Editorial Archives - Fleet Equipment Magazine

More Columns

Change is coming to U.S. energy policies

The 2016 presidential election is behind us and as of now, the U.S. has a Republican Commander-in-Chief. So, how will this new regime change our energy policies? Let’s run through some scenarios. Currently, cap and trade legislation is simply another form of taxation, and proponents are estimating the receipt of $900 million in cap and trade

Fuels and lubes column
Government energy projections: The expected growth rate of different sources of energy

I realize that looking to our government for future energy pricing and usage projections has less to do with fact and more to do with fiction. However, I perused the 2016 U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook report so that I could see what our administrators are thinking (or not). In typical government

Fuels and lubes column
California, GHG Phase 2 and trucking

California’s government, its governor and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) continually amaze me by their apparent lack of logic. California recently passed legislation requiring electricity retailers to purchase at least 125 MW of biomass power within five years. They claim the biomass will be provided by dead or dying trees from high-hazard fire zones. Yet,

Fuels and lubes column
Properly inspecting wheel end caps

I do a lot of wheel end failure and wheel off legal cases that become very scary and dangerous. There is no question that in the past few years, there has been tremendous energy placed on wheel off situations and maintenance to prevent such devastating situations that I have seen, which in many cases end

Why it’s important to test new engine oils

Last month, I mentioned that the North American Council for Fleet Efficiency (NACFE) recommended that fleets switch to the API FA-4 low viscosity lube oils immediately to save fuel and decrease (GHG) emissions. As stated by the report, viscosity is defined as a measure of a fluid’s internal resistance to flow. In a truck’s engine,

Fuels and lubes column
Tire costs are down, but not my tire CPM?

In a recent meeting I was a part of, a fleet owner began by saying that the cost of rubber is down, oil is down, and his profits are down; so why aren’t tire costs down? He has a point—some fair non-bidding negotiations brought adjusted tire costs down. So why are tire costs-per-mile not coming down?

Truck Fuel Economy Ideas
Where is our national energy policy?

Our lack of a technically based national energy policy has, and will continue to, cost us billions. You and I have financed such ridiculous schemes as corn-based ethanol and solar-powered home devices, and the cash outflow shows no sign of abating. It seems some of our environmental activists (specifically, the Alliance for Green Heating) are

Fleet Equipment On the Road
Who is controlling the checkbook?

A recent fleet cost reduction meeting, requested by the president, called for our department heads to come up with three cost saving initiatives outside of the normal box. The thinking was to fire up and measure the results from each idea going forward. The real intent, in my opinion, was to see what people have

Heavy-Duty-Truck-Checkbook-Budget
Driving to maximize fuel economy

While working at Shell Oil Co.’s Wood River Research facilities, my engineering team was tasked with determining relationships between gasoline composition and drivability and fuel economy. This would be much easier today due to the impressive electronic devices available, but in 1969, we had to do things the hard way. I developed a cyclical operational

Fuels and lubes column
The Internet of Things, explained

The “Internet of Things” (IoT), simply explained, is a comprehensive way to manage data for greater productivity. It’s has been called the next mega-trend, and at its core are embedded software sensors placed in vehicles, machine tools, streetlights, and wind turbines—to name just a few devices in an ever-increasing list. The value of IoT is the

Analyzing Data Fleet Truck
Buying pre-owned trucks? No need to kick the tires

Purchasing a pre-owned truck should not be a contest. Buyers should have confidence in the equipment they are purchasing—with no surprises down the road. Inspections Some truck buyers do their own preliminary inspections prior to purchase. Many experienced fleets have a list of things to review prior to purchase—like checking axle configurations, engine and horsepower

traffic generic
Evolving technology and vehicle insurance

Companies that insure motor carriers, trucks and drivers are not all the same. Some sell through independent agents, others through their own sales staffs. Some specialize in commercial truck insurance, while others sell it as one of a secondary line of coverage. Some insurance companies specialize in specific niches within the motor-carrier industry, such as

Evolving truck technology vehicle insurance Generic