Tom Gelinas, Author at Fleet Equipment Magazine - Page 10 of 11
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Adequate pressure

Most fleet managers understand the importance of maintaining tires at specified pressures, but they may not realize just how many of their fleet’s tires are out of spec.

New demands, new technology

New full-flow lube oil filter technology addresses the desire to increase drain intervals; bypass filters address soot loading

Looking for a 25% MPG improvement?

In certain applications, hyrid technology offers the promise of previously unheard of fuel economy gains

No longer upscale

Ten years is not really a long time, but an awful lot has changed in the last decade. Ten years ago, over-the-road drivers were happy if they got a cup holder.

Cooling Cost Control

If you expect the cost of diesel fuel to come down soon and your refrigerated freight can wait until it does, or if your fleet has enough money available that it doesn’t matter how much it spends on fuel to run your reefers, you can skip this article. If, however, you, like most, don’t expect fuel prices to ever come down to the levels of the recent past – or even stabilize in our lifetime – then fuel economy is likely a high priority for you.

‘Old’ is in the eye of the operator

It’s been said that a correctly specified and properly maintained truck can last forever. While that might be a bit of a stretch, when you talk about “forever” referring to a truck’s life, you need to understand that the word really means longer than someone is willing to drive it or you’re willing to pay for the increasing cost of keeping it alive.

Two motors are better than one

Hybrids have received mixed reviews when used in cars and trucks, but new generations are now receiving well-earned attention

Zero RPMs

Excessive engine idling consumes more than 800 million gallons of diesel fuel a year.

Keep drivers happy & trucks on the road

A popular management strategy prioritizes problems according to cost or frequency of occurrence and attacks them from the most occurrences to the least. It’s a good concept because you should always be able to expect a good return for your efforts.

On board filters making the grade

On board filters – air, fuel, water, lubricant – are the last lines, indeed, in many cases the only lines, of defense against fluid-borne engine problems. And, with the introduction of 2007 emissions technology, a major line of defense against environmental contamination.

Lubrication on the go

Does the idea of improving vehicle availability intrigue you? Just a bit? Then how about improving vehicle availability while cutting your PM expenses? Getting a bit more interested? If you’d like to try it, you might consider spec’ing centralized lubrication systems when you next purchase vehicles.

Cooling Systems: Problems & Solutions

Some while back, Bob Deierlein, our long-time research editor, wrote an article on cooling systems. In that article, he referenced some maintenance records of a large over-the-road fleet, which indicated that a substantial percentage of the fleet’s engine problems could be traced back to the condition of the truck’s cooling system. We published that article more than 20 years ago.