Tires: assets or expense?
The life-cycle cost approach to tire management isn’t new. Manufacturers have been preaching this for years as a way to quantify the benefits of purchasing premium tires—with premium casings—as justification for the higher initial expense of top quality tires. Mostly, this scenario is built around retreading as a way to postpone the purchase of expensive
Navistar rolls out eStar Class 2 & 3 electric trucks
Calling it a “first of its kind commercial truck,” Navistar has unveiled its new electric vehicle specifically targeted for the Class 2 (6,001-10,000-lb. GVW) and Class 3 (10,001-14,000-lb. GVW) market. While first announced in December 2009 as part of a joint venture agreement with Modec Ltd. of the United Kingdom, the new vehicle was formally
High profile venue
With 530 exhibitors, The Work Truck Show sponsored by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) this year in St. Louis, Mo. offered fleet managers a chance to see a large number of new trucks, components and equipment. Among the highlights were the following: • Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.’s (FCCC) new plug-in all-electric walk-in van (WIV)
TPMS: one size may not fit all
It appears that tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are poised to enter the age of modern reliable electronics. This should be a very good thing for the trucking industry. I believe that TPMS will become standard equipment on new over-the-road trucks, tractors and trailers in a few short years. The driving force will be operating
Use resources to manage tires
With much of my career focused on technical consulting, sales training and interacting with tire and trucking industry professionals, I feel qualified to offer one overall observation for improvement: Become aware and take advantage of readily available resources to enhance decision making and the performance of your employees. There are very few problems that someone
Nissan NV is the new kid on the block
Among the highlights of The Work Truck Show, sponsored by the National Truck Equipment Association and held this year in St. Louis, was Nissan’s official entry into the North American commercial vehicle market. Now finalizing plans to bring its first production commercial vehicle to North America in late 2010, the company unveiled the all-new Nissan
Productive cooperation: a new solution
Communication, teamwork, cooperation and other buzzwords aren’t news to those of us in the trucking industry. They represent worthy goals in many instances, but I’ve long had a bit of a problem with the way concepts have been presented. One of the cornerstones of good management has been identifying goals and deploying available resources to
Welcome news: DTNA, Cleaire retrofits
With a growing number of local, regional and state government agencies regulating emissions from in-use diesel engines, fleets operating 2007 and older model year trucks are now facing replace or retrofit decisions. Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is helping to address this challenge through a newly announced partnership with Cleaire Advanced Emission Controls, LLC.
Modern truck tires: sounds of silence
Those of you who have been in the industry for a while can remember when trucks were loud. Sometimes this was intentional, other times the trucks just came that way new. Objections to this noise resulted in the federal government regulations during the 1970s and ‘80s limiting truck noise. At that time, the three primary
Environmental Commitment
Viewed as a critical part of its sustainability efforts, Coca-Cola Enterprises is expanding its fleet of hybrid-electric delivery trucks in North America. Last spring, the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of Coca-Cola products placed an order for 150 Kenworth T370 diesel-electric hybrid tractors and 35 T370 hybrid trucks. In December 2009, the company announced it
Ready, set, go
Firmly focused on fuel economy, General Motors has announced that all of its 2010 Chevrolet and GMC V-8 powered trucks now feature variable valve timing (VVT). The addition of VVT to the 4.8- and 5.3-L truck V-8s completes the OEM’s truck small block V-8 lineup, which also includes 6.0- and 6.2-L engines. VVT technology, GM
Multiple components can influence truck handling
Change is a constant. Never has this been more obvious than in the increasing diversity of vehicle sizes and the configurations and the service conditions they are expected to endure. The days of a typical trucking fleet composed of just linehaul tractors and smaller delivery trucks are rapidly disappearing. Truck brands, many new to the