Volvo’s view of uptime: Bringing service, support under one roof
Built on the campus of its North American headquarters, Volvo Trucks’ new 123,000-sq.-ft. North American Uptime Center physically pulls together the personnel and service, which had already been working together to keep Volvo trucks productive, under one roof. The Uptime Center is a Volvo Group North America facility that Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks share.
Determining ROI to Lower TCO
“Fleet managers have only so much time,” notes Kirk Altrichter, vice president, maintenance at Crete Carrier Corp. “We need to prioritize when we are spending time making return on investment [ROI] determinations for new equipment. There may be an ROI that will help lower our total cost of ownership [TCO], but as technology changes, products
Focusing on application efficiency
There’s no shortage of equipment, products, services and solutions in the truck industry—from tractor and trailer offerings to maintenance services and telematics. The more truck operation data we crunch, even seemingly simple maintenance practices like establishing the proper filter change intervals presents the challenge of finding the sweet spot between product efficiency and longevity. While
Integrated powertrains maximize fuel efficiency
“Traditionally, there has been an understanding in the industry that excellent drivers develop skill sets to operate equipment in a way that generates good fuel mileage,” says Mario Sanchez, technical sales support director at Cummins. “Even the best drivers are not consistent all the time, however, and as fleets continue to struggle to retain and
Should your fleet make the move to ELDs now?
“Back in 2007, when compulsory electronic logging devices [ELDs] were first proposed, the trucking industry pondered the impact. The ruling would have required ELDs to be installed on any carrier that recorded a certain number of hours-of-service [HOS] violations,” says Kelly Frey, vice president of products marketing for Telogis. ”However, a federal court case prevented
Reman programs give second life to ECUs
Taking advantage of remanufactured component programs is nothing new to fleet managers. As the life expectancy of vehicles increases and fleets strive to maximize that life, remanufactured components will always offer value to the fleet’s bottom line. The remanufacturing process recovers components and is able to restore them to original or better condition without the
Interpreting used oil analysis
“Think of oil analysis as a visit to your engine’s health care professional,” says Edward Covington, vice president, quality assurance at WIX Filters. “Oil analysis provides fact-based information on the oil’s condition, which can then be used to determine the engine’s condition. The data will help answer questions such as is the oil and filter
OE natural gas truck offerings
Freightliner Freightliner Cascadia 113 is equipped with a Cummins Westport ISX12 G heavy-duty natural gas engine—rated up to 400 HP/1,450 lb.-ft. torque and available with a 48-in. sleeper cab and factory-installed CNG fuel tanks with up to 190 diesel gal. equivalent (DGE) capacity. Factory-installed LNG tanks are also available in configurations allowing up to 300
Alternative fuel infrastructure and application
For fleet managers, putting an alternative fuel truck—specifically natural gas—to work depends on two major factors: Infrastructure and application. According to the U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center, there are currently 713 public and 666 private CNG fueling stations and 54 public and 41 private LNG fueling stations in the U.S. The Department
Fueling the future: Alternative fuels are becoming mainstream
If you’re a regular reader of this heavy-duty column, you’re likely starting to see an emerging theme: There is no one-size-fits-all, magic bullet solution to improving your fleet’s efficiency. It’s a collection of equipment integration, maintenance best practices and technology, working in concert to save money and boost the bottom line. Alternative fuels continue to
