Columns Archives - Page 4 of 46 - Fleet Equipment Magazine
The growing demand for upfitted electric drive systems

Electrification solutions for light- and medium-duty vehicles are continuing to grow in popularity. As a result, XL Hybrids is reporting that a rising number of commercial and government fleets, universities and national parks have been adopting its XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System. New municipalities deploying the XL3 system include the city of Long Beach, Calif.,

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Everything you can do with data

Data is everywhere. There are seemingly countless devices and analytics that can measure everything that happens to your fleet, from fault codes and failures to fuel efficiency and tire pressure. If there’s something you want to measure, you won’t have to look hard to find a solution that can do the job for you. The

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Raising the bar for automated commercial vehicles

Our industry has been buzzing about automated trucks for several years now, including examining and addressing all the benefits and pitfalls. While our initial introduction to the technology seemed like an encounter with the distant future, like most innovations, the more we have talked about them and refined them, the closer they have come to

A zero emissions reality?

Given the current surge of interest in electric vehicle technology, “zero emissions” is a popular product bullet point to tout. Yet, as far as I know, of all transportation fuels, only hydrogen emits no pollutants when it is combusted. In electric vehicles, batteries must be charged, and that charge electricity is provided by your friendly

Fuels and lubes column
Is a single automatic transmission fluid possible?

For years, individual hydraulic automatic transmission manufacturers have specified proprietary automatic transmission fluids (ATF) for a variety of reasons. In the early years of ATF development, two manufacturers had significantly differing philosophies about automatic transmission clutch plate friction. Ford used clutch plate materials and fluids that maximized static coefficients of friction and would result in

Fuels and lubes column
Why heavy-duty truck alignment is important

The two primary reasons for keeping your vehicles properly aligned are to ensure that your tires do not develop irregular wear and to keep your drivers happy. If vehicles are doglegging to the left or right, the tires’ tread will scrub off quickly and inner or outside wear will occur. With the average price of

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Dealing with the coming changes to the fuel industry

Inertia is a powerful motivator. When extreme changes are on the horizon, the easiest thing to do by is to ignore them and keep doing what you’ve been doing. “That’s the way it’s always been” is a phrase that has inhibited progress in many areas. But not everyone is content with waiting for inertia, easy

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The changing climate: Urban area applications are poised for Chanje

With global regulations emphasizing low or zero emissions within densely populated urban areas and the continued development of electric drive train technology, the current climate within the electrical vehicle space is crackling. So much so that the industry’s tried-and-true diesel engine manufacturer, Cummins, has thrown a host of time, money and, pardon the pun, energy

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The truth about biodiesel

My latest rant is the result of reading that Minnesota is going to require B20 biodiesel fuel usage in all diesel engines. Please, don’t misunderstand me: I’m all for biodiesel as an alternate diesel fuel. However, the EPA, environmental activists and “Big Ag” often don’t let the truth get in the way of their mission.

Fuels and lubes column
The impact drivers have on truck tire wear

Commercial truck tires have seen significant price increases in 2017, a major reason being the increase in natural rubber pricing. The percentage of natural rubber used in truck tires is high. Natural rubber is preferred over synthetic rubber because it keeps the truck tires running cooler. Heat is a tire’s worst enemy and will adversely

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Troubleshooting tire issues: Protecting the casing

With the average retail price of a new commercial truck tire in the $500 range, fleets take tire choices seriously. A typical 18-wheeler may have an investment of $8,000-plus in tires for a single tractor-trailer. Every fleet manager has a similar goal of maximizing tire removal mileage down to their fleet’s tread depth pull point.

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The sluggish economy and you

Shippers and logistics providers are currently attempting to make sense of conflicting signals related to sluggish economic growth. The International Monetary Fund predicted 3.5% worldwide growth in 2017. However, in the first quarter of this year the U.S. GDP rose only 1.2%. While this is ahead of last year’s 0.8% growth, it is only the

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