Five truck trend takeaways from February
We know it’s not easy to keep up with everything that happens in the world of trucking. So here are the biggest stories from February focused on the latest truck trends, all in one place.
The ins and outs of high-temp, high-shear oils
Formulated to solve heavy-duty diesel challenges, API FA-4 lubricants allow for further fuel economy gains due to high-temperature, high-shear (HTHS) low viscosity oils—meaning that they have less resistance to flow between engine parts moving at high speeds in elevated operating temperatures. With this move to low HTHS viscosity levels, new additive technology is essential to
The downspeeding lowdown
Remember that most modern powertrains utilize some degree of downspeeding. Here’s a quick refresher on downspeeding details.
TireStamp launches TireVigil cloud savings dashboard
TireStamp Inc. has launched a new dashboard that provides users of the company’s TireVigil cloud TPMS monitoring system with information about the savings they are achieving. The calculations are based on the fleets’ own tire maintenance performance data and costs. This dashboard complements the existing Maintenance Dashboard that visually summarizes a fleet’s tire maintenance performance
HDDA: Heavy Duty unveils new strategic plan
HDDA: Heavy Duty, a community of the Auto Care Association, has unveiled its new strategic plan. Prompted by industry evolution, HDDA’s advisory board—which consists of leaders of aftermarket companies such as Vipar Heavy Duty, Erie DriveTrain, FleetPride, SKF and more—defined their challenges in the marketplace and outlined what support the industry needs to fuel the
Watch: Let’s talk drivers, equipment and the driver shortage
Let’s talk equipment and drivers. American Transportation Research Institute pointed to the driver shortage as the industry’s top concern. As the many of the Class 8 OEMs rolled out their new trucks over the past two years, driver comfort and productivity was a top focus. New cabs, new creature comforts and new uptime solutions
Advice for fleet managers when considering electric trucks
We asked four representatives from OEMs what advice they would give to fleet managers who are considering electric trucks. Here’s what they had to say.
Transformational technologies: Electric vehicles from Workhorse Group are filling vocational and last mile delivery needs
“It’s all about savings,” says Angela Strand, vice president at Workhorse Group. “Electric vehicles have an higher acquisition cost,” she says, “but our experience over nearly two million miles of operations indicates that operating and maintenance costs are 60% to 70% lower. “Our data shows that a traditional Class 5 truck costs one dollar per
Power source: The importance of axles in hybrid and electric trucks
Electrification is the story of the year in the trucking world. From Cummins to Fuso to Chanje to Tesla, serious moves were made by various OEMs to begin the process of bringing what was previously a theoretical concept to the real world. No one can deny that electrification is coming. With new priorities for OEMs
Dealing with aftertreatment issues
If you’ve been paying attention to the most recent engine announcements, you’ll notice that the engine companies have spent a good deal of time highlighting the features of the aftertreatment system (ATS). That’s no accident—the ATS is extremely important, and the systems have advanced significantly in recent years. Before we dive into the details, here’s
