Heavy Duty Trucks News
Breathing easier thanks to clean diesel

The truck OEMs and engine builders have been “cleaning up their act” for quite some time now, in accordance with the EPA mandates, and they’ve made good progress. Here’s the proof. Recently, as part of a Senate panel testimony highlighting the emissions benefits from the increased use and availability of clean diesel technology in transportation

PACCAR MX-014
Improving profitability within fleet repair facilities

Shops can improve their productivity and profitability if these utilize outside repair and refinish sources by inquiring if they provide such Express Scratch Repair (ESR) services. This improves the shop’s productivity by having dents, scratches and other imperfections repaired at the same time other services are performed. It also gets equipment back on the road that

Sherwin Williams Fleet Repair
Safety first at Verst: Driver and equipment initiatives at Verst Group Logistics are resulting in impressive safety performance

“When it comes to safety, we are best served by addressing behaviors, focusing on avoiding and preventing risk,” says Christopher Cusick, vice president, transportation at Verst Group Logistics. “We don’t need to spend time teaching drivers how to drive trucks.” Verst Group, headquartered in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio, corridor, is taking a multi-faceted approach to

Verst Truck Yard
“Managing” can minimize downtime: Why trucks experience unscheduled downtime and addressing remedies

Unexpected out-of-service events, especially when they happen on the road, are always expensive—too expensive to be dismissed as being inevitable. Yet many fleets, in their busy day-to-day operations, too often fail to address how the road breakdowns that they do experience might be avoided in the future. Dick Hyatt, president of Decisiv Inc., a provider

Minimizing Downtime Ryder Fleet
Reducing stopping distances

In order to stop a fully-loaded vehicle in 250 ft., the torque output from the brakes needs to be 30 to 40% higher. Due to weight shift during the stop, the rear brakes are limited by ABS; so the front steer brakes have to do more work. This requires increasing the size of front brakes

TMD brake pads
Six wheel spec’ing considerations

Proper spec’ing your vehicles’ wheels can be relatively simple and straight-forward by following a manufacturer’s recommendations to achieve the longest life and performance from your wheels. The experts at Maxion Wheels, a large manufacturer of lightweight steel wheels, suggest fleet equipment specifiers can make wheels a ‘non-issue’ if they’d follow these spec’ing considerations to achieve long

Maxion Wheels Sixth Wheel Specing Recommendations
Handling the tough hauls: What you need to know about severe-duty drivetrain, axles and suspensions

Extreme loads are no match for properly spec’ed and maintained severe-duty truck models. Vehicle OEMs, in fact, list a range of applications for which they have specific models designed to meet severe-duty needs. Included are dump, concrete, crane, roll-off body, refuse, heavy haul, logging, oil and gas field service, utility, fire and emergency, snow plow

Tough Hauls severe-duty drivetrain, axles and suspensions
Empowering components: Electrical products play an vital role in the truck’s operation

Whenever you talk about batteries, you have to talk about the electrical systems and the components they power. While the latest technology and devices might come to mind, electrical products such as starters, alternators, EGR valves, ignitions, sensors, turbo actuators, engine control units and headlamps play an vital role in the truck’s operation and have

Maxwell_PortfolioShot_HQ
Harnessing the power: Spec’ing batteries to meet today’s electrical system demands

The demands placed on today’s fleets are staggering. In addition to increased efficiency demands on the mechanical side, computer systems, ECUs, GPS, iPhones, TVs, reefer units and countless other innovations tax the truck’s electrical system. The electrical demands are more than ever in history, and demand for voltage is not going away—it’s going to grow.

Heavy-duty Truck Sleeper Batteries
Kiene Diesel offers seized brake drum puller

For removing seized brake drums, Kiene Diesel Accessories has developed a new brake drum puller adapter for its Wheel Whiz and Wheel Grabber tools.

Volvo Trucks 2014 engines improve fuel economy

Integral to the enhanced fuel efficiency benefits are multiple optimized or new engine components.

Ford installs 500,000th 6.7-liter power stroke V8 turbocharged diesel engine

Ford announced the installation of its 500,000th 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbocharged diesel engine, which went into a new 2014 Ford Super Duty F-350 Lariat pickup truck. The engine was installed at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville.