Penske, Freightliner look at the next level of EV operation
Penske has been battling for pole position as a top commercial electric vehicle operator since well before orders for electric trucks opened, jockeying with other big names like NFI, Knight-Swift, Schneider, Ryder, J.B. Hunt, and UPS. The truck rental and leasing giant was part of Freightliner’s Electric Innovation fleet, influencing design and product development decisions
What we’ve learned as Freightliner’s battery electric customer fleets pass the million-mile marker
This was the quote that caught my attention: “One lesson stands out in particular: the importance of regenerative braking to maximize range. Across the pilots, the average recuperation ratio was 20%-25% with some drivers achieving even up to 30%.” “Recuperation ratio” is a new term added into the electric truck conversation, and I’d expect nothing
Five steps to bring retread savings to vocational truck tire applications
Rolling through rugged construction sites, cornering in cramped city streets, or tackling rough-and-tumble, stop-and-go refuse tasks, you demand performance from your vocational tires above all. While the ROI that their long-haul brethren reap from retreads is well documented, that same value prop can be true for vocational tires. And you don’t have to just take
Navajo Express takes care of drivers and lowers customers’ transportation costs
“There’s everything to gain by listening.” In one sense, it’s just that simple for Don Digby, Jr., president of Navajo Express. And Digby, who now heads up the third generation, family-owned business, means it.
What your fleet maintenance decisions depend on
If your fleet is making a decision about whether to outsource fleet maintenance and repairs or keep it in-house, there are a variety of factors to consider.
Finding benefits in leasing and outsourced truck maintenance services
Uptime is always driven by a strong maintenance program, notes Steve Zaborowski, senior vice president at XTRA Lease. “Our customers need to manage trucks, freight and drivers, so we’re focused on providing different types of services to keep them up and running,” he says. “Especially as we add trailers to our fleet, that means being
One fleet’s experience with driver-facing cameras
In last month’s issue of Fleet Equipment, we ran an article, “The pros and cons of driver-facing cameras,” which, as the name implies, went over the debate concerning spec’ing driver-facing cameras. On the one hand, they can be beneficial to the fleet in the event of a lawsuit after a collision, as well as in
Splitting the difference: Hybrid solutions for long-haul trucks
All-electric trucks are exciting, but the reality is that in the heavy-duty world, range-extended hybrids are a more practical stepping stone into electrification. Hyliion recently introduced the 6X4HE, a electric drivetrain system for Class 8 diesel trucks. The Hyliion 6X4HE can be installed on new or retrofitted onto existing Class 8 trucks, and works without
Truck maintenance and fuel tips for winter
This is a winter we won’t soon forget. Temperatures in the sub zero range across the country and snow covering roads from north to south have made it a treacherous time for those who make their living on the road—and a challenging time for fleet managers who must make sure vehicles are road-ready and prepared
To perform maintenance in-house or outsource? That is the question.
Historically, fleets have weighed the benefits of doing in-house maintenance versus outsourced maintenance. As equipment has become more sophisticated and complex, it has changed the decision-making process. Warranties and OEMs “We use Volvo trucks and we use Volvo dealers around the country because we have purchased extended warranty programs,” began Peter Nativo, director of maintenance
