company, however, I saw an aging fleet that was racking up unexpected service expenses, and equipment
Report Card: FMVSS 121 reduced stopping distance regulation
We are coming up on the third anniversary of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 121 reduced stopping distance regulation (RSD) start date. Fleet Equipment decided to ask brake friction manufacturers to report in on brake performance—and/or changes—since those regulations went into effect. “Actually, the friction materials were changing long before August 2011,” says
Spec’ing suspensions and lift axles to meeting bridge formula laws, improve durability
Enacted by Congress in 1975 to limit the weight-to-length ratio of a vehicle crossing a bridge and to provide a consistent way to determine the maximum allowable weight that any set of axles on a vehicle may carry on the Interstate highway system, the Bridge Formula has had an impact on axle and suspension design
Designing programs to avoid CSA violations
A 2013 CSA Violation Study by Vigillo, which provides a widely used CSA reporting system that aggregates, organizes and delivers fleet safety information in a suite of CSA Scorecards, reveals that maintenance related issues make up over 80% of all violations among all seven BASICs, or Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Categories. Furthermore, notes Steve Bryan,
Rolling costs downward: Addressing top fleet costs
At this years Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference (EUFMC), held in June in Williamsburg, Va., organizers addressed top costs for fleets. Among them were tires, which account for a high percentage of expenses incurred by these mixed-use, multi-vehicle-type vocational operations. One technical session on “Tires—Minimizing Failures and Managing Cost” began with a presentation by Brian
Breaking down the barriers of natural gas usage
New offerings point to the expanding use of compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel systems. “Next to the limited commercial fuel infrastructure, the biggest barrier to the broad adoption of natural gas vehicles is the initial cost of the technology,” said Dennis Cooke, president of global fleet management solutions at Ryder System. “Our new relationship with
Woody Bogler Trucking Co. takes a multi-faceted approach to improving fuel efficiency
Tracy Bogler describes his company’s philosophy: “The management of Woody Bogler Trucking Co. believes that we should maintain a continuous cycle of improvement,” says the carrier’s president. “Our longevity has given us the experience to understand that change is the only constant in trucking. We understand that we must embrace change in order to provide
Route planning for fuel efficiency
“Behind every brown package delivery vehicle is a strategy to economize fuel use,” reports UPS on its corporate website. “Our fleet strategy is making the best of today’s transportation technology through careful route planning that avoids unnecessary driving and saves fuel.” Careful route planning is fundamental to the way UPS does business, an essential element
Growing popularity of propane as a light- and medium-duty fleet alternative fuel
Several developments reflect the growing popularity of propane autogas as a light- and medium-duty fleet alternative fuel. A central part of the recent Green Truck Summit’s focus on clean vehicle technologies and alternative fuel trends was propane autogas. In fleet terms, the business case for propane autogas in his company’s 30 cargo vans was explained
