SmartWay Partners, take notice

SmartWay Partners, take notice

A number of new products at the 2012 Mid-American Trucking Show should be of interest to SmartWay members, from tires to transmissions to new vehicles.

The Mid-American Trucking Show (MATS) is the largest and most prestigious expo in the country. As such, it is the venue at which many suppliers showcase new products. A number of such introductions at this year’s show should be of interest to SmartWay members.

Michelin’s new SmartWay-verified X MultiEnergy D drive tire is designed to meet the mileage, fuel, traction and scrub concerns of the regional trucking application and a growing super regional application—trucks that operate approximately 100,000 miles per year, often within a 500-mile radius. It does this by using the company’s dual compound tread rubber, matrix siping and SipeSaver technologies, the tire maker said.

GT Radial also introduced a new SmartWay-verified tire. Its new GT979 FS trailer tire completes the company’s product offerings for a SmartWay tire for every axle position. SmartWay verification indicates that the design is expected to reduce emissions and provide an estimated fuel savings of 3% or greater against market leading on-highway commercial truck tires.

WABCO exhibited new developments to its transmission automation technology, through which it claims fuel economy improvements up to 5% and reducing emissions through optimized gear shifting. Automated mechanical transmission systems, which combine the efficiency of a manual gearbox with the optimal shift timing of an automatic one, continue to gain acceptance among both fleets and manufacturers of trucks.

To maximize fuel economy, Daimler Trucks of North America (DTNA) announced its new Detroit brand of axles at MATS. Coupled with its new automated Detroit Transmission, the axles represent the next generation of technology that will increase efficiency and enhance performance, the company said.

DTNA displayed its Freightliner Cascadia 113-in. BBC daycab, which it said will be available with natural gas (NG) technology. Freightliner Trucks has partnered with Cummins Westport to provide the ISX12 G heavy-duty NG engine as a factory-installed option. The Cascadia daycab with NG technology adds to Freightliner Trucks’ portfolio of NG offerings, which includes the Freightliner Business Class M2 112 and the 114SD.

In addition, Western Star Truck Sales Inc. announced that the new Western Star 4900 set-back (SB) with Fuel Efficiency (FE) package, combined with the fuel-efficient Detroit DD15 featuring BlueTec SCR technology, is showing the most improved fuel economy results of any Western Star truck model.

Volvo Trucks announced the addition of a NG-powered Volvo VNL daycab, which offers users a 123-in. bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) and is rated up to 80,000 GCWR. The unit will be equipped with a 12-liter, 400 HP, 1,450 ft.lb. torque Cummins Westport ISX12 G engine that uses cost-effective, clean-burning compressed or liquefied natural gas and requires only a three-way catalyst to meet EPA 2010 emissions standards. Volvo currently is operating NG-powered VNL demonstrator trucks, with production beginning in conjunction with commercial availability of the 12-liter gas engine.

Mack Trucks showed off the Mack Super Econodyne powertrain, which the truck maker said capitalizes on the company’s more-than-a-century of “Pedigree Powertrain” expertise to provide customers with more than a 3% improvement in fuel economy.

Peterbilt Motors Co. unveiled its Model 579, which the company said features all-new innovations to maximize fuel efficiency and provide driver comfort. According to the truck maker, the aerodynamic performance is enhanced through modular aero packages that meet the EPA’s SmartWay designation. The packages are designed to meet customer-optimized requirements, with variable length chassis fairings, sleeper extenders and rubber flares, under-cab close-outs and under-fairing skirts.

Cummins announced it has begun development of a 15-liter heavy-duty, spark-ignited NG engine to meet demand for on-highway applications that are powered by the cheaper, cleaner and more plentiful fuel. The company believes that there will be a growing market for engines powered by an alternative to diesel fuel. Already, some operators are realizing fuel cost savings based on the current price of natural gas and diesel fuel, allowing them to recoup most or all of the additional cost associated with the natural gas engine platform through fuel savings.

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