Do you really own your trucks’ data?
Forget what you’ve heard. Forget what you’ve read. While the mantra in the industry has been that “fleets own their data,” the actual ownership of your information is determined by the end-user license agreements (EULAs) you have with your data service providers, from OEMs to third party providers. Today’s reality is that you only own
Optimizing truck tire performance: How to protect your investment
When choosing tires, Sharon Cowart, product marketing director for Michelin Americas Truck Tires, says that the first step is to determine what your goals are for your tire program. “For over-the-road operations, it is a common goal to maximize fuel savings,” she begins. “For more localized operations the goals may be more focused on lowering
How fleets responded to Class 8 electric truck launches
This fall saw the launch of two competing Class 8 trucks—the Niokla One and Two, a Class 8 hydrogen-electric truck lineup, and the Tesla Semi, a Class 8 all-electric truck. These disruptors are challenging industry equipment norms. Fleet Equipment reached out to several fleets to get their take on the new truck technology. “Electrification is
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
Oakley Transport earns ISO 9001:2015 and 22000:2005 certifications
Oakley Transport, Inc. announced that it has earned International Standards Organization (ISO) certifications 9001:2015 and 22000:2005. The company says it is the first liquid food grade transportation company in the world to meet both standards. ISO certifies that a management system or manufacturing process/service meets all the requirements for standardization and quality assurance. The seal of
Fleets offer reman engine insights
Dan Vander Pol, director of maintenance for Oak Harbor Freight Lines Inc.: “We have purchased reman engines on our city trucks [Class 7], but most of the time on our linehaul trucks [Class 8], we would be able to rebuild the engine and if we can’t rebuild we purchase new engines. We have put reman
The power behind proprietary powertrains
Adoption of proprietary integrated powertrains continues to climb, making up the majority of today’s Class 8 orders. At the launch of the Volvo VNR during ExpoCam, held in Montreal last month, Wade Long, director of product marketing for Volvo Trucks North America, said that demand for the Volvo engine makes up around 93% of orders
Using technology to avoid downtime
Avoiding downtime is crucial to fleet productivity. Unexpected downtime can be related to recurring or unresolved maintenance issues or a surprise CSA citation. Either way, these issues can resolved by increased preventative maintenance or using predictive maintenance to determine when a problem is likely to occur. More and more fleets are making use of technology
Point/Counterpoint: Fleet managers on the effectiveness of today’s batteries
We’ve been over the dangers of parasitic loads and the methods that can help prevent them. But what do fleet managers think? Are they finding problems with today’s batteries being able to handle the new technology in trucks? We interviewed two fleet managers, and got two drastically different answers. Batteries aren’t an issue… “We run
Purchase and lease decisions: the fleet perspective
When researching the optimal balance between purchasing and leasing, we asked fleets how they acquire and finance equipment. Here’s what they had to say: Peter Nativo, director of maintenance for Oakley Transport says, “We lease short term [seasonal] trucks for our Citrus division. This year we leased 85. The season runs from the end of
Fleet feedback: Keeping engines running
Fleet Equipment asked a couple of fleet managers to tell us what their biggest concerns are related to keeping engines running smoothly—specifically related to coolant and coolant filtration. Kirk Altrichter, vice president of maintenance for Crete Carrier Corp., told us, “Among the biggest factors are EGR engine cooler leaks and radiator leaks, which make it
Oakley Transport is taking advantage of new technologies to grow its operation
“Our plan is right on target,” says Peter J. Nativo, director of maintenance at Oakley Transport. “We have a three-year business plan to grow in the market for the transportation of liquid bulk food grade products. Included is replacing all of our tractors with new units so we can take advantage of the cost savings