April 1, 2007
Editor's Page
Safety isn't simple
Self-appointed safety advocates like CRASH don't like the current hours-of-service (HOS) regulations because they say the rules let drivers work too many hours....
Management: In Box
Critics pan Mexican plan
With a one-year pilot program that will allow Mexican trucks to travel north beyond a 20-mile border zone slated to begin soon, many questions remain unanswered about the effect of such a move...
Eaton economist sees headwinds
Jim Meil, chief economist for Eaton Corp., forecasts some rough waters ahead for trucking. With freight volume expected to remain low for the first half of the year, operating costs such as fuel, equipment and insurance will continue to drag carriers' profitability down...
Online guide to state idling regs
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today announced that the latest version of its Idling Regulations Compendium is now available online...
Tax file: More phone-tax follies
Even though the federal government agreed last summer to refund telephone excise taxes collected since March 2003 on long-distance service, several uncertainties...
CVSA offers online air-brake training
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), in association with Zurich Services Corp. and Interactive Driving Systems, has developed an online air-brake training program, Virtual Risk Manager-Airbrakes...
FMCSA lays out '07 agenda
At a global traffic safety seminar hosted by the Swedish embassy in Washington, DC, last month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) laid out its ambitious regulatory agenda for the remainder of 2007....
Management: Feature
When to drive. When to sleep.
Seventy years is a long time to ride the same old merry-go-round, especially one that throws you off. Over and over again. ...
Strategic leasing
Truck leasing used to be all about meeting unexpected equipment needs for a relatively short time. Today, it is a long-term business strategy, not a short-term tactic for an increasing number of fleets...
Management: Bottom Line
Cry of alarm
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) came out swinging for higher fuel taxes and more use of tolls in a report released on March 7...
Management: Economics
Getting it right
Does an informed public make the right choices? Well, it all depends. That is, it depends on whether the choice makes you a winner or a loser. ...
Management: Safety Matters
Early detection
ATA has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to formalize a rule expanding the use of driver violation notification programs....
Management: Managers Tool Box
Time to plant
As you sow so shall you reap. If fleet owners expect to have anywhere near enough drivers this year and next year and for 20 years after that, they had better start thinking of that parable from Sunday school....
Management: Private Line
Poultry in motion
It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken. This was the signature marketing slogan of the late Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms, third largest poultry producer in the United States...
Equipment: Nuts & Bolts
Sprinter wider, higher, longer
Introduced to the North American market at the Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto, the completely redesigned Dodge Sprinter full-size van features an all-new V6 diesel...
APU maker offers training
Auxiliary Power Dynamics (APD), which manufactures the Willis APU, is offering installation and service training to qualified fleets that purchase the device....
bulletins
The Bridgestone R250F tire is now standard on Mack Trucks' Granite and TerraPro vocational cabovers, while the R280 has been selected as standard on the OEM's Pinnacle highway truck. ...
Ford revamps E-Series vans
Ford unveiled its next generation 2008 E-Series commercial van line including cargo vans, cutaways and passenger wagons at The Work Truck Show of the National Truck Equipment Assn....
Reefers that multi-task
Thermo King recently introduced a multi-temperature trailer refrigeration system, the Spectrum SB, featuring the company's SmartReefer2 (SR-2) controller....
DaimlerChrysler Financial enters full-service leasing
DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas announced its entry into trucking's full-service leasing market last month at the Work Truck Show of the National Truck Equipment Assn....
Racor adds to product line
The Racor Div. of Parker Hannifin Corp. recently introduced a quartet of products for the commercial vehicle aftermarket. ...
Sterling aims its Bullet
Sterling Truck Corp. launched its new Class 4-5 chassis cab the Bullet at NTEA's Work Truck Show. ...
KW keeping an eye on mpg
Despite how fuel efficient Class 8 trucks have become, there's still room for improvement, according to Kenworth Truck Co. assistant chief engineer. ...
Workhorse rolls out new walk-in
Workhorse Custom Chassis launched a new walk-in truck at the Work Truck Show of the National Truck Equipment Assn. ...
2010: Not a tech odyssey
Meeting EPA's emissions standards for 2010 won't be easy, but it's not as complicated as many fleets fear and it may even boost fuel economy. ...
Hybrids: Steep learning curve ahead
Hybrid-electric trucks are here and more are coming, yet the education of fleet owners on the ins and outs of these high-tech wonders is just beginning....
Extended life
Luber-finer is offering Extended Service Coolant Filters designed for service intervals of up to 1 yr., 150,000 mi. or 4,000 hr. and for use with conventional coolant, ethylene or propylene glycol....
Equipment: Feature
TOUGHER but Gentler
Automatic and automated medium-duty transmissions will continue to increase their market dominance, slowly driving out their manual counterparts...
Equipment: Under Eight
Saving lives
It's a horror story, the nightmare of any parent, myself included. Lynnea Zweigle, only 22 months old, died on November 8, 2005 when an F-250 refuse truck backed over her after picking up trash at her home....
Equipment: Tire Tracks
Dispelling the myth
One tire myth that continues to resurface is based on a fictional regulation stating that punctures in steer tires cannot be repaired and returned to the front axle of a vehicle....
Equipment: Vocational Profile
Paving the way
Mundall Trucking Company is a name well known by those in the construction business in metropolitan Phoenix, AZ. The asphalt hauler's reputation for safe, quality equipment, excellent drivers and reliable service has passed the test of time...
Equipment: Whats New In
what's new in: Hubs and drums
With the new emissions requirements adding to every truck and trailer 200 lb. or more in equipment such as larger exhaust stacks and heavy filters, it's become more important than ever for manufacturers of wheel-end components to take weight out of their products wherever possible....
Equipment: Maintenance Bay
Remodeling the box
Manager: Sarah Cardwell Title: Procurement manager-North America Fleet: TDS Logistics, London, ON, Canada. Operation: Hauling parts to automobile manufacturers...
IT: truck.com
fleets online
COMPANY: Rollins Orkin, Inc. OPERATION: Pest control, residential and commercial propertiesMike Gibney, director of claims and loss control ...
MobileMax gets new color touch screen
GeoLogic Solutions has released a new color display unit (CDU) as an option for new and current MobileMax users. ...
off the wire
East Central Energy (ECE), an MN-based utility company, has installed Arsenault Associate's Dossier maintenance management software for its fleet of utility...
Xtra Lease offering Qualcomm trailer tracking
A new collaboration between Xtra Lease and Qualcomm, Inc will deliver a customized version of Qualcomm's T2 Untethered TrailerTRACS asset management system for Xtra Lease trailers...
Fleet management with GPS
Navman Wireless Business Solutions, a provider of vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions, has announced the availability of a new asset-tracking system for the U.S. market....
Satellite service adds Carrier integration
Using the Inmarsat satellite network for packet data, Satamatics Inc. has developed the first satellite modem to offer tracking, monitoring and remote start for Carrier Transicold refrigeration systems....
Mobius TTS updated
Verison 3.5 of Mobius TTS offers improved routing and lower-cost communication and regulators compliance among other new features...
GE's VeriWise goes to Mexico
The VeriWise Asset Intelligence solution has expanded coverage to Mexico, according to GE Trailer Fleet Services. ...
TMW adds cellular dispatch
OnRoute, an application for smart cellphones that runs on the Qualcomm Mobility Services for Transportation platform using Sprint's Nextel National Network, has been released by TMW Software....
IT: Feature
Parts Count
It's a tedious business keeping track of parts. Who has the time or manpower to take that initial inventory? If you manage to get an accurate count, how soon before various just fix it emergencies and creative shop shortcuts turn those inventory records into useless pieces of paper?...
IT: Patent Pending
The lost world of tech support
Have you ever been lost in an inhospitable and cheerless region of Technical Support? Stuck in a phone loop explaining your electronic dilemma again and again to a series of people who mean to help, but just haven't got a clue what to do if your problem is not on their script of solutions?...
The Last Word
the last word
Private fleet scores first ProStar U.S. Foodservice recently took delivery of the first new ProStar tractor at International Truck and Engine Corp.'s...
