Optimizing your tire program
Tires continue to be one of the top expenditures for commercial trucking fleets. A successful, well thought through tire program can drop many thousands of dollars per year directly to a fleet company’s bottom line. A tire program, however, is not as simple as purchasing the lowest priced new tire and retread. Tire performance is
The next step in truck evolution: Freightliner, Detroit executive interview
Last year was a big year for Freightliner. Even after setting both company and industry records for order intake, Freightliner Trucks, driven by the Detroit powertrain, is showing no sign of slowing down in 2015. Richard Howard, senior vice president, sales and marketing, for Daimler Trucks North America, shares his thoughts on where the truck
Watson & Chalin introduces Tru-Track suspension
Watson & Chalin recently introduced the Tru-Track 13K and 20K (Tru-Track Series) suspension. The Tru-Track Series steerable model incorporates Watson & Chalin’s “quick-change ride height system” and ranges in capacity from 10K to 20K. The Super Short Rail (SSR) version offers a more compact mounting design when space requirements become critical, according to the company.
Strong commercial vehicle demand helped 2014 end on a high note
Class 8 orders topped 40,000 units for a third consecutive month in December at 44,060, and Class 5-7 orders reached their highest monthly volume since 2008 at 22,964 units, reported ACT Research Co. in its latest State of the Industry report. “For the year, 380,200 net orders were placed, up 42% from 2013, as Class
Eaton debuts A-Ratio UltraShift Plus automated transmission
Power management company Eaton expanded the company’s UltraShift Plus automated transmission offerings with a new A-Ratio model specifically designed for a wide range of extreme performance applications, according to the company. The new MXP (Multipurpose Extreme Performance) transmissions have lower overall numerical ratios and higher torque ratings. The ratios and even steps on the new
BFGoodrich Truck Tires launches dealer locator app
BFGoodrich Truck Tires launched a new dealer locator app that enables truckers to locate BFGoodrich commercial truck dealers while on the road. The new app is specifically designed for ease of use on the go, offering drag and drop capabilities, type-ahead functionality, a variety of search options and one-click access to all key dealer information,
Volvo Trucks presents new VNL Model to America’s Road Team
Volvo Trucks dedicated a 2015 Volvo VNL 780 model equipped with advanced safety features and recognized the 2015-2016 America’s Road Team during a ceremony at Volvo’s New River Valley (NRV) assembly plant in Dublin, Va., where all Volvo truck models for North America are assembled. Magnus Koeck, Volvo Trucks vice president of marketing and brand
Bridgestone Commercial launches Dayton commercial truck tires line
Bridgestone Commercial, a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, unveiled an all new line of Dayton commercial truck tires. The new line consists of eight new Dayton patterns that doubles the product coverage of the former lineup to meet the diverse needs of small fleets and owner operators in a multitude of trucking segments, according
Class 5-8 demand ends year on a high
Demand for commercial vehicles was healthy in December, according to ACT Research. ACT’s preliminary numbers state that 65,700 total North America Class 5-8 orders were booked, up 41% from a year ago. Over the past 12 months, North American Class 5-8 net orders have totaled 602,300 units—an average of more than 50,000 orders per month.
Elevating lift axles: An in-depth look at axle options
When it comes to applications such as dump trucks, flatbeds and cement mixers, on front and rear discharge mixers, as well as trucks in refuse applications, tank trucks in oil and gas, and trucks in municipal applications, lift axles are a popular option. “Lift axles are very different from steer and drive suspensions. Unlike drive
Diving into engine downspeeding
To improve efficiency of the powertrain, engine downspeeding can be achieved with either a 6×4 or 6×2 axle configuration. However, all the driveline components must work in concert to ensure proper performance. “Regardless of axle configuration, customers should always work with their OEM, engine rep and or axle rep to specify the correct drivetrain configuration
North American Class 8 orders again top 40,000 in December
FTR released preliminary data showing December 2014 North American Class 8 truck net orders at 43,620, the third consecutive month above the 40,000 level. According to the research firm, December’s order strength, unlike the previous two months, was broad based among OEMs, with almost all manufacturers showing healthy increases from the previous month indicating an