Fleet Equipment’s Truck Trend of the Year 2018: Telematics & Data
With each passing year, the capabilities of data-driven fleet solutions have grown and so too has the importance of understanding those capabilities and what they mean, both to you and those you work with. This year, things are at a head. Truck data is no longer something whose importance will be most felt in the
Oil drain intervals, OEM recommendations and whether you should extend
Today’s heavy-duty diesel engines are fine-tuned, highly engineered power plants. They’re churning out more power at lower RPMs and using advanced lubrication technology. Manufacturer recommended oil drain intervals (ODI) are equally engineered to provide the best performance, and they’re aggressive. Check out the latest oil drain interval recommendations: Cummins: When operating in the average 5.5
How wide base tires can impact axle maintenance
Chances are, you don’t think too much about axles unless there is a particular problem. Wheels and tires are another matter altogether. For one thing, wheels and tires are visible to everyone who sees the vehicle. They are attention-getters even from people not involved in the industry. Plus, nice wheels make the truck look good,
Running your fleet on biodiesel is easier than you may think
One of the challenges of working in the renewable fuel industry is that people often believe that using biodiesel products requires a lot of jumping through hoops and equipment upgrades. With biodiesel, that’s just not true. In fact, getting started with biodiesel blends requires no vehicle or infrastructure modifications. Here’s what fleet operators need to
Women in Trucking award finalists announced
Women In Trucking Association (WIT) and Freightliner Trucks announced three finalists for the 2018 Influential Woman in Trucking award. This is the eighth year for the award which was developed in 2010 as a way to honor female leaders and to attract and advance women within the trucking industry. The award highlights the achievements of
Stepping stones: Bendix travels further down the road toward the automated future
When we talk about automated vehicles, there’s a temptation to place the conversation far off in the future, but it’s worth remembering that the bones of the automated future are already on the road in today’s trucks. Fred Andersky, director of customer solutions for the controls group with Bendix, describes today’s advanced safety systems as
Electrical system checks: Find failures before they happen
Ensuring that your electrical system preventative maintenance practices are up to date with today’s technology could mean the difference between your trucks rolling productively to their destination or being sidelined on the road due to a CSA inspection. Lighting, in particular, is often cited as one of the most common reasons that CSA inspections take
Covering up: A look at aerodynamic wheel covers
Fuel-robbing air turbulence around tractor and trailer tires and wheels may seem unavoidable. However, FlowBelow Wheel Covers can reduce that costly reduction in drag and help fleets save fuel, the company says. FlowBelow says that its Wheel Covers have a benefit in long haul truckload, LTL, flatbed and tank truck operations. More recently it has seen
FlowBelow announces Peterbilt factory install of AeroKits
FlowBelow Aero Inc., manufacturer of tractor-mounted aerodynamic products, announced today that P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc. will be adding 550 new Peterbilt 579s to its fleet with FlowBelow Tractor AeroKits factory installed by Peterbilt. As part of its evaluation process, in 2017 P.A.M. Transport first conducted testing on FlowBelow products with 5 trucks, then followed that
Demystifying compressed natural gas
Fleets are becoming increasingly open to evaluating natural gas as an alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel. For an energy source that is so familiar to most of us (for heating, cooking, or industrial processes), there is considerable confusion around natural gas (NG) as a viable fuel for trucks and other fleet vehicles. The purpose
