Volvo’s view of uptime: Bringing service, support under one roof
Built on the campus of its North American headquarters, Volvo Trucks’ new 123,000-sq.-ft. North American Uptime Center physically pulls together the personnel and service, which had already been working together to keep Volvo trucks productive, under one roof. The Uptime Center is a Volvo Group North America facility that Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks share.
A smile and positive attitude delights truck operators
A welcoming handshake and a genuine, “How can I help you?” attitude are key requirements to delight and maintain fleet owners’ business at a growing full-service truck dealership, and that’s exactly what this writer received at Nextran’s Mack-Volvo facility in Lake City, Fla. Jon Pritchett, president and chief executive officer, Nextran Truck Centers, and Don
Volvo Trucks continues sponsor of America’s Road Team
Volvo Trucks will continue its sponsorship of America’s Road Team, serving as the sole sponsor of the premier trucking industry safety outreach program. As part of its support, Volvo will donate a 2015 Volvo VNL 780 model for use by the America’s Road Team program. “Volvo Trucks is proud to again be the exclusive sponsor
Volvo Trucks modifies North American alternative fuels plan
Volvo Trucks, citing the pace of the North American alternative fuel market, has put on hold its plans to launch a compression ignition liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine for North America. Field testing of Volvo’s dimethyl ether-(DME) powered vehicles will continue, and the company will continue to offer spark-ignited natural gas engines in its VNM
Volvo launches two used trucks tools
Volvo Trucks launched its Volvo Premium Certified used trucks program and online Volvo Used Truck Search tool. “With a rigorous inspection and reconditioning of each truck, customers can be confident that Volvo Premium Certified models deliver the quality experience they’ve come to expect from a Volvo truck,” said Pete Monize, vice president, Volvo Trucks remarketing
Effective maintenance, sound equipment choices help Oak Harbor Freight Lines operate efficiently
Freight volumes are higher than expected, notes Dan Vander Pol, director of maintenance at Oak Harbor Freight Lines. “While that is certainly good news, it does put a lot of pressure on our maintenance department to keep equipment running efficiently and on the road,” he says. “We don’t have extra equipment; so, if we have
Interpreting used oil analysis
“Think of oil analysis as a visit to your engine’s health care professional,” says Edward Covington, vice president, quality assurance at WIX Filters. “Oil analysis provides fact-based information on the oil’s condition, which can then be used to determine the engine’s condition. The data will help answer questions such as is the oil and filter
Volvo Trucks announces 2016 model year fuel saving enhancements
Volvo Trucks’ model year 2016 VN series highway tractors will deliver even greater fuel savings compared with previous generation models, according to the manufacturer. Further sculpting of airflow around the exterior and underneath the hood improves fuel efficiency by up to 3.5%, according to the company. Volvo’s new XE-Adaptive Gearing and Torque Management options can provide
OE natural gas truck offerings
Freightliner Freightliner Cascadia 113 is equipped with a Cummins Westport ISX12 G heavy-duty natural gas engine—rated up to 400 HP/1,450 lb.-ft. torque and available with a 48-in. sleeper cab and factory-installed CNG fuel tanks with up to 190 diesel gal. equivalent (DGE) capacity. Factory-installed LNG tanks are also available in configurations allowing up to 300
Alternative fuel infrastructure and application
For fleet managers, putting an alternative fuel truck—specifically natural gas—to work depends on two major factors: Infrastructure and application. According to the U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center, there are currently 713 public and 666 private CNG fueling stations and 54 public and 41 private LNG fueling stations in the U.S. The Department
Digging into diagnostics: Sifting through onboard data to put fleet analytics to work
With more vehicles “plugging in,” fleets stand to gain uptime by leveraging data from onboard computers. Telematics software collects sophisticated diagnostic information related to vehicle performance and automatically sends data related to fault codes to dealers and fleet managers. Some providers have integrated telematics software and maintenance management systems, while others take a more “a
Industry perspectives with Volvo Trucks: Vehicle uptime—a holistic approach
The average vehicle age in North American fleets remains high, so demand for new vehicles and parts and services is increasing, according to James Chenier, vice president-aftermarket, Volvo Trucks in North America. He says that component longevity has increased over the years, providing a high level of value, however, the high fleet age means more
