Enhancing safety through vehicle visibility
One year ago, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a final rule requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 lbs. GVWR by May 2018. At the time, it noted that the new rule “enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities
Fleet sentiment ticks up, Q2 order predictions on the upswing
A fleet survey conducted in mid-April by CK Commercial Vehicle Research predicts that both Class 8 and trailer orders will improve in the second quarter from the January to March timeframe. Calculated units for orders planned in the next three months by the group reporting for the Q2 2015 Fleet Sentiment Report shows an increase
Peterbilt adds TPMS to Model 587
The Bendix SmarTire TPMS is available for Peterbilt’s cab-and-sleeper Model 587. “TPMS provides operators with real-time, on-demand tire status that helps ensure peak performance and can give the operator early warning before potential tire failure,” said Scott Newhouse, Peterbilt chief engineer. “The TPMS display is integrated with the vehicle’s main instrument cluster for convenient, quick
Tires & CSA: An update
Tires play a major role when it comes to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) program. The two fleet Safety Management System (SMS) for CSA categories are 1) vehicle maintenance and 2) hazardous material compliance. Tires fall under the vehicle maintenance category. Violations associated with tires receive either a three
Class 5-8 truck orders post lowest monthly net volume
For the month of April, 39,700 Class 5-8 vehicle orders were booked, down 6% compared to April 2014, according to preliminary research conducted by ACT Research Co. “While the order volume represents a fairly sharp deceleration from the 50,000 units-plus order months experienced from October to February, the pullback is a reflection of already large
Freightliner unveils autonomous Inspiration Truck
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) unveiled the Freightliner Inspiration Truck to several hundred international news media, trucking industry analysts and officials. Want to take a ride in Freightliner’s new autonomous truck? Click here to watch a ride along video from Fleet Equipment. The Freightliner Inspiration Truck is the first licensed autonomous commercial truck to operate on
Freightliner Inspiration Truck Receives Autonomous Vehicle License
At a ceremony at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval officially granted the first license for an autonomous commercial truck to operate on an open public highway in the United States to Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). At the event, hosted by DTNA President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Daum, Gov. Sandoval took
Bold, meet efficiency: The Western Star 5700XE rolls out
“Bold,” “burly” and “workhorse” are just a few adjectives that often describe Western Star’s hard-working trucks. You can add “efficient” to that long list of superlatives as the Western Star 5700XE rolls off the line and onto roads across the country. The 5700XE is Western Star’s first fully aerodynamic truck, and it’s the marriage of
Shippers conditions Index dips into negative territory
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index for February declined from January to a -1.0 reading as the short-term positive impact from one-time adjustments for rapidly dropping diesel prices and reversal of the 2013 hours-of-service changes runs out. From here, the index is expected to deteriorate under pressures building from new regulations hitting the trucking sector along with
Significant increase in truck accidents after 34-hour restart provisions
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released the results of a new analysis of the safety and operational impacts from the 34-hour restart provisions. The truck GPS data analysis identified a shift of truck traffic from nighttime to daytime and a shift of truck traffic away from the weekends to more congested weekdays, with the biggest
Class 8 used truck sales see month-over-month jump
Total reported volumes of used Class 8 trucks climbed to 2,770 units in March, a jump of 14% month over month and 5% year over year, according to ACT Research’s State of the Industry report. “All three markets—auctions, wholesale, and retail—gained month over month,” said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector with ACT. “The downside,
Kenworth adds remote keyless entry option for T680, T880
Kenworth introduced a remote keyless entry system as an option for the Kenworth T680 and T880. Kenworth’s remote keyless entry provides two key fobs programmed to lock and unlock the doors. Operators can use a single click to unlock the driver’s side door and a double click to unlock both cab doors, the company said. Operators
