Building the perfect work truck
Building the best truck for the job begins with knowing all the options. We asked the experts to tell us what fleets need to know to get the most of their buying decisions.
Leveraging analytics helps Leonard’s Express reduce maintenance costs
To get the most out of its trucks, Leonard’s Express, a family-owned asset-based transportation provider headquartered in Farmington, N.Y., invests heavily in predictive analysis. The fleet is continuously working to stay one step ahead of the curve, working to keep its trucks running productively each day. As Leonard’s Express Chief Information Officer Kyle Johnson puts
Detroit premieres training videos for Assurance safety system
Detroit Diesel Corp. released new driver training videos for the Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems and the integrated Detroit Powertrain. Introduced in 2014 and available for the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution and Cascadia equipped with Detroit engines, Detroit Assurance systems are seamlessly integrated into the truck’s dashboard, engine and transmission electronics. The Detroit Assurance video
Fleet Engineers partners with Freightliner’s Team Run Smart Pro
Fleet Engineers Inc. has formally partnered with Freightliner’s Team Run Smart Pro‘s Henry Albert, owner of Albert Transportation Inc., based in Statesville, N.C. Albert has been a trucker since 1983 and is operating a Freightliner Cascadia Evolution 72-in. sleeper. He has been successfully utilizing Fleet Engineers’ SmartWay-verified Advanced Air Slipper side skirts and AeroFlap mud flaps
PPG announces show truck tour dates
PPG Automotive Refinish announced its 2015 show truck tour schedule. The show truck this year is a 75-ft. 2007 Coronado Freightliner tractor-trailer rig. The Freightliner sports a new paint scheme that highlights the colors, graphics and special effects that PPG’s advanced PPG refinish products allow, according to the company. Again this year, veteran PPG driver Chad
In-house vs. outsourced fleet maintenance
Increasing adoption of onboard technology has been a boon and a bane for fleets. The boon is greater transparency between the fleet maintenance manager and driver/vehicle—that provides information on how vehicles are being driven and access to more and better data for maintenance and repair decisions. The bane is that the increased sophistication can make
Freightliner announces new medium-duty truck options
Freightliner Trucks highlighted its new option packages that are now available to order for its Class 6/7 M2 106. “We know our medium-duty customers want options that enhance productivity, efficiency and driver recruitment, and we are delivering smart solutions on all levels,” said Mary Aufdemberg, director of product marketing for Freightliner Trucks. “We are committed to helping
The next step in truck evolution: Freightliner, Detroit executive interview
Last year was a big year for Freightliner. Even after setting both company and industry records for order intake, Freightliner Trucks, driven by the Detroit powertrain, is showing no sign of slowing down in 2015. Richard Howard, senior vice president, sales and marketing, for Daimler Trucks North America, shares his thoughts on where the truck
Mercedes-Benz will debut Metris at 2015 Work Truck Show
The Mercedes-Benz Metris midsize van will make its world premiere at The Work Truck Show 2015. Mercedes-Benz’s Metric is one of more than 100 new commercial vehicles and related products set to debut at the North American work truck event. Additional chassis OEMs with press conferences scheduled at the event include Ford Commercial Vehicles, Ram
KLLM-Frozen Foods Express specs LED lighting on all new trucks
KLLM-Frozen Foods Express, headquartered in Richland, Miss., with operations in 48 states, announced that it will install Truck-Lite LED forward lighting on all new trucks. “We’re excited to get the safety and maintenance benefits of LED lighting into as many vehicles as we can. It’s huge to have our product on a fleet with the
Three ways 6x2s are winning over fleets
Often times, any topic filled with apprehension can be seen in a new light thanks to a bit of old fashion education. There’s no clearer example of that than the growing interest in 6×2 axle configurations from fleets across the country. In the past, fleets had three main concerns with 6×2 axle configurations: 1. Traction;
What’s trucking’s biggest equipment trend?
Without a doubt, the heavy-duty trucking industry took one of its biggest leaps forward in 2014 in terms of getting the latest equipment technologies into fleets and on the road. There was no shortage of efficiency solutions as truck OEs and suppliers showcased everything from downsped engines and integrated powertrains to aerodynamic packages and vehicle connectivity
