Challenges of the Highway Trust Fund
Last month, a group of trucking industry executives, industry associations and political representatives gathered at the Liaison hotel in Washington, D.C., to discuss the looming threat to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). According to a presentation given by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the HTF obligations will fall nearly 100%
Can’t we just be objective?
Can’t we just be objective? Okay, so I’m a scientist. That means I’m trained to deal in facts—not just “meadow muffins,” as a famous TV colonel used to say. The corn-based ethanol industry is in a dither. A leaked draft of the EPA’s suggested renewable fuel standard (RFS) volumes for 2014 showed a continuation of
Preparing for 2014 by looking back at 2013
Anyone who has been in the trucking industry for a number of years knows that it is a cyclical business affected by the national economy, federal mandates and changes in technology. Sometimes, when we know that federal laws will add layers (translated: changes that add cost) to fleet businesses, we are better able to guess
The finishing touch: Paints and finishes that ‘wow’ and protect
Those smooth lines. That clean finish. Is there anything more inspiring than a beautifully finished truck ready to hit the road and get the job done? In today’s trucking industry, a well-maintained truck finish reflects the detail-oriented, hard-working philosophy of the fleet. But every day your rolling road warriors are fighting a battle against road
Generating uptime: Meeting medium-duty fleet needs
Navistar’s president reflects on how truck OEMs are addressing the needs of medium-duty fleets: “The goals of medium-duty fleets are not really different than those of heavy-duty on-highway operations,” says Bill Kozek, president, North America Truck and Parts at Navistar. “While medium-duty operations generally see trucks as a tool to get their real business done,
Putting the GM Sierra 1500 4WD Crew Cab to the test
GMC continues to offer trucks ready to meet fleet needs. There’s nothing like firsthand experience, which is exactly what we got when GM offered a 2014 Sierra 1500 4WD Crew Cab pickup truck to us for a test drive. The sibling to the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was fitted with a 5.3-liter V8 EcoTec3 355-HP
“We have met the enemy, and it are us”
About the headline, Walt Kelly’s comic strip character, Pogo, used this expression to suggest that we are our own worst enemies. Walt Kelly was a great political satirist and was deadly accurate.The United States is still one of the few developed nations without a national energy policy. When several people are killed by a runaway freight
PeopleNet honors customer innovators
Recipients of 2013 Innovator of the Year Awards from PeopleNet were presented to fleets for “exceptional leadership in using PeopleNet to create unique solutions that accelerate/drive return on investment (ROI).”
Choosing fuel options for pickup trucks
Fleets looking for an alternative fuel option can now order 2013 model year bi-fuel pickups from GM, and some have already taken that step to help control fuel costs and reduce their carbon footprint. “At Chesapeake Energy Corp. we are converting our fleet of more than 5,000 vehicles to run on natural gas,” said Nate
Recognizing training excellence
Some companies and fleet operations take their technical training extremely seriously. They provide some of the best ongoing training available to working technicians. Is your company one of them?