CCJ0315 by dwatson

WHEN REFUSING TO GIVE UP MEANS MAKING A TRUCK THAT DOES THE SAME. Uptime is more than building trucks designed to stay on the road longer. It’s our renewed commitment to the industry. It’s having a passion to deliver innovation, tools and services to keep our customers moving forward. It’s performing well beyond expectations at every turn, and having the drive to be better every day. Uptime is striving to build the highest quality trucks in the business. Trucks that keep you firmly on the road ahead.

InternationalTrucks.com

RIDE ALONG WITH YOUR FLEET VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE, ANY TIME Go where your vehicles go with Verizon Networkfleet, the GPS tracking technology that gives you more control over fleet performance. Manage costs. Improve customer service. Increase revenues. Remotely diagnose engine problems to reduce roadside breakdowns. Get the data you need to do all this and more, starting at $1 per day, per vehicle.

MArCH 2015 | vOl 172 | nO. 3

journal

Staying connected

More fleets are using mobile apps to help drivers earn more money, get paid faster, improve safety and stay with them longer. Many apps now incorporate game elements such as scorecards and leaderboards to foster competition among drivers and appeal to a basic emotional need: to obtain status and achievement. When used effectively, mobile technology engages drivers and can become a differentiator. Cover design by David Watson

features

lEAdIng nEwS, truCkIng MArkEt COndItIOnS And InduStry AnAlySIS

News Highway funding debate, activity ramps up … FMCSA seeks driver participants for HOS study … Study:

Exhaust from newer

Recovering waste heat

Cummins has been at the forefront in developing waste heat recovery systems and has shown them to be a viable technology in laboratory demonstrations and truck installations. But how does it work? And is it viable for diesel truck engines?

diesel engines not linked to cancer … 193 carriers targeted using CSA data in 2014 blitz … Carriers can be included in $25M “hot fuel” settlement

Severe Service

Kenworth T880 named ATD’s Truck of the Year … Freightliners help Tex-Mix expand around Austin … Uptime: Mack TerraPro, Granite pumpers get GuardDog support option … ATK tests Kenworth C500s in oilfields … Peterbilt 567 gets new axle configuration

… Carrier, truck driver sued in I-5 bridge collapse

Innovators: A&R Logistics

10 InBrief

The growing Louisville, Ky.-based bulk-haul transportation provider undertakes a series of safety improvement initiatives and posts its best CSA scores yet.

commercial carrier journal

| march 2015 3

DEPARTMENTS

ccjdigital.com

technology

facebook.com/CCJMagazine @CCJnow linkedin.com/ccjmagazine

Editorial

Editor: Jeff Crissey Executive Editor, Trucking: Jack Roberts Senior Editor: Aaron Huff Managing Editor: Dean Smallwood Trucking News Editor: James Jaillet Contributing Editor: Carolyn Magner Mason editorial@ccjdigital.com

Design & Production

Don’t abandon fuel economy just because diesel’s down

21 InBrief 22 Stemco acquires ATDynamics 24 Ryder spec’ing female-friendly trucks

24 26

Volvo launches long-haul autohauler

40 InBrief 42 Drivers favor percentage pay over miles, hours

44 44

Navistar predicts modest growth in 2015

28 Test Drive:

Omnitracs preps for what lies ahead

30 InFocus: Seats

Lytx’s banner year: 57,000 new DriveCam subscriptions Rand McNally launches TND Tablet

Business intelligence

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Upfront

Preventable or Not?

Products

Trailer inspection system, fifth wheel bracket, more

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| MARCH 2015

production@ccjdigital.com

Trucking Media

Vice President of Sales, Trucking Media: Brad Holthaus sales@truckingmedia.com

44 SkyBitz creates new dashboard 46 InFocus:

2015 Freightliner SD

Art Director: David Watson Graphic Designer: Kenneth Stubbs Quality Assurance: Timothy Smith Advertising Production Manager: Anne Marie Horton

Natural gas stuck in neutral

John Doe was turning left into a restaurant’s parking lot when a speeding driver came from out of nowhere in the opposite lane and couldn’t avoid a collision. Was this a preventable accident?

Ad Index

Corporate

Chairman/CEO: Mike Reilly President: Brent Reilly Chief Process Officer: Shane Elmore Chief Administration Officer: David Wright Senior Vice President, Sales: Scott Miller Senior Vice President, Editorial and Research: Linda Longton Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Business Development: Robert Lake Vice President, Events: Stacy McCants Vice President, Audience Development: Prescott Shibles Vice President, Digital Services: Nick Reid Vice President, Marketing: Julie Arsenault

3200 Rice Mine Road N.E. Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 800-633-5953 randallreilly.com Commercial Carrier Journal (ISSN 1533-7502) is published monthly by Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC, 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Single copy price U.S., $6; Canada/ Mexico, $9; Foreign, $12. Subscription rates, payable in U.S. dollars, $48 per year (in Canada $78 U.S. currency). For subscription information/inquiries, please email commercialcarrierjournal@ halldata.com. Periodicals Postage-Paid at Tuscaloosa, AL, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTERS: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to Commercial Carrier Journal, PO Box 2186, Skokie, IL 60076-9919. Unsolicited letters, manuscripts, stories, materials or photographs cannot be returned except where the sender provides a postage-paid, addressed, stamped envelope. Address all mail to Commercial Carrier Journal Editorial Dept., P.O. Box 3187, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403. All advertisers for Commercial Carrier Journal are accepted and published by RandallReilly Publishing Co. LLC on the representation that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC harmless from and against any loss, expenses or other liability resulting from any claims or suits for libel violations of right of privacy or publicity, plagiarisms, copyright or trademark, infringement and any other claims or suits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Copyright © 2015, Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Commercial Carrier Journal. is a registered trademark of Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC. Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee regarding the quality of goods and services advertised herein.

TRAIL

KING’S

WE BUILD IT

SO YOU CAN HAUL IT C

SEE THE HDG AND MORE FIRST-HAND AT THE

MID-AMERICA TRUCKING SHOW! Visit us at booth #34105 MARCH 26 – 28 Kentucky Exposition Center

HYDRAULIC DETACHABLE GOOSENECK

THE PREFERRED CHOICE FOR HAULING COMPLEX EQUIPMENT

• Enhanced performance and improved scalloped gooseneck design allowing for ample clearance between truck and trailer

• Maximized payloads and efficient hauling with reduced transport heights featuring adjustable ride height and lowered cross members in wheel area

• Optimized productivity with quick approach set-up

ALUMINUM MECHANICAL GOOSENECK

BUILT TOUGH WITH A LIGHTWEIGHT COMPOSITION AND LONG-LASTING CORROSION RESISTANCE

• Strong and lightweight with a combination of aluminum and high strength steel

• Long-lasting corrosion resistance with pre-assembly

painted components and aluminum members used where possible

• Ultimate in flexibility with a mechanical or hydraulic gooseneck

enabled by heavy-duty pullout double front outriggers

• Increased deck life with 10” I-beam cross members

Have a heavy haul? Contact your nearest TRAIL KING dealer or call 800.843.3324 to learn more.

Vintage Parts Pricing.

Lower Standard Pricing On Legacy Engine Parts. Genuine Cummins parts may be more affordable than you might think, with lower standard prices on parts for legacy engines such as the N14 and older ISX models. Genuine Cummins parts are built to original specs by the experts who built your engine, incorporating the latest upgrades in materials and manufacturing for better performance and durability. Plus, they are backed by a full Cummins warranty honored at over 3,500 authorized service locations. Go to cumminsgenuineparts.com or visit your local Cummins distributor or authorized dealer to learn more. ÂŠ2015 Cummins Inc., Box 3005, Columbus, IN 47202-3005 U.S.A.

leading news, trucking market conditions and industry analysis

Highway funding debate, activity ramps up

FMCSA seeks driver participants for HOS study

At the Senate hearing, Foxx touted the ighway funding legislation saw White House’s Grow America Act he and a flurry of activity beginning in Obama submitted to Congress last year. late January. First, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed a five- “To hell with politics,” Foxx said. “In order for the system to be good for the American year $1 trillion transportation infrastructure people, we must do something dramatic.” bill. Meanwhile, some House Democrats He also chastised Congress for its relucfiled a six-year funding bill dubbed tance to pass anything longer than a twoTransportation 2.0, while some House year bill in the last 10 years, and only twice Republicans considered another proposal. has it done that: The time between the bills Then President Obama proposed his has been supplemented with short-term own six-year $578 billion package, while extensions – sometimes as short as three Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Barbara Boxer months – of already-existing highway fund(D-Calif.) unveiled a self-billed bipartisan ing laws. plan. “What we received The American in response (to the Trucking Grow America Act) Associations also was a 10-month sent a letter to extension with flat Congress pushing funding, which while for a fuel tax increase averting a catastroto fund U.S. highphe falls short of ways. The Senate’s meeting the counEnvironmental try’s needs,” Foxx and Public Works U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx scolded said. “As a former committee held a Congress for its reluctance to pass anything longer mayor, I can tell you hearing on the mat- than a two-year highway bill in the last 10 years. what these shortter, in which U.S. term measures are doing to Americans – litTransportation Secretary Anthony Foxx gave a passionate plea for a long-term trans- erally killing their will to build.” During Foxx’s second visit to Capitol portation funding bill. Foxx reiterated his Hill, he told members of the House’s concerns in mid-February during a second Transportation and Infrastructure visit to Capitol Hill. Committee that if Congress does not act, Congress must pass a highway funding freight corridors will become more jammed, measure before May 31, or the Highway roads and bridges already deficient will Trust Fund will run dry. present dangers to highway users, and states will conScan the QR code with your smartphone or visit ccjdigital.com/news/subscribe-to-newstinue to put more projects letters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, a on hold due to funding daily e-mail newsletter filled with news, analyuncertainty. sis, blogs and market condition articles. Continued on page 12

he Virginia Tech Transportation Institute will head the

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s federally required study on the 34-hour restart provisions implemented in 2013. A federal appropriations bill signed into law in mid-December put a stay of enforcement on the hours rules pending the study. Congress stipulated that the study form two groups of drivers – one to abide by pre-2013 rules and one to abide by the 2013 provisions. The drivers must be studied for at least five months, and researchers will compare their schedules, crashes, near-crashes, crash-relevant events, operator fatigue and alertness and short-term health. VTTI said it will use electronic logging devices and other tools to gauge driver fatigue levels, and that it also will produce the final study report for FMCSA. The report must be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General and must be submitted to Congress. If the agency’s study concludes the 2013 rules are better for safety and operator alertness, they will go back into effect. FMCSA initially announced in the middle of January it was looking for driver participants for the study. VTTI hopes to recruit about 250 drivers from a variety of fleet sizes, operations and segments.

commercial carrier journal

– James Jaillet

| march 2015 9

JOURNAL NEWS

INBRIEF 3/15 • A final rule to require all new trucks to come standard with electronic stability control systems was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget last month for approval and will take effect two years following publication in the Federal Register. The proposed mandate, designed to help mitigate rollover and loss-of-control crashes, was published in 2012 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projected a cost of $113 million per 150,000 trucks produced. • A U.S. district court ordered $119,612 in back pay to an ex-driver fired by Old Dominion Freight Line (CCJ Top 250, No. 11) after he self-reported alcohol abuse. The jury concluded the less-than-truckload company had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 2011, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit on behalf of the driver after failing to settle with the Thomasville, N.C.-based company.

• The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a $119,000 fine against Saia Motor Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 22) for safety and health violations uncovered during an investigation into an explosion at the company’s St. Louis terminal that left four employees hospitalized. DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the explosion was caused by a forklift ignition source and a loose coupling connection to a liquid propane tank. • Pacer Cartage Inc., an intermodal transportation and logistics services carrier, said it plans to appeal a California court judgment of more than $2 million owed to seven drivers for alleged wage theft. San Diego’s superior court upheld a ruling that the company had misclassified the truckers as independent contractors instead of employees. • For the second time, the court overseeing a civil lawsuit against Walmart Transportation denied a request by truck driver Kevin Roper to delay the proceedings pending his crimi-

nal case involving the June 7 crash in which Roper’s truck rear-ended a van, killing comedian James McNair and critically injuring actor Tracy Morgan and several others. • James Douglas Pielsticker, former president and CEO of now-closed Arrow Trucking, pleaded guilty Feb. 4 to one count of conspiracy and one count of tax evasion stemming from charges he misused company money and arranged schemes to overcharge customers for services. Pielsticker, who led Arrow until its closure in December 2009, faces up to 10 years in prison and $50 million in fines. • The federal judge overseeing seven lawsuits still remaining against Pilot Flying J in the 2013-uncovered fuel rebate withholding scheme ordered that the suits against the truck stop company can continue. U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar last month also stamped his approval on the suits against Pilot owner Jimmy Haslam, who has denied wrongdoing.

Have What It Takes

The Tiger Tool original U-Joint Puller provides brute strength for disassembling seized U-joints in minutes on virtually all Class 7 and 8 trucks and machinery. Have you got what it takes? Come see us at Booth 11256 to find out.

10102

Heavy Duty King Pin Press

Pin & Bushing Service Kit

Generates 46,000 lbs of force yet weighs only 30 lbs.

Reduces shop service times on jobs by up to 70%.

90150

15000

1.800.661.4661 | tigertool.com

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| MARCH 2015

IT SURPASSED EXPECTATIONS THE MOMENT IT HIT THE ROAD. REALIZE DOUBLE DIGIT FUEL SAVINGS IN REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS WITH PRECEDENT™. We held ourselves to the highest standards when designing the Precedent platform. And after 4 years of meticulously researching, building and testing, we absolutely delivered. Proven double-digit fuel efficiencies. Proven Evergreen* CARB and EPA compliance. Superior resale value. And more. It all adds up to the lowest lifecycle cost in the industry — today and for years to come. Learn more at thermoking.com.

* S-Series models, which include the S-600 , S-700 and S-600M, already meet Tier 4 final emissions certification by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB). Further, they comply with CARB’s Ultra-LowEmission Transport Refrigeration Unit In-Use Performance Standards (ULETRU). Thermo King belongs to Ingersoll Rand’s family of brands, including Club Car®, Ingersoll Rand®, Schlage® and Trane®. Ingersoll Rand is a world leader in creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and efficient environments.

journal news

Study: Exhaust from newer diesel engines not linked to cancer ifetime exposure to modern diesel exhaust does not induce tumors or precancerous changes, according to the first comprehensive study of the matter. The Health Effects Institute issued the Jan. 27 report, which also concluded that concentrations of particulate matter and toxic air pollutants from modern diesels are more than 90 percent lower than from older diesel engines. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, among other agencies, sponsor the HEI but do not participate in selection or review of the institute’s work. The HEI’s Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study exposed laboratory rats to EPA-compliant 2007 heavy-duty engines for 80-hour weeks for as long as 30 months. Researchers concluded lifetime exposure did not induce tumors or precancerous changes in the rats’ lungs and did not increase tumors related to new technology diesel exhaust in any other tissue. The study was conducted by researchers from New Mexico’s Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, New York’s Litron

Laboratories, University of Kentucky and University of Texas’ medical branch. Their work was overseen by the HEI ACES Oversight Committee’s independent experts, while biological findings were reviewed independently by a separate Pathology Working Group. The investigators’ compreDTF says hensive description of more than one-third of findings then was suball commerjected to peer review by cial trucks an expert ACES Review on the road have 2007 Panel, whose members engines or were not involved in connewer. ducting the study. The nonprofit Diesel Technology Forum says more than one-third of all commercial trucks on the road have 2007 engines or newer. In some states, the percentage of NTDE-equipped trucks exceeds 50 percent. These newer engines have reduced particulate matter and NOx emissions by 98 percent compared to 1988 vehicles, according to DTF, whose members represent clean diesel manufacturers, suppliers and fuel refiners. – Jill Dunn

Highway funding | Continued from page 9 “We don’t need to plan for 1956 – we need to plan for 2045,” he said, hinting that the gas and diesel tax shouldn’t be the only funding option on the table. “We need to build new things again. Our nation is growing by 70 million people over the next 30 years, and that growth is coming largely in the South and western part of our country. We will choke on that growth if we’re not careful.” Sanders’ bill would encompass more than just highway spending, but it seemingly would function as a de-facto surface transportation reauthorization bill. He did not give specifics on how the bill would be funded, and he did not mention a fuel tax increase. The House’s Transportation 2.0 bill is a six-year $170 billion funding measure that would direct $150 billion into the HTF, moving away from using taxes on gasoline and diesel to fund the HTF, which has been the case since it was established in the 1950s. The Democrat-backed package would put $50 billion in an infrastructure bank that would be used to draw in private investors, said Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), who filed the bill. On the other side of the aisle, a few House Republicans floated the idea of expanding oil and gas drilling on federal lands and offshore drilling as a means to help boost the HTF.

The White House and Boxer-Paul proposals have one key element in common: They would use funds from a tax known as “repatriation,” in which companies could bring money currently held in foreign banks back to the United States and be taxed just once on their return. The White House option is an expansion of the four-year $302 billion Grow America Act submitted by Obama and Foxx in 2014. It would use a repatriation tax of 14 percent, which the administration says would produce $238 billion in revenue. Obama’s plan designates a combined $317 billion to U.S. roads and bridges from the 2016 fiscal year through the 2021 fiscal year. The initial Grow America Act was essentially dead on arrival, and its chance for action in the new Republicancontrolled Congress likely is worse than in the prior Congress. The Boxer-Paul plan also would use repatriation tax that they say could generate $2 trillion in tax revenue on earnings currently held overseas. The Invest in Transportation Act would tax the foreign earnings at a rate of 6.5 percent, the entirety of which would be designated for the HTF. The fuel tax on gasoline and diesel was last raised in 1993 and has been impacted by inflation, better fuel economy and increased costs of labor and construction. – James Jaillet

commercial carrier journal

| march 2015

journal news

193 carriers targeted using CSA data in 2014 blitz

aw enforcement conducted 193 compliance investigations during 2014’s Operation Safe Driver by using Compliance Safety Accountability data to target carriers. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance last month released results of its annual campaign, held Oct. 19-25 and aimed at improving driver behavior in or around commercial vehicles. Investigators used driver performance data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA algorithm to target companies for onsite interventions. Of the carriers investigated, 23 percent received proposed Unsatisfactory Safety Ratings, versus 15 percent for the full 2014 fiscal year. Another 53 percent received proposed Conditional Safety Ratings, compared to 28 percent for FY 2014. Forty-six percent of investigations resulted in enforcement actions, in contrast to 33 percent for FY 2014. Also, CVSA inspectors conducted 24,184 North American Standard Roadside Inspections, versus 44,882 in 2013’s blitz. In the 2014 campaign, 19,980 commercial traffic enforcement contacts were made, compared to 29,048 in 2013. That number also dropped for noncommercial drivers to 39,100 contacts from 45,717 in 2013. The percentage of commercial drivers receiving warnings or tickets issued for speeding has decreased in recent years and remains far lower than for passenger vehicle drivers. In 2014, it was 5.8 percent for commercial drivers, down from 7.3 percent in 2013 and 10.8 percent in 2012. The percentage of warnings and citations issued to non-CMV drivers for speeding decreased from 56 percent in 2013 to 52.3 percent in 2014. Noncommercial drivers also received nearly triple the number of warnings

and citations per contact as commercial drivers. The top three warnings and citations issued were the same for commercial and noncommercial drivers: Speeding, HowesCCJS15_HalfPageIsland.pdf failure to wear safety belts and not obey-

ing traffic control devices. CVSA began Operation Safe Driver in 2007 in partnership with FMCSA and with the support of industry and safety organizations. 2/3/15 6:04 PM – Jill Dunn

NO-BULL, IT WORKS.

Howes Meaner Power Kleaner is expertly formulated to clean the most stubborn injector deposits, even on the new High Pressure Common Rail systems. Meaner Power Kleaner eliminates these performance-robbing deposits with a specially designed detergent package that maximizes your power and fuel economy while adding lubricity to eliminate sticky friction in pumps and injectors. And it’s backed by one of the best guarantees in the business – no bull.

CMY

✓ More power with less emissions ✓ Cleans tanks, lines – the whole fuel system ✓ Minimum 5% boost in fuel economy – Guaranteed ✓ Enhanced lubricity for less wear ✓ Warranty-safe for all diesel emission systems including DOC

✓ Removes water harmlessly

FREE!

Howes Extendable Flashlight

1-800 GET HOWES (438-4693) • www.howeslube.com

when you purchase 3 bottles of Howes Meaner Power Kleaner Visit www.howeslube.com or call 1-800 GET HOWES Offer ends: 9/30/15, available while supplies last.

commercial carrier journal Untitled-2 1

| march 2015 13 2/9/15 10:01 AM

YOUR HEADQUARTERS FOR

HEAVY-DUTY PARTS

D E D I C AT E D TO T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L

LONG LIFE REDUCES COST PER MILE • Fleet and heavy-duty batteries available in 6, 8 and 12 volt • All Super Start batteries come with nationwide warranty assistance

The people at PEAK Commercial & Industrial have made a science out of delivering innovative heavy-duty solutions like BlueDEF®, America’s #1 brand of Diesel Exhaust Fluid. BlueDEF is certified pure and ensures you get the highest quality diesel exhaust fluid you can buy, guaranteed! PEAK Commercial & Industrial is your one-stop resource for your critical HD fluids that help reduce maintenance costs and maximize efficiency.

FirstCallOnline.com

journal news

Carriers can be included in $25M ‘hot fuel’ settlement

reliminary approval was granted in late January to the nearly $25 million settlement struck last year between fuel providers and fuel buyers, both diesel and gasoline, in the ongoing “hot fuel” lawsuits originally filed in 2006. The case technically is broken into 28 different class-action settlements – one against each fuel provider sued – and recognizes as part of the class any “person or entities who bought gasoline or diesel fuel at a gas station in any of the states at issue between Jan. 1, 2001, and Dec. 10, 2014.” Plaintiffs contended in their suits that the fuel providers violated consumer protection laws by not disclosing that fuel expands in warmer temperatures, thereby making a gallon contain less energy and worth less during warmer months. The defendant companies denied the claims but agreed to the settlement to resolve the cases. BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell and Sinclair will pay a combined $22.93 million, and a combined $1.58 million will be paid by the remaining companies, including B-B Oil, Casey’s General Stores, Coulson Oil, Citgo, Dansk, Diamond, E-Z MArt Stores, Flash Market, G&M Oil, J&P Flash, Love’s Travel Stops, Magness Oil, M.M. Fowler, Port Cities Oil, Sam’s Club, Sunoco, Tesoro, Thorntons, United El Segundo, Valero, World Oil and W.R. Hess. Fuel buyers have three options in the case: opt out of the settlement to pursue their own litigation against the companies, object to the settlement in full or in part, or remain a member of the class. A fairness hearing will be held June 9 to determine whether the settlement is adequate. Those currently considered

part of the class have until March 23 to opt out or object to parts of the settlement. – James Jaillet

Fuel expands in warmer temperatures, thereby making a gallon contain less energy and worth less during warmer months.

Proven Experience. Proven ROI.

450,000

drivers

950

60,000,000 25 logs

Up to

12%

fuel savings

ﬂeets

billion miles

Up to

50-80% collision cost reductions

Only Lytx has analyzed the driving behaviors of over 450,000 drivers in more than 950 ﬂeets. Only Lytx has evaluated more than 25 billion driving miles. Only Lytx has compliance management services. We combine the power of the DriveCam® Program and RAIR® Compliance Services with unparalleled data, and insightful analytics to help predict and prevent unsafe driving in your ﬂeet.

Come visit us at TCA in Florida – Booth 201

Delivering Insights. Driving Results. 866.419.5861

commercial carrier journal

| march 2015 15

journal news

Carrier, truck driver sued in I-5 bridge collapse

he Washington State Department of Transportation is suing the carrier and truck driver involved in the May 2013 Interstate 5 bridge collapse

The May 2013 I-5 bridge collapse occurred when a 2010 Kenworth towing a 1997 Aspen flatbed with a casing shed hit a sway brace.

WINTER 2014 0˚F CRITICAL LOAD 100˚F

From 0˚ F to 96˚ F in .16gph *

PRE-HEAT

0˚F

IDLE FREE TROUBLE FREE

Full equipment readiness in the coldest climates

66% reduction in PM emissions 29% reduction in CO Fuel savings of .84 gph on every start*

Field Test Data - Fairbanks, Alaska, February 2013. Hydronic D5 Heater Running Time/Pre-Heat minutes 60 minutes. Tests conducted by AJ Engineering Corp. Engine: Troy, MI. 7.6 L / 466 cu. in. *Based on a $4 gallon.

Espar Heaters: They Just Make Sense

www.espar.com 16 Untitled-10 1

commercial carrier journal

(800) 387-4800

over the Skagit River. WSDOT also is suing the pilot car driver, the pilot car company and the owner of the cargo – a metal shed – that was being transported. WSDOT is seeking $17 million total from the defendants – the cost of the response to and repair of the collapse. WSDOT, citing reports from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Washington State Patrol, claims in its suit (a) the truck driver did not know the height of his load and was carrying a load two inches taller than he was permitted to carry; (b) the carrier and truck driver did not research the route to determine clearance; (c) the pilot car driver was on the phone when crossing the bridge and did not notify the truck driver of the impending clearance issue; and (d) the truck driver was following the pilot car too closely. In its July 2014 report, NTSB determined that the pilot car driver had placed five calls on her cell phone in the 30 minutes preceding the bridge strike and was on the phone when she crossed the bridge. NTSB also said that an off-duty truck driver reported seeing the pilot car’s height pole hit the bridge in four or five places when it crossed, though the board was unable to determine whether that is true or not. Although NTSB blamed the carrier for not checking the route or bridge clearances, it also partly blamed the state of Washington, saying there were no warning signs on the bridge to alert drivers of its height restrictions. The bridge collapse occurred when a 2010 Kenworth towing a 1997 Aspen flatbed with a casing shed hit a sway brace. NTSB and the State Patrol said that if the truck had not been in the far right lane, it would have cleared the bridge. – James Jaillet

| march 2015 6/19/14 8:57 AM

THERE’S

A SPEC FOR SUCCESS

Get up to 1.9% better fuel economy with the Fuller Advantage ™ Series Automated transmission. Built for your job. Your spec. And your competitive edge. Now available in small-step models as part of our Cummins, Navistar and PACCAR integrated powertrains and in overdrive models. When less is more. We’re talking less maintenance, fewer cooling lines, and lower driver stress. When Precision Lubrication knocks out power-robbing oil churn. And Gear Selection Logic is so smart it optimizes performance and fuel economy to put driver focus where it should be – on the job. It’s the newest in automation built on the industry’s most iconic transmission. All backed by the solutions, support and expertise of the Roadranger ® network. Find your Eaton ® edge at roadranger.com

Dear Bestpass, If loving you is wrong, I don’t wanna be right. Even the most demanding fleet managers—like this impassioned fella right here—save an exceptional amount of time and money with the nation’s only coast-to-coast toll solution. LEARN MORE AT BESTPASS.COM OR CALL US AT 888.410.9696

product reviews, oeM & supplier news and equipMent ManageMent trends

by Jack RobeRts

Feeling fuelish Don’t abandon fuel economy efforts just because diesel’s down

few weeks ago, the convenience store near my house was selling regular unleaded gasoline for $1.87 a gallon. That was the lowest price I’d personally encountered during the recent downward trend in fuel prices. It’s a good feeling to actually fill up my pickup and drive around with the needle on “full” without breaking the bank. On the heavy-duty side of things, diesel has been projected to average less than $3 a gallon this year. This is good news for consumers and fleets alike: Consumers are catching a break and relieving the strain on their pocketbooks, and smart fleets can take full advantage of this massive assist in operating costs and make hay while the sun shines. It’s funny how this huge drop in crude oil prices struck at a time when both fleets and the driving public at large finally were wrapping their heads around the concept of forever-high fuel costs. It may be that this unforeseen turn of events will serve as one final fond look back

commercial carrier journal

at a time of cheap pump prices that soon Funny coincidence: may be gone forever. the drop in prices comes If this sudden decline teaches us when everyone had gotten anything, it is to underscore the extreme used to costly fuel. volatility and unpredictable nature of MPG enhanceMents: today’s global energy markets. Crude oil Many positive trends on the is a commodity traded on global markets U.s. fuel economy front are like pork bellies and cotton, and its price bearing fruit. fluctuates according to market supply and stay PrePared: Don’t demand. forget how to maintain However, the pool of people bidding on fuel economy when prices that barrel of crude oil has increased expoinevitably climb. nentially over the past 20 years, thanks to China, India, Russia and Africa. The more interested parties bidding for a commodity, the higher the price goes; that’s Economics 101. But oil also is a strategic resource vital to a country’s defense and economic

| march 2015

Want more equipment neWs? Scan the barcode to sign up for the CCJ Equipment Weekly e-mail newsletter or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK.

All evidence points to more wild swings in fuel costs with a trend toward higher prices at the pump.

Today’s global energy markets are extremely volatile and unpredictable.

well-being, and the global economy is powered by oil – which makes manipulation of supply and pricing a powerful tool when a nation wants to exert economic pressure. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’re awash in cheap gasoline and diesel while Russia’s economy plunges downward because President Vladimir Putin couldn’t stand to see the Ukraine cozy up to the West. Saudi Arabia recently vetoed an OPEC move to cut oil production and drive prices back up, and I’m willing to bet there were American fingerprints all over that move. At the same time, many positive trends on the U.S. fuel economy front are bearing fruit. New cars are getting smaller, while larger models such as pickups and SUVs are offering buyers improved fuel economy numbers. This also holds true for trucking: Current aerodynamic trucks routinely rack up mpg numbers that would have defied belief just a few years ago, and the next generation of GHG-compliant trucks and engines promises to stretch the envelope even further. Increased domestic production, particularly in North Dakota, also has helped bring costs down, and while these supply boosts may be enhanced by new access to previously hands-off oilfields in Libya and Iraq, I wouldn’t hold my breath given the political and religious instabilities in those regions. Nonetheless, that oil is out there, waiting. Somebody, someday, is going to bring it out of the ground and find someone who will buy it. All evidence points to more wild swings in fuel costs with an inexorable overall trend toward consistently higher prices at the pump. Fleets and consumers who stay the current course on enhancing fuel economy in their operations and daily life will be in much better shape to weather the storm once gasoline and diesel start trending upward again. JACK ROBERTS is Executive Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jroberts@ccjmagazine.com or call (205) 248-1358.

InBrief • Truck lighting supplier Truck-Lite Co. acquired Rigid Industries, a Phoenix-based LED lighting manufacturer of products for the offroad, powersport, agricultural, marine, industrial and mining markets. Terms were not announced. • Webasto Thermo & Comfort north America announced that Freightliner Cascadia and Cascadia Evolution trucks now can be spec’d with its digital SmarTemp Control designed to work exclusively with its Air Top 2000 ST bunk air heater. • Ryder System expanded its selection of used trucks, tractors, trailers and vans available at www.usedtrucks.ryder.com. The website now includes“as-is”condition vehicles, cabs and chassis; and high-horsepower trucks. • Kenworth Truck Co. is offering a 3-year/300,000mile basic vehicle extended warranty to U.S. customers who purchase new Kenworth Class 8 factory trucks financed through Paccar Financial. The offer is available on trucks ordered through Dec. 31 and financed no later than March 31, 2016. There is a maximum quantity of 20 units per customer. • Mack Financial Services and Volvo Financial Services are offering veterans a half-percent discount off the approved finance rates for new commercial vehicles in 2015. The offer is open to members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard with a valid and current CDL who have been honorably discharged within the past 24 months. The discount is available through Mack and Volvo dealers, and units must be delivered and funded by Dec. 31. • Webb Wheel OEM established an independent business focusing exclusively on wheel end products for the specialty truck and vocational markets. Webb said its Specialty Truck Business Unit will continue operations at its current facility in Ferdinand, Ind., and will introduce additional rotor, hub and drum products. The business unit also has dedicated sales and service support. • Bendix released the 2015 schedule and opened registration for its in-person Bendix Brake Training School. Offered by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems and Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, this year’s training school opens March 24 in Owosso, Mich. Classes are scheduled into November, with a total of 19 sessions in 13 U.S. states and Ontario. Go to http://productschoolregistration.countmein.com. • Onspot of north America, a provider of automatic tire chains, announced that its General Services Administration contract has been renewed for another five years. Onspot supplies its devices to the Army, Navy, Air Force and National Parks and Recreation Department, as well as equipping 337 buses for the Veterans Administration. commercial carrier journal | march 2015

Stemco acquires ATDynamics S

temco, a manufacturer of wheel end, braking and susand creates turbulence. The ATDynamics EcoSkirt also works pension components, last month announced the acquito improve tractor-trailer fuel efficiency by reducing aerodysition of ATDynamics Inc., a maker of aerodynamic devices namic drag that occurs under the trailer, where air hits the and fuel efficiency-related prodtrailer’s rear axles. Both products ucts. ATDynamics will become also are designed to increase safety part of Stemco’s Innovative Tire by stabilizing the vehicle, reducing & Mileage Solutions group, which driver fatigue and reducing road includes the company’s Aeris spray in wet conditions. automatic tire inflation systems. The acquisition provides ATDyTerms of the transaction were not namics’ EcoSkirt and TrailerTail released. products access to Stemco’s existing “The acquisition of ATDynamics sales and support network, said aligns with our strategic direction Andrew Smith, ATDynamics’ chief to assist our fleet customers in imexecutive officer. proving fuel efficiency and increas“We couldn’t be happier about ATDynamics’ TrailerTail streamlines the airflow around a ing tire life,” said Todd Anderson, this match,” Smith said. “In a few semi-trailer and mitigates the low-pressure suction drag president of Stemco. “It continues to weeks, we’ll have an additional 40 that reduces fuel efficiency and creates turbulence. build a solid platform from which salespeople around the country we can offer a more complete line of aerodynamic products.” talking about the benefits of these products and delivering the ATDynamics’ TrailerTail technology is designed to $2 to $3 billion-per-year savings to the industry by adding the streamline the airflow around a semi-trailer and mitigate the TrailerTail.” low-pressure suction drag that leads to reduced fuel efficiency – Jeff Crissey

TAKE COMMAND WITH THE

COMPLETE SOLUTION INCREASE UPTIME AND DECREASE MAINTENANCE COSTS COSTS. The Prestone Command® line of heavy duty antifreeze, additives and testing products deliver the technology and innovation fleets can trust. Protects your engine from extreme on-road conditions and corrosion while increasing uptime with the proven reliability of Prestone. Prestone Antifreeze/Coolant has protected vehicle cooling systems since 1927. www.PrestoneCommand.com • (888) 282-8960 • Email: OrdersPrestoneCommand@Prestone.Com PRESTONE PRODUCTS CORPORATION, 1900 West Field Court, Lake Forest, IL 60045, ©2015 Prestone Products Corporation

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

Untitled-4 1

2/9/15 1:28 PM

LumenX I N T RODUCI NG

ALL-AMERICAN LINEUP S/T/ T Lights Turn Signals Backup Lights Strobe Lights

At Peterson, we’re proud to make many of the best LED lights on the market. We’re even prouder to make them right here in America’s heartland, where the world’s best workforce keeps innovative Peterson solutions on the move. Every time you choose a Peterson LED, take pride in making America’s light shine a little brighter.

Brighter, Safer, Better Looking...and Made in America.

LumenX video

Solutions on the Move! www.pmlights.com

Ryder spec’ing female-friendly trucks

What’s this new diesel engine oil I’m hearing about? You are probably hearing or reading about a new API category in development for heavy duty diesel engine oils. This new category, currently referred to as Proposed Category 11 (or PC-11), is under By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants development as you read this. So what is it and why are things changing? In simple terms, when engine technologies change we often see a new oil category introduced. This was true in October 2006 when the current API CJ-4 category was launched. At that time, we needed to work with new technologies like diesel particulate filters and the anticipated higher operating temperatures of some engines. In the past, changes were typically driven by reducing particulate matter and NOx emissions. However the driver for this round of changes is a little different. Truck manufacturers are adapting their technology to develop next-generation diesel engines to meet emissions, renewable fuel and fuel economy standards, as well as to meet CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions mandates due to be introduced in the next few years. PC-11 will be a significant undertaking for the industry not just in North America but also globally. The engine manufacturers have to respond to new regulation such as renewable fuels mandates, on and off-road exhaust emission and greenhouse gas emission standards. There are also changes to the hardware and operating strategies of engines which can introduce factors such as: increased power density, increased combustion and injection pressure, increased in-cylinder NOx reduction, higher oil temperatures and wear resistance coatings. As an industry we must keep pace with such developments and of course, give the market the products that it needs. This is why the American Petroleum Institute, Shell Lubricants and others in the industry are looking to provide changes in the new oils that include improvements in oxidation stability, aeration benefits, shear stability, biodiesel compatibility and scuffing/adhesive wear protection. This will mean developing new engine tests and modifying existing engine tests for deposits and oil. The development of this specification is well underway and the planned launch is early 2016. We’ll keep you updated on developments for the new specification and the next generation of ® Shell Rotella engine oil products.

This monthly column is brought to you by Shell Lubricants. Got a question? Visit ROTELLA.com, call 1- 800 - 231- 6950 or write to The ANSWER COLumN, 1001 Fannin, Ste. 500, Houston,TX 77002. The term “Shell Lubricants” refers to the various Shell Group companies engaged in the lubricants business.

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015

yder System announced that it will offer customers a female-friendly vehicle package for lease. With the help of various OEMs and the Women in Trucking Association, a nonprofit organization established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, Ryder is making available a custom vehicle design with 15 specifications intended to better meet the needs of female drivers. The ergonomic vehicles include features such as adjusted height and placement of cab grab handles, adjustable seatbelt shoulder straps, improved placement of dash cluster gauges and better access to oil and coolant checks and fill ports. Ryder said it also can include the following options upon customer request and depending upon the vehicle OEM model: • Ergonomically designed seats and an adjustable armrest; • A hood lift/closure assistance mechanism; • Automated transmissions; • Fifth wheel configurations with lower pull pressures to open the locking mechanism; • Automated fifth wheel locking mechanisms; • Automatic landing gear operators for trailers; and • A cab security system for added protection while a driver is in his/her sleeper berth. – Jack Roberts

Volvo launches long-haul autohauler

dding to its lineup of Volvo Autohauler models, Volvo Trucks North America introduced the Volvo VAH 630, a premium sleeper version for long-haul operations. The VAH family, launched in March 2011, already included the VAH 200 day cab and the VAH 430, which features a 42-inch sleeper and full-size bunk. The VAH 630, now available for order, features a 61-inch sleeper, offering a full-sized bunk, ample storage cabinet capacity and space for comfort and entertainment amenities. The model is available with either Volvo’s D11 or D13 engine; the D11 features 355 to 405 hp and 1,250 to 1,420 lb.-ft. of torque, while the D13 features 375 to 500 hp and 1,450 to 1,750 lb.-ft. of torque. The VAH 630 also is available with the Volvo I-Shift automated manual The VAH family, launched in March 2011, includes the transmission. long-haul VAH 630, VAH 200 day cab and the VAH 430, All VAH models incorpowhich features a 42-inch sleeper and full-size bunk. rate deep-drop front axles, low-height Volvo Air Ride rear suspensions and reduced-height cab options provided by Fontaine Modification Co. designed to reduce overall height and provide optimal loading flexibility. The lower overall height offers the flexibility to position a vehicle as large as a minivan over the truck’s cab to maximize payload. In addition, a clean top-of-frame behind the VAH cab is designed to help simplify body mounting and trailer hookup. – Jack Roberts

STOP AND GO NEVER STOPS YOU. Traffic is unreliable. You aren’t. You always find a way to deliver your best, no matter what. So do we. Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic engine oil is our best oil yet, with improved protection in extreme temperatures. It gives you the engine cleanliness and wear protection you’ve come to expect from Shell Rotella. And up to 1.5% in fuel economy savings.* In fact, we never settle for anything less than the best performance. Sound like someone you know? Learn more at www.shell.ca/rotella ®

THE SYNTHETIC ENGINE OIL THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU.

*As demonstrated in 2009 on-the-road field testing in medium duty trucks, highway cycles, compared to Shell Rotella® T Triple Protection®15W-40.

Navistar predicts modest growth in 2015, says it’s righting financial ship

avistar’s going “lean and mean,” the company announced last month to an audience of Wall Street analysts and trucking industry press, pointing to hundreds of millions of dollars in savings on manufacturing, materials and structured costs as the latest step in its turnaround efforts. Navistar hosted an analyst day at its headquarters in Lisle, Ill., to update investors and the media on the progress of the company’s ongoing efforts to get back in the black following its failed attempt at meeting emissions standards using exhaust gas recirculation rather than aftertreatment methods adopted by other truck makers. Bill Kozek took over Navistar’s helm in 2013 after leaving Paccar. Both Kozek and Troy Clarke, chief executive officer, praised the company’s employees who have spearheaded the recovery effort and reported several positive developments. Kozek said the massive push to convert the entire International product line from exclusive proprietary MaxxForce engines with EGR to full integration with Cummins’ 15-liter diesel engines and selective catalytic reduction technology is in the final stages of implementation. Clarke said the effort was completed in record time, while Navistar continued new product development and worked to re-engineer 2010 emissions systems to provide better uptime and resale values for EGR-era International trucks. The company expects its final vocational models to be fully converted to SCR by June. Additional positive restructuring accomplishments highlighted the company’s transition to a trimmed-up business model, including $120 million in lower manufacturing costs, $640 million in structured cost savings, “significant” material cost reductions, a 50 percent improvement in working capital, “flawless” new product launches such as the aerodynamic-optimized ProStar ES and measurable product quality improvements. Other restructuring efforts include the divestment of noncore businesses and joint ventures and closing or idling several production facilities, such as the company’s engine plant in Huntsville, Ala., and foundry operation in Indianapolis. All told, the company reported more than 2,000 ongoing cost-saving initiatives with an overall realized goal of a 5 percent reduction in material costs. With that major product restructuring 26

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015

almost complete, Kozek said Navistar now is shifting its focus to recapturing market share in both the on-highway and vocational markets. To that end, the company launched a new “It’s Uptime at International” marketing campaign to highlight its efforts of minimizing truck downtime. Key enablers in this push will include investments and training to create a “high performance” dealer network as well as leveraging and expanding the company’s OnCommand Connection telematics system to streamline the repair process for fleets. Kozek said he expects to see these efforts translate into increased truck sales in 2015 with Navistar increasing its volume in the Class 8 market by 1,000 to 2,000 units this year. The company also expects to grow vocational Class 6 and 7 sales by a similar amount as that segment heats up later in the year, he said. Out with the old, in with the new Navistar remains hampered by a lingering hangover from its EGR emissions strategy, including a hard financial hit by warranty claims and a used truck inventory and trade cycle that Kozek estimated to be about two years away from normalizing. Also, the company’s market share recovery efforts have been slower than predicted. Kozek expects to see “modest” company growth in 2015 as a result. Denny Mooney, Navistar’s vice president of global product development, said the company’s engine philosophy has evolved from its “go it alone” approach of a few years ago to fostering relationships around the globe, with an eye toward delivering leading technology and products regardless of where it originates. “Our competitors are talking about ‘vertical integration’ that leaves fleets fewer choices in technology and components,” Mooney said. “Our approach is different. We will offer leading technology and components from global suppliers and get to market quickly and allow our customers to compete with the products that work best for their application.” – Jack Roberts Navistar said its aggressive savings program and sales uptick will allow it to hit its target financial numbers by yearend and solidify a position as a market leader by 2017.

WE’RE THERE FOR YOU... ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. Yokohama is the SmartSolution for less downtime because we have one of the most extensive service networks in the country. Our service providers are selected and certified to ensure they provide efficient solutions to get your fleet back on the road fast—24/7/365. So no matter where you haul, we’ve got you covered.

Service Available Nationwide

test drive: 2015 Freightliner sd

Texas TWo-sTep Freightliner leaned hard on its highway tractors to develop the SD vocational line. That’s a good thing. By Jack RoBeRts

hat do you do if you’re a truck maker and your over-the-road market share numbers are in the stratosphere? If you’re Freightliner, you turn your attention to the vocational truck market. About four years ago, the company decided to update its work truck lineup to take advantage of powertrain and ergonomic upgrades found on the Cascadia. Many of these upgrades are in keeping with Freightliner’s “Real Cost of Ownership” concept to make certain that every component contributes to the customer’s bottom line. The result was the SD series that comprises three models: a 108-inch BBC, a 114-inch BBC and a 122-inch BBC. All accept a bewildering array of bodies and allow for easy spec’ing of compressed and liquefied natural gas systems. Freightliner’s new vocational product manager, Mark Howerton, offered me the chance to compare the 108 BBC and 114 BBC models on drives through the Texas hill country, based out of Freightliner of Austin. The 114 BBC truck was outfitted with a roll-off body and a 475-horsepower DD13 mated to the Allison 4000 RDS automatic transmission. In contrast, the 108-BBC dump truck featured a 9-liter Cummins ISL diesel with an Eaton-Fuller 10-speed manual gearbox. Both trucks feature the SD’s bold new styling, a departure from the highly refined aerodynamic lines of Freightliner’s long-haul tractors. Howerton told me that good fuel economy remains a priority on the vocational line. But given the decidedly unaerodynamic bodies featured on these trucks, and in some cases the cargo they haul, the fuel economy emphasis targets the powertrain. Some vocational drivers spend as many hours in the cab as long-haul drivers do, so Freightliner engineers paid particular attention to cab ergonomics as well as driver comfort and productivity. The SD cab is wide, and air-ride seats are standard. Instrument and control layout borrows heavily from the Cascadia. As a result, sight lines to all instrument clusters are excellent. The steering wheel design allows a driver to check primary gauges at a glance without ducking his head to see around the steering wheel spokes. Similarly, all switches on the center panel are within easy reach.

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

The SD’s hood pivots forward easily, with all inspection points on the Cummins and Detroit engines accessible from ground level.

Visibility is particularly critical for drivers of vocational trucks, who routinely deal with ever-shifting landscapes of obstacles, people and equipment. Freightliner engineers responded with excellent sightlines – particularly over the sloped nose – and views to the rear also are outstanding. The rearview mirror design is tough enough to take a whack from a passing wheel loader and still remain remarkably vibration-free at highway speeds. In the rolling Texas hills, both trucks proved to be highly nimble in tight construction zones. I find Freightliner trucks to have the most automobile-like feel on the highway due to handling, visibility and sound levels. In many respects, a driver may imagine he’s behind the wheel of a Class 5 pickup. Both powertrains performed exceedingly well on the road. The 114SD was not hauling a container, so the DD13 seemed particularly aggressive when starting from a dead stop and also when a burst of throttle was required at highway speeds. A fair amount of credit goes to the Allison 4000 RDS, a vocationally optimized automatic transmission. Working in tandem with the Detroit 13-liter engine, it provides hefty lowend torque to get heavy loads moving in rough terrain. I found the unloaded ride to be much smoother than anticipated due to Freightliner’s proprietary TuffTrac rear suspension, which was designed to ensure a smooth ride whether the truck is loaded or not. The 108 BBC dump was loaded fully with gravel. I wondered if the 9-liter Cummins ISL would strain under that load, but there was no need to worry; it performed seamlessly and delivered plenty of power regardless of terrain or traffic. While the preponderance of AMTs in my test drives means I’ve gotten rusty on manual shifting, the Eaton-Fuller transmission proved to be as dependable and effortless to shift as always. Freightliner has blended serious vocational power with handling and finesse that would be right at home on a smaller vehicle. It’s a credit to the attention to detail that went into the SD’s design: tough trucks that can take a pounding without beating their drivers half to death. That’s a win-win combination on any jobsite.

Equipment solutions for your fleet

Ways Eaton Fuller Advantage™ Automated Transmissions can help you survive the driver shortage and cut costs By John Baxter

Your fleet struggles with recruiting and retaining drivers while continually needing to cut costs. In order to fill your seats, you need to hire a mixture of experienced gear jammers and those who are just learning the ropes. How can you adapt equipment to attract all levels of drivers and not compromise safety or fuel efficiency, while also easing maintenance requirements? Here are five ways Eaton Fuller Automated Advantage Transmissions can help.

1 Broaden your hiring flexibility A shortage of qualified truck drivers is a constant in this industry. One solution fleets have to keep the wheels turning is to lower the bar when it comes to entry-level driver skill. The most experienced drivers can double clutch and float-shift with the best, and they can choose shift points effectively to save fuel. But there are lots of drivers out there who have yet to master shifting constant mesh gearboxes, let alone knowing how to choose ideal shift points appropriate for every condition of load and speed. Eaton automated transmissions allow you to hire drivers with less experience while eliminating concerns about their performance as it relates to fuel economy.

2 Retain experienced drivers Any plan to accommodate drivers with less sophisticated skills must also account for retaining experienced drivers. Fleets need to ask if their very best “gear jammers” will accept automated transmissions. Most, once they adjust, actually like them better. Intelligent electronics shift at points typically chosen by the most skillful drivers, smoothing the transition to an automated drivetrain despite years of manual transmission use.

3 Reduce fuel consumption The Fuller Advantage series has features that improve fuel economy, and the transmissions save on weight, which, in and of itself, reduces fuel consumption. The big news in the Fuller Advantage series of transmissions is Precision Lubrication, which uses a pump and gallery system that directs precise volumes of needed lube to every critical part rather than splashing lubrication all over. This eliminates churning by moving the fluid level down below the gears, and reduced churning reduces parasitic fuel losses in the transmission. Relationships forged with Cummins, PACCAR and International have produced ideal, integrated drivetrains that can improve fuel economy even further, while offering performance in a drivetrain that feels familiar on the road to veteran drivers. These integrated offerings utilize a 10-speed Fuller Advantage transmission with a short, 26 percent step between 9th and 10th gears that keeps the engine in the “sweet spot.” The integrated electronics provide variable torque levels, ideal shift points and appropriate skip shifting, depending upon conditions of load, grade and speed. Such judicious use of engine revs and power can save 2-6 percent of your fuel bill, depending on the exact powertrain combination.

4 Reduce maintenance costs Fuller Advantage automated versions hold 12 pints less fluid than UltraShift PLUS models. Churning is reduced in the Precision Lubrication process, meaning better fuel efficiency and, when combined with use of aluminum in select components, better thermal efficiency for cooling purposes. This allows the transmission to run without a cooler and its potentially problematic lines and fittings. These changes add up to a weight reduction of as much as 82 pounds. A sight glass saves technicians time when checking the fluid level, too.

5 Improve safety A driver freed from the task of shifting has more time to keep his eyes on the road and remain alert for possible hazards. In addition, Eaton’s Fuller Advantage series and UltraShift PLUS models have additional safety features such as Auto Neutral, Hill Start Aid and Creep Mode. These days, as companies deal with more than 97 percent driver turnover rates, the Eaton Fuller Advantage series of transmissions is a fuel-efficient, safety-conscious choice that will attract new drivers, retain the experienced ones and ease maintenance costs.

Sponsored Information

in focus: seats

Getting scientific Today’s seats bring the comforts of home to the cab By Jack RoBeRTs

ruck drivers can spend up to 10 hours a day sitting behind the wheel. While office workers also spend hours sitting down, they can get up, stretch and walk around. Those are not options for truck drivers. Add to that the fact their seats are bolted to the floor of a highly dynamic environment with the need to stay awake, alert and productive – all while dealing with vibration and road shocks – and it’s easy to see why seat technology is a massive safety factor and key for fleets looking to attract and retain drivers. “We routinely see drivers with shoulder blade pain and serious blood flow issues in their legs,” says Wayne Finchum, vice president of maintenance for Titan Transfer, a Nashville, Tenn.-based long-haul fleet. “Truck drivers miss twice as many days of work due to back problems than any other occupation.” Spring-loaded and air-ride seat technology first appeared about 30 years ago and was a huge advance over older unsprung seats. Today, newer approaches to seating are helping drivers stay more alert and productive. Just as important are the health aspects of new seat designs that help drivers feel better both when their shift ends and over longer periods of time. “Truck drivers experience lower back problems at a much higher level than almost any other occupation you can name,” says Jim Parison, chief design engineer for Bose Ride. “The way a human sits unfortunately allows shock and vibration

to hit the lower back area particularly hard. We’ve talked to drivers who routinely spend their days off in bed trying to recover from back pain.” Driver retention is important to Titan, Finchum says. “We will work with drivers to try out other seats and find one that works when we have a driver come to us with back problems,” he says. “Everyone is different and has different body types. So finding the right seat is critical because we know that good posture behind the wheel means everything to having a healthy back.” The truck seat is where safety and comfort intersect, says Anthony Gansle, on-highway marketing manager for Peterbilt. “We feel the best way to keep drivers safe is to provide them with a stable cab and seat environment,” Gansle says. “The overall goal of any seat design is to maintain vehicle control combined with a healthy driving environment.” Gordon Cooley, design engineer for the Commercial Vehicle Group, the parent company of Bostrom and National Seating, says that while seating is important to everyone, drivers, fleets and OEMs all have different priorities when it comes to spec’ing seats. “Drivers, of course, want the most deluxe seat on the market,” Cooley says. “Fleets, on the other hand, want to control equipment costs. And OEMs feel the need to offer a wide range of options but still keep acquisition costs in check.” Peterbilt decided to design a new seat

Good posture behind the wheel means everything to having a healthy back. – Wayne Finchum, vice president of maintenance, Titan Transfer 30

commercial carrier journal

| march 2015

National Seating’s Commodore seat features a 23-inch-wide cushion and is designed to conform to the driver with three zones of air adjustment.

for its Model 579 tractor. Gansle says the truck maker worked with drivers across the country to design a highly flexible seat with several cutting-edge features. An entry/egress memory feature allows a driver to drop the seat to a lower level when they exit the cab; the push of a button automatically returns the seat to the preferred height once the driver climbs back behind the wheel. Gansle says a great deal of time also was spent making sure the seat offered the right range of motion, travel, back tilt and lumbar support. “We also wanted to make

Bostrom Seating’s T-Series Seat has a standard cushion extension designed to offer adjustments independent from the seattilt adjustment.

sure they can operate the seat while driving safely,” he says. “We designed the seat controls with distinctive different shapes and grouped them logically according to functions. We wanted to be sure they could make seat setting changes easily without taking their eyes off the road.” Cooley says that as awareness of health issues related to poor seating posture have come into the mainstream, they have been reflected in the most popular new options for seats today. One is a “backcycler,” a continuous rolling massage designed to relieve pressure and tension in the lumbar area and prevent muscle stiffness. Adjustable seat shock absorbers allow drivers to adjust seat dampening for extra cushioning on rough roads, while adjustable lumbar support also helps relieve back tension and pain. And while heated seats have been popular for some time, demand for ventilated and cooled seats also has picked up. “Although the stereotypical trucker is a big man, in reality we’re seeing a wide range of body types in trucking today,” Cooley says. “We’re seeing more women and smaller-framed men, so more flexibility is required in our designs.” Parison says Bose Ride has adopted a unique approach to driver comfort, essentially by adopting the same principles that work in the company’s noise-canceling headphones. “We’re using electromagnetic controls and sensors that react thousands of times per second to detect shock and vibration coming up through the floor of the truck,” he says. When the system detects a

shock wave coming to the seat, it instantly reacts by applying an equal countershock aimed precisely at the incoming energy; this force neutralizes the incoming shocks and produces a smoother ride. “The best part about the Bose Ride system is that it most benefits the lower back area on a driver,” Parison says.

Finchum says driving a truck is one of the hardest and most stressful jobs in the country today. “We need to do everything we can to keep our drivers comfortable, alert and healthy,” he says. “We’re learning more and more that good seating options are an effective way to do that.”

MAINTAIN COMFORT, RETAIN DRIVERS

The Bose Ride System driver’s seat is engineered to sense cab vibrations and neutralize them with highspeed adjustments to the seat’s suspension.

1-800-459-7328 www.nationalseating.com

facebook.com/nationalseating

commercial carrier journal

march 2015

AERO HAS FOUND ITS EDGE.

Edges instead of curves. Fuel economy without sacrificing power. Durable and lightweight. Introducing the all-new 5700XE. A perfect fusion of proven Daimler technology and innovation with the legendary durability and performance of Western Star. This is how we do aero. Learn more at allnew5700.com

Western Star - A Daimler Group Brand

EQUIPMENT

T880 named ATD’s Truck of the Year The Kenworth T880 was named the American Truck Dealers’ Commercial Truck of the Year at the ATD Convention and Expo in San Francisco, besting the Peterbilt 567 and the International WorkStar 7600 in this year’s heavy-haul/severe servicefocused competition. The trucks were judged by a panel of commercial transportation journalists – including CCJ’s own Jack Roberts – and YRC driver Greg Nauertz. The T880, which featured the Paccar MX-13 engine, ranked high in exterior design and style, and also received praise for its interior looks. The truck’s handling at high and low speeds also scored high marks.

“The attention to detail that went into the design of this vehicle is impressive,” Roberts said of the T880. “It is a sturdy design. Everything in this cab could practically be used as a grab handle because they understand how tricky a vocational worksite is.”

Kenworth Truck Co., Kenworth.com

As 2014 began, contractors in North Carolina were ramping

Paccar MX-13 engines, providing 1,450 lb.-ft. of torque driven

up commercial and public construction projects. That’s why

through Allison 4500 RDS 6-speed automatic transmissions. The

Charlotte-based dump fleet Blue Max Trucking invested in ad-

remaining four T880s are equipped with 455-hp MX-13 engines

ditional capacity and purchased 42 Kenworth T880s. “We wanted

and 10-speed Eaton UltraShift Plus transmissions.

a truck that offered drivers a comfortable work environment and could lower our fuel bills,” says Denton Williams, president. “We also wanted a truck that would reflect well on our company’s image and would be supported by a network of reliable dealerships.” MHC Kenworth’s Charlotte location invited Williams to a customer event in Phoenix, where he formed his first impressions of the T880, driving on a test track and off-road course. Impressed by the truck’s visibility and handling characteristics, Blue Max spec’d 38 T880s with dump bodies and 380-hp

The WorkStar received good marks for aesthetics and its roomy cab and interior layout. The Peterbilt 567 in the competition featured a natural gas engine and received high marks for safety.

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015

Kenworth Truck Co., Kenworth.com

Tex-Mix in expansion mode around Austin Tex-Mix Concrete got its start in 1996, and during the last two decades, the family-owned and -operated outfit has grown by supplying ready-mix concrete for residential, commercial, industrial and government projects in and around Austin, Texas. “Ready-mix concrete is a very local business,” says Logan Owens, chief executive officer of Tex-Mix. “It’s a perishable product where all of the materials that we use are sourced in very close proximity to the plant.” The company’s 88 mixer trucks are a common sight along I-35 and State Route 130, delivering Texas Department of Transportation- and city-approved mixes for construction projects from seven plants. The company has two new concrete plants under construction to keep up with demand. James LaRue, fleet maintenance manager, says the Freightliner 114SD spec’d with the Detroit DD13 engine results in a durable vocational truck that technicians appreciate for its ease of maintenance, while drivers like its visibility and comfort. The Detroit Virtual Technician onboard diagnostic telematics system helps LaRue stay on top of things.

View a Freightliner-produced video about Tex-Mix’s ready-mix business in the October 2014 edition of the online Severe Duty Report newsletter at FreightlinerTrucks.com. To pull the video up on your mobile device, scan the QR.

In ready-mix, if a truck breaks down and the driver is unable to keep the load active, it will set. When that happens, not only is the cost of the concrete lost, but also another $3,500 or more to have the drum chipped out and three to seven days of downtime. “If it’s a minor issue, the driver can keep running,” LaRue says. “I don’t have to take the truck out of service. If it’s a major issue like when we had a coolant hose failure, I get the e-mail right away.” Freightliner Trucks, FreightlinerTrucks.com

Uptime: Mack TerraPro, Granite pumpers get GuardDog support option To simplify service needs for concrete pumper customers, Mack Trucks now offers specialized support. The company’s GuardDog Connect integrated telematics solution will be standard on Mack TerraPro concrete pumper models ordered as of April. Also included is specialized body builder support, the company says. Designed to maximize uptime by streamlining service needs, the support program combines Mack OneCall – Mack’s 24/7 customer support service agents – and technical and dealership experts with specialized body builder knowledge. The result: a simplified network of

focused customer support to help minimize downtime. “As soon as a critical fault code is detected, the body builder support

team is on the case, making the communication proactive, seamless and comprehensive,” says Stephen Roy, president of Mack North American sales and marketing. The program has been standard on Pinnacle, Granite and Titan models since 2013. Mack Trucks, MackTrucks.com

commercial commercial carrier carrier journal journal | march | april 2015 2012

EQUIPMENT

ATK tests C500s in oilfields

The Kenworth C500’s straight frame rail runs “to the very front of the truck,” says ATK’s Les Ovelson. “When we get stuck in the mud with 230,000 pounds of gross weight, we’re able to tie a couple of trucks together to pull.”

With a fleet of 65 Kenworth C500s, ATK Oilfield Transportation provides oil rig moving services throughout Western Canada and Texas. ATK was launched in 2010 with then-new C500s that remain “most critical to our business,” says Les Ovelson, ATK chief operating officer. The trucks have 430-inch wheelbases and are outfitted with a large long bed used to dismantle drilling rigs. ATK specs its largest-bed C500s with tandem-steer and -drive axles, Cummins ISX15 600-hp engines, Allison automatic transmissions and four-speed auxiliaries. Steer axles are Dana’s 22,000-pound-capacity axles, while 90,000-pound Kessler axles support the rear. The company uses winch tractors to pick up heavy loads and “travel up and down the highway taking rigs from point A to point B,” Ovelson says. “We’ll keep those trucks maybe five years before we trade them.” Kenworth Truck Co., Kenworth.com

Peterbilt 567 gets new axle configuration Peterbilt launched a new configuration for its vocational Model 567: a set-forward front axle version suited for mixer and other weight-conscious applications. “The Model 567 SFFA lets customers maximize payloads while helping meet state and federal bridge law requirements,” says Robert Woodall, Peterbilt assistant general manager of sales and marketing. “The Model 567 is a low-weight leader, and this new configuration will let customers take full advantage of that through optimized weight distribution.” Like the set-back axle version, the Model 567 SFFA is available in both 115- and 121-inch bumper-to-back-of-cab lengths. The 115-inch Peterbilt also announced that its low-cab-forward BBC has a bumper-to-front-axle distance of 29 Model 320 reached record production in 2014 with inches, and the 121-inch BBC has a bumper-tomore than 1,600 trucks built, a 12 percent year-overfront-axle distance of 31 inches. The company says year increase. The specialty vehicle – used primarily in refuse operations and concrete pumper applications these dimensions were engineered to maximize – recently received an entirely new interior and a maneuverability while providing the ideal wheelright-hand stand-up cab configuration. The Denton, base to comply with bridge law requirements. Texas-based company says it will introduce a dualPeterbilt Truck Co., Peterbilt.com

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015

steer configuration later this year.

EQUIPMENT NEWS | INBRIEF

• International Truck’s WorkStar vocational model now is available with the Cummins ISB6.7 engine, following availability of the engine in the DuraStar since late 2013. The WorkStar features multiple frame rail options and a double-sided galvanized steel cab protected by a five-step corrosion protection process, and comes standard with the Diamond Logic electrical system. Other powertrain options include Navistar’s proprietary 9.3- and 13-liter offerings, with manual and automated manual transmission options from Eaton and fully automatic options from Allison. The ISB is rated up to 325 hp and 750 lb.-ft. of torque. InternationalTrucks.com. • Eaton expanded the company’s lineup of UltraShift Plus automated transmissions for vocational applications through enhanced split-shaft power take-off capabilities designed to allow for transmission gear selection and clutch control outside of a vehicle’s cab. Based on vehicle application and body builder design, the transmission also allows for the use of all gear ratios for PTO minimum and maximum drive gears, the company says. Eaton.com. • Mack Trucks introduced a heavyduty version of its mDrive automated manual transmission. The mDrive HD is suited for construction applications and is designed to work with Mack MP7 and MP8 engines. The 12-speed AMT will be available as standard equipment on the Mack Granite model, facilitating improved performance in demanding on- and off-road applications. MackTrucks.com.

technology

technology Making the latest technology developMents work for your fleet by AAron Huff

Ship steady, rudder set Omnitracs preps for what lies ahead

ohn Graham likes to think in nautical terms. This much was apparent during his opening remarks at the Omnitracs Outlook user conference last month in Dallas. Graham, a former Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy, took the helm of Omnitracs in November 2013 after Vista Equity Partners purchased the company from its founder, Qualcomm, for $800 million in cash. Besides getting a mobile fleet management platform, Vista took command of the predictive models of FleetRisk Advisors and the cloud-based transportation management software and load board from Sylectus. As the new chief executive officer for Omnitracs, Graham said his first task was to “steady the ship” by communicating the company’s goals with employees. He and the new management team also immediately got to work moving the data center and corporate headquarters from San Diego to Dallas to put the company in closer proximity to its customers. Changing world: omnitracs The next step was wants to transform transportation to “set the rudder” with technology insights. by expanding the EntirE lifECyClE: the company’s company’s profitabiltechnology covers all types of transity to increase staff portation operations. and obtain funding fivE thEmEs: omnitracs is focused needed to grow by on productivity, safety, security, comway of acquisitions. pliance and analytics. In December 2013, Omnitracs purchased Roadnet Technologies, a provider of fleet management software solutions for private fleets. Less than a year later, it purchased XRS Corp., a publicly traded entity, for $178 million to deepen its reach into fleets seeking smart device-based applications in and out of the cab. Omnitracs has assembled technology that covers the entire lifecycle of transportation for all types of operations. Graham said that going forward, the growing company is focused on developing applications that fit into five themes: productivity, safety, security, compliance and analytics. Productivity: Omnitracs has productivity applications that include workflow, in-cab scanning and routing. Future developments will focus on extending productivity outside the cab. The company also will add more predictive models through Omnitracs Analytics

John Graham, CEO of Omnitracs, addresses attendees of the company’s Outlook user conference last month in Dallas.

(formerly FleetRisk Advisors), said David Post, chief operating officer. Safety: Omnitracs is planning video for its Critical Event Recorder application and is testing an application that can send an alert or interfere with drivers’ personal cell phone use while a vehicle is in motion. It also is considering building a “critical event hot spot” database to provide fleets and drivers with alerts of dangerous sections of a road, such as a sharp turn, where critical events take place, said Dan Speicher, chief technology officer. Security: Omnitracs has developed a lot of security applications for its customers in South America to prevent cargo and fuel theft. The company can shut down and lock a truck remotely in the event it is under attack, said David Vice, chief sales officer. Compliance: Omnitracs always has been able to respond quickly to changes in hours-of-service regulations and has been an active participant in defining the technical specifications for the current rule on electronic logging devices, said Jordan Copland, chief financial officer. Analytics: Companies are seeing their data grow by 40 to 60 percent a year. Without having business intelligence and analytics to process that data, companies are leaving performance on the table, said Kevin Haugh, vice president and general manager of Roadnet Technologies. Successful companies are using real-time predictive analytics to deliver relevant, timely and actionable information and create a competitive advantage. aaron huff is senior editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. e-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call 385-225-9472. commercial carrier journal | march 2015

technology

InBrief •

•

The program is a component of Omnitracs Analytics’ Driver Fatigue Model.

to registered VDO RoadLog owners.

KeepTruckin added a GPS tracking feature to its electronic logbook application that runs on the Android and Apple platforms. The app, a free download for drivers on their personal devices, now collects their GPS locations at regular intervals when they set their duty status to driving or on duty. Fleet managers can view drivers’ current locations and breadcrumb history. ALK added a Weather Alerts module to its ALK Maps and PC Miler Web Services platforms, allowing fleet managers to view weather alert information from the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration overlaid on the existing route visualization platform to help assess the impact on route planning. Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket, a supplier of electronic logging device technology and other systems and components to automobile and truck manufacturers, released a free VDO RoadLog ELD software update to address Congress’ move to temporarily suspend the 34-hour restart provision instituted in July 2013 as part of the revised hours-ofservice rule. The update is available online

•

iGlobal, a provider of fleet management and in-cab scanning systems, updated its ELOG application in response to the suspension of the 34-hour restart provision.

•

Vnomics Corp. updated the electronic Hours of Service application for its onboard fleet management platform to reflect the suspension of the 34-hour restart provision.

•

Aljex Software, a provider of hosted operations software for freight brokers, third-party logistics providers and carriers, and Logistical Labs, a cloud-based supply chain software provider, formed a partnership to integrate Aljex’s Software-as-aService system with Logistical Labs’ pricing platform, LoadDex.

•

Werner Enterprises (CCJ Top 250, No. 10) is deploying Spireon’s FleetLocate Asset & Trailer Intelligence solution on new dry van trailers and retrofitting its existing trailers.

•

Dayton Freight Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 75), a Dayton, Ohio-based less-thantruckload carrier, implemented Omnitracs Analytics’ sleep management program to improve the safety and health of its drivers.

•

Langer Transport is adopting Omnitracs’ Mobile Computing Platform 50 and key applications. The Jersey City, N.J.-based tank truck company serves customers in the chemical, oil, food grade, consumer care and pharmaceutical industries.

•

Waxie Sanitary Supply, a distributor of sanitary maintenance supplies, is transitioning to SmartDrive Systems’ configurable video-based safety program, SmartDrive Assurance, designed to allow users to focus on top-priority collision risks.

•

Interide Transport, a Salt Lake City-based refrigerated carrier, is outfitting its entire fleet with EpicVue’s in-cab satellite TV package as a recruiting tool.

Interested In truckIng technology? Scan the barcode or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK to subscribe to the CCJ Technology Weekly e-mail newsletter.

20 TONS OF STEEL, HORSEPOWER AND HEAVY-DUTY MUSCLE AT THE MERCY OF A ONE-POUND FILTER. WE GOT THIS. You’ve got a lot riding on your filters. With high performance and innovation, Luber-finer has been the trusted heavy duty choice since 1936. © 2015 Luber-finer. An ISO14001 and ISO/TS16949 registered company. 200 S. 4th Street, Albion, IL 62806-1313.

BUILT TO DO MORE

luber-finer.com

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

Untitled-5 1

2/9/15 1:30 PM

YOUR VALVE S , PISTONS AND COMPANY ALL RUNNING MORE EFFICIENTLY OR

DOUBLE YOUR MONE Y BACK.

Put CITGO Lubricants to the test and one of three things will happen. You’ll see measurable fuel economy savings. You’ll get up to triple the time between oil changes. Or you’ll double your money. For details on our Guaranteed Efficiency Program, visit CITGOPROVEIT.com. ®

Based on terms and conditions of use. Analysis data for illustrative purposes only. Actual results may vary and are dependent on equipment, maintenance and application.

technology

Drivers favor percentage pay over miles, hours

echnology allows fleets to monitor and measure and nearly every aspect of driver performance. With so much data available on drivers, some fleets have invented new payroll and incentive programs to reward their higher performers. Roehl Transport and Nussbaum Transportation both offer successful pay-for-performance packages. The central cog in these and other high-tech programs is that drivers perceive the measurements to be fair and within their power to control. The mechanics of any driver compensation package, no matter how sophisticated, come together in a single base unit of pay – a rate per mile, a rate per hour or as a percentage split of load revenue. According to research by Stay Metrics, drivers are most satisfied with percentage-based compensation. Drivers paid on a percentage are 31 percent more satisfied with their pay than drivers paid hourly and 29 percent more satisfied than drivers paid by the mile, the study found. Stay Metrics compiled survey data from more than 4,000 drivers at 31 different carriers. Of the drivers surveyed, 360 were paid hourly, 1,795 per mile and 2,364 by percentage split. Also, 22 of the 31 carriers pay their drivers in two or more ways. The findings also indicate that drivers paid on a percentage split seem more satisfied with their dispatchers.

“In its entirety, this study reveals drivers paid a fixed percent of the invoice charged to the customer feel a sense of fairness,” said Tim Hindes, president and chief executive of Stay Metrics. “This data is important as carriers look to identify pay packages that will increase satisfaction.” Tim Judge, director of research at Stay Metrics and a professor of management at Notre Dame, noted a high correlation between the perceived input into one’s pay and pay satisfaction. “I think paying based on customer charge leads drivers to believe that their pay is fair because it shows an alignment between what the carrier gets and what they get,” Judge said. The study was the first of two parts looking at pay types and driver satisfaction. Part two will address whether higher pay leads to better retention and if other factors are involved. – Aaron Huff This chart shows that drivers paid hourly and per mile generally believe they are underpaid compared to drivers paid by a percentage split.

A brand you know and trust The TND™ 760 was born out of Rand McNally’s 75+ years in the Commercial Transportation industry – pairing the company’s award-winning truck navigation with leading-edge fleet management. With its low-cost, high-value proposition the TND™ 760 is designed to help fleet managers and owners get a quicker return on their

Mobile Communication | Electronic Logs | Navigation The Single-Box Fleet Management Solution

randmcnally.com/tnd760 or call 1-800-789-6277

investments. And, of course, it’s backed by a brand that’s been known and trusted for nearly 160 years.

Better Mobile Fleet Management. 42

©2015 Rand McNally. ©2015 HERE. All rights reserved. Rand McNally, IntelliRoute, the Rand McNally logo, the globe design mark, and the arrow design mark are registered trademarks and TND is a trademark of RM Acquisition, LLC, d/b/a Rand McNally. U.S. Patent Nos 7,580,791 and 8,214,141.

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

TRUCK DATA

Allison’s TC10 Delivers Up To 5% ®

Better Fuel Economy Automatically

Real-World Testing Confirms Real-World Savings. Now you can have the reliable, driver-friendly operation of an Allison fully automatic and improve your Class 8 tractor fuel economy. In over the road tests, the Allison TC10® automatic transmission improved fleet user fuel economy by an average of 5% when compared to trucks equipped with their current manual or automated manual transmissions (AMTs)…regardless of driver experience or expertise. Equipped with FuelSense®, a unique package of software and electronic controls that maximizes operational efficiency, the TC10 quickly finds the right gear with virtually no loss of acceleration. To learn more, contact your truck dealer or visit allisontransmission.com/tc10.

technology

Lytx’s banner year: 57,000 new DriveCam subscriptions

ytx announced record growth in 2014 with 57,000 new subscriptions-in-service to its DriveCam video-based driver safety program. More than 200,000 vehicles worldwide now are subscribed to DriveCam, Lytx said, with the new subscriptions coming from adding 200 new clients and from 450 of its 1,300 previous clients expanding their fleet deployment of the program in 2014. “This year was another exceptional one for Lytx,” said Brandon Nixon, chief executive officer. “We are grateful to our clients for continuing to choose us. The momentum toward video-based safety and compliance solutions is accelerating across most transportation segments, as evidenced by our continued trend of doubling subscriptions every two years.” Annual orders exceeded $100 million for the third consecutive year. Lytx said that its DriveCam program and Rair Compliance Services enable fleets to reduce collision, fuel and maintenance costs and improve all seven BASICs of their Compliance Safety

Accountability score by effectively changing driving and compliance behavior. The combined program has an average six-month payback, according to the company. Lytx said more than 200,000 “This past year is just the vehicles worldwide now are beginning of our journey,” subscribed to its DriveCam Nixon said. “Transportation is video-based driver safety evolving quickly with innovaprogram. tions that are making it safer than ever before to be on the road. We expect to continue on our growth trajectory in 2015, scaling up functions and adding system features to ensure we are constantly elevating the value we offer our clients and ultimately making our roads safer.” Lytx said it analyzes tens of billions of miles annually for its clients and provides them with information to quickly pinpoint and correct driving behaviors that most likely will lead to collisions. – Aaron Huff

Rand McNally launches TND Tablet

and McNally’s new TND Tablet for professional drivers marries its TND truck GPS device with an Android tablet preloaded with trucking applications and access to the Android marketplace. The in-cab device has an 8-inch screen and is designed to serve drivers on the road, in their mobile offices and with their lives in general. The TND Tablet brings together solutions drivers need while operating their vehicles – such as truck-specific routing, mileage tracking and an onboard dash cam – plus preloaded applications to help manage the business of driving, such as document scanning, load matching and bookkeeping assistance. The Android platform also enables drivers to check email, keep up with social media and download entertainment. The rugged TND Tablet provides all the features and functionality of the company’s IntelliRoute TND GPS truck-specific navigation software; Rand McNally’s TripMaker planning tool that allows drivers to create a trip on the tablet and push the route to the TND on the tablet for routing; an eBook edition of Rand McNally’s Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas; and an option to use the tablet for electronic logging when paired with Rand McNally’s HD 100. Also available is Let’s Truck’s Fuel Manager for fuel cost tracking and Profit Gauges bookkeeping system, as well as Truck It Smart’s load board and Transflo Mobile’s document scanning and transmission. The device itself has an additional GPS antenna, a magnetic commercial-grade powered mount and compatibility with rear or side-view cameras. – Aaron Huff 44

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

SkyBitz creates new visual dashboard for tracking assets

kyBitz, a provider of remote asset tracking and information management systems, now offers its InSight Now visual dashboard feature as part of its SkyBitz InSight online application. The dashboard is designed to provide an easier way for customers to monitor their fleet, helping them to make dynamic operational decisions that can improve efficiency. InSight Now presents real-time and summarized views of information based on roles relevant to each customer’s business operations. The reports are more visual and provide easy-to-understand information for day-to-day operations and analysis and to help plan for and respond quickly to changing conditions. The three main dashboard views are Account, Operations and Device Administration. SkyBitz said specific features of InSight Now allow users to: • Analyze idle assets and drill down by landmark; • Check on cargo load status at landmarks; • Review the number of assets moving empty for optimization opportunities; • Manage trailer pool minimums and maximums; • Monitor the installation and status of devices across the fleet; • Review and manage user account access; and • Survey device life and status for improved maintenance. – Aaron Huff

the 2016 vnl series :

All roads lead to fuel efficiency. When faced with a choice between power and fuel efficiencyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;choose both. The 2016 VNL series is designed with refined aerodynamics and the latest in our award-winning XE packages, so your fleet can save money at every turn. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovation with purpose. Come see us at MATS Booth 32125 volvotrucks.us.com/VNL2016

technology

in focus: Business intelligence

Speaking the same language Fleets using BI to create, sustain momentum

by aaron huff

erhaps one lesson to be gleaned from the biblical story of the Tower of Babel is that organizations thrive when everyone speaks the same language: “… and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” (Gen. 11:6) The citizens of Babel fell short of reaching their ambitious goal when the opposite occurred due to divine intervention: “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Gen. 11: 7) In the fast-paced trucking industry, commercial and private fleets use a variety of measures to communicate information and guide their decisions and actions. But the reporting and analysis of these metrics can be time-consuming and the results interpreted in different ways. Business intelligence can help organizations speak a common language. BI describes a set of related technologies – or rather the discipline of using these tools – to capture, integrate, measure and visualize data to help people make optimal real-time decisions. Today, more fleets and technology suppliers are using BI to create a common language to build and sustain momentum. The visual dashboard The dashboard is a common interface for many kinds of software systems. The visual tool shows critical business metrics in a clear and summarized fashion, and alerts and drill-down tools can show users transaction-level details to explain the results. Many dashboards also have easy-to-use tools for creating custom reports by selecting dates and applying filters. With the right technology and data presentation, fleet managers and executives can grasp complex information more quickly. It helps that the human brain can process visuals 60,000 times

Bendix’s SafetyDirect Web portal unites data from several systems to highlight safety risks.

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

TMW Systems has a line of ready-made BI products. This sample dashboard unites operational and financial data to provide a clearer order-to-cash perspective.

faster than text, says James Langley, vice president of Visual Analytics for TMW Systems, a developer of enterprise software for transportation companies. “That’s the way we are wired,” Langley says. While a dashboard is the finished product of a BI solution, the hard work beforehand is collecting data and getting users to decide exactly what they want to measure over what timeframe. For Southeastern Freight Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 29), the main benefit of using BI to standardize its data is having metrics that everyone at the less-than-truckload fleet has to follow. “There are no optional adjustments to make the numbers look better,” says Braxton Vick, senior vice president of corporate planning. “Dock production” is a metric that could be made to look better, Vick says; without SEFL’s BI system, data could be included in a report that should have been ignored. “Utilizing a standard system to gather and display these metrics prevents any interpretation problems,” he says. Vick says more dashboards will be deployed as Southeastern purchases packages or develops new systems. The Lexington, S.C.based company now is replacing its maintenance software with a new package capable of providing robust dashboards. Intelligent workflow In addition to using BI to standardize reporting and visualize information, some fleets use it to create optimal business processes and workflows. Tradewinds, a 115-truck carrier based in Hoosier, Ind., has started a BI project to optimize the flow of information and tasks related to its driver hiring and orientation process. “There are a lot of moving parts, and orchestrating it all efficiently via mass emails can be overwhelming and error-prone,” says Ben Ramsay, vice president of technology. The company is developing a status board to track the process for each new hire.

technology “We hope to cut our average onboarding time down by a full day,” Ramsay says. “Having an efficient way to manage the orientation process will also allow us to bring in and prepare more drivers per week. We also expect to see a retention advantage.” Plug and play Today, more technology suppliers offer BI as a plug-and-play system, allowing fleets to purchase a package that includes all of the internal plumbing – including integration and data modeling – allowing visual presentation to be available immediately. TMW Systems’ line of BI products includes TMW Data Warehouse, TMW Data Warehouse Explorer and Visual Analytics. The company already has integrated its own software systems with those of its vendor partners; end users only have to choose the content they want to include in the BI platform, such as operational, financial and maintenance data. Bendix’s SafetyDirect Web portal provides fleet operators with videos of severe events, along with feedback on fleet and driver performance. The system wirelessly transmits real-time video data and event-based information for analysis by fleet safety personnel. Bendix has integrated SafetyDirect with data from its driver and vehicle safety systems, which include Bendix Wingman Advanced for collision mitigation, Bendix ESP for roll stability, AutoVue for lane departure warning and SmarTire for tire pressure monitoring.

Fleets can use the SafetyDirect Web portal to create driver scorecards and management dashboards based on 12 different categories of data that the system captures. Decisiv’s cloud-based platform comes with real-time dashboards and historical trend analysis tools for fleets to manage maintenance service events. Decisiv integrates with maintenance software systems used by fleets, dealers and independent repair shops to track service event information. As part of Decisiv’s setup process, fleets can create clear definitions for how they want to measure certain metrics, such as “days out of service” for equipment downtime, says Michael Riemer, vice president of product and channel marketing. The possibilities for BI appear endless. When everyone speaks the same language, big things are bound to happen.

Decisiv’s real-time Vision dashboard tracks the status of maintenance service events.

North America’s best fleets & drivers trust PrePass.

See us at MATS Booth #13048

PrePass keeps nearly half a million qualified trucks on the move through safety pre-screening and bypass authorization at hundreds of weigh stations across the nation. For over 20 years, North America’s best fleets have trusted the solutions provided by PrePass. Do you want to save time, fuel and money? Contact us to see if you qualify.

www.PrePassNow.com | 888.361.PASS

WE SUPPORT:

PREPASS IS PROVIDED BY HELP INC ., THE ONLY NON - PROFIT PRE-SCREENING AND BYPASS SERVICE IN NORTH AMERIC A .

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015

Ready. Set. Learn. CCJ and its CCJ Innovators partners are proud to highlight the achievements of the industry’s most innovative fleets. The CCJ Innovators program profiles fleets that have shown initiative in addressing critical areas in their businesses’: • • • • • •

Operational efficiency Use of information technology Customer relations Maintenance practices Employee recruiting and retention Safety Scan the QR code to directly link to the CCJ Innovators website for the complete rules and criteria along with the nomination form as well as browse archives of past Innovator articles, webinars and podcasts.

Sponsored by:

NOMINATE YOUR FLEET as a CCJ Innovator at ccjinnovators.com

INNOVATORS

A&R LOGISTICS Louisville, Ky.

A&R Logistics reinvents itself for safety, growth

Right” safety steamroller picked up the pace. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on favorable trends in the chemical and plastics industries, private equity firm Mason Wells and industry veterans and investors Holden and Rich Mitchell – now A&R president – acquired the company, along with members of A&R’s management team and other investors, from private investment firm FdG Associates. “We were excited about partnering with the A&R team,” Holden says. “We viewed the investment in A&R as the first step in our long-term goal of building a diversified global transportation and logistics company focused on bulk materials.” Holden says that since the acquisition, the company has spent $24.4 million to repair, fix and upgrade its fleet and has made safety its top priority. “The first two years were a lot of turnaround work,” he says. For proof of the company’s safety commitment, one need look no further than its latest Compliance Safety Accountability results, which were its best since the program’s inception in 2010. Its point values in the Unsafe Driving (18 percent) and Hours of Service (25 percent) BASICs were its lowest since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rolled out CSA. “Our safety culture starts at the top,” Holden says. “This latest accomplishment reflects that our focus is delivering the results that we demand and our customers expect.” The strategies behind A&R’s safety

BY DEAN SMALLWOOD

f you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. For A&R Logistics, “Doing It Right” is its corporate mantra and its pledge to its customers to maintain the highest standards for safety, compliance and service. The Louisville, Ky.-based company has made significant investments in assets, technology and operations while continuing to grow to accommodate today’s U.S. manufacturing expansion. “We’re walking the walk, making strategic investments in equipment, training and facilities,” says Mark Holden, chief executive officer. “Not just because we’re forced to, but because it’s the right thing to do.” A&R provides dry bulk delivery solutions to numerous multinational companies in the chemical and plastics industries. The company’s suite of supply-chain services includes over-the-road transportation, transloading, packaging, distribution and logistics solutions, warehousing and end-to-end outsourced transportation management through a nationwide network of 25 facilities, a combination of company-owned equipment and owner-operators and a nonasset-based transportation management division. A&R’s commercial headquarters are in Houston, and its customer service headquarters are in Morris, Ill. The company has a fleet of more than 800 trucks and 1,200 trailers, and in addition to its substantial infrastructure, it is backed by $1 billion in private equity.

Safety first A&R had been a dry bulk transportation staple since its beginnings in 1969, and when new ownership took the reins in December 2012, that’s when the company’s “Doing It

The bulk-haul transportation provider’s safety initiatives allow it to post its best CSA scores. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015

achievement were and remain Continued growth varied. In the first month after If A&R has proven anything acquiring the company, its since its acquisition three years new owners lowered all tractor ago, it’s that it’s never satisspeeds from 75 to 65 mph and fied with its past and current mandated electronic logs for accomplishments. With its all company-owned tractors safety initiatives entrenched and owner-operators. and goals continuing to be “While many bulk carriers established and achieved, the claim that e-logs are unnecescompany posted record revA&R Logistics has training silos to provide hands-on training sary, we simply believe that it’s enues of about $220 million in for new employees and keep veterans posted on the latest technologies and techniques. a better way of doing busi2014, Holden says, and it now ness, particularly in an age is setting its sights on future dry bulk product producers to educate when customers can be held financially growth, both organically and through them on the difference between paper liable if their carriers aren’t up to safety acquisitions. logs and electronic logs; hours-of-service standards,” Holden says. “We further “Houston is the largest originatcompliance in general and related vicariing region for bulk liquid chemicals,” enhanced our operational procedures ous liability exposures; and loading and relating to the logging of hours to ensure he says. “Houston is the chemical we can better document full compliance.” unloading processes for product such as capital of the world, and that’s where plastic resin, which results in two hours of the majority of our customers are A&R also has developed an extensive driver training and onboarding program, driver time on each end. headquartered. These customers are The company logs its actual loading and it’s not only driving where the comencouraging us to expand into the and unloading times and not an industry- liquid business.” pany insists on safety. Drivers performheld standard, which Holden says is gening pretrips on their tractor, trailer and To those ends, A&R now is spec’ing erally about 25 minutes to load and the tires also must check their trailer’s bulk and considering the purchase of new same time to unload. If a company goes cargo equipment, as they are responsible liquid chemical trailers with the latest by that standard and is using paper logs, for loading and unloading the variety of technologies, and it also is exploring it unofficially gains more than an hour of loads they haul. the acquisition of companies with driving time on each end. Also, safety gear is required to be worn annual revenues between $25 million “Our goal is to set the standard in at all times while handling hoses and and $100 million. safety and compliance in the dry bulk transloading material. The company has Smaller companies that A&R would transportation industry,” Holden says. training silos in Morris and Highlands, like to acquire may be more willing “We are working closely with industry Texas, to provide hands-on training for than in previous years to enter into a leaders to ensure safety standards are fully deal because of a regulatory environnew employees and keep veterans posted on the latest technologies and techniques. understood and consistently applied by ment that is becoming more stringent all carriers and shippers. We take safety A&R compensates drivers well for the every day, Holden says. and compliance seriously and believe we extra hassles of strict hours and safety “We are seeing a number of familyhelp our industry set the standard.” compliance and bulk hauling demands. owned businesses evaluating their opHolden says A&R’s scores in the Unsafe tions about continuing on or selling their Holden says the company’s driver pay Driving BASIC were 28 percent lower ranks in the industry’s top 10 percent. company,” he says. “The new regulations than the previous year when the comTo improve the efficiency of its dayfor trucking companies are more complipany first achieved its best score since to-day operations, A&R has upgraded its cated and expensive for liquid transport. CSA’s inception. “You only see this type warehousing and packaging technology Our size and scale can benefit us. We can of year-over-year record-setting improve- invest not only in technology to help adacross the nation. The company’s railcar facility in San Bernardino, Calif., is staffed ment when you have an organization dress regulations, but we also can invest and a safety culture that is dedicated to by its own rail technicians who track all in people.” daily inventories of transloading activities, chasing perfection,” he says. “We made CCJ INNOVATORS profiles carriers and fleets the decision to put safety ahead of profit, electronically verifying and physically that have found innovative ways to overcome inspecting the cars to improve productiv- and we see it in our safety results. We’re trucking’s challenges. If you know a carrier that very pleased with our progress, and our ity and enhance safety. has displayed innovation, contact Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953. customers are very pleased.” A&R works with many of the largest 50

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015

Five ways fleets can use mobile technology to engage, retain drivers By aaron huff ore than 70 percent of drivers use smartphones or tablets, launching them ahead of the national rate of 56 percent. Besides responding to emails, texts and Facebook notifications during breaks, many also use smart devices to stay engaged with work. Recognizing this monumental shift in connectivity, fleets are using mobile apps to help drivers earn more money, get paid faster, improve safety and stay with them longer, among other benefits. “Gamification” describes one of the recent trends in fleet mobility. Many apps now incorporate game elements such as scorecards and leaderboards to foster competition among drivers and appeal to

commercial carrier journal

a basic emotional need: to obtain status and achievement. When used effectively, mobile technology engages drivers and can become a differentiator. Here are five areas where carriers and technology providers are focusing on mobile strategies to retain drivers.

Fuel savings Efforts to improve fuel economy traditionally have been met with fierce headwinds. Drivers may lose interest if they feel penalized by factors beyond their control, such as load weight, weather and topography. Russell Smith, a driver for Joplin, Mo.based Transport Distribution Co., has a different sentiment – that the fuel bonus at

| march 2015

TDC is “a family affair.” “We don’t look at ourselves as drivers,” Smith says. “We look at us as family members. If I can help another family member get a bonus, then I’m doing my job, and I feel a whole lot more involved in the company.” TDC uses a mobile app from PedalCoach to help drivers achieve the bonus, which is paid out every 18,000 miles. PedalCoach gives instantaneous feedback on throttle input through its user interface that resembles a digital gauge. The gauge has three zones – green, yellow and red – and a needle that represents the fuel’s flow rate to the engine. Drivers strive to keep the needle in the fuel target – the “green zone” – that is calculated instantly using engine data and external inputs such as temperature. “If you’re giving (the engine) way more fuel than it needs, you see that,” Smith says. With PedalCoach, Smith has increased

technology: EMPOWERING DRIVERS his own fuel economy from 7.5 mpg to a consistent 8.5 and earns a bonus between $300 and $400 each 18,000-mile period. “The way I look at it is if I’m getting a bonus, the company is making money,” he says. Smith also enjoys playing the game. After each trip or ignition on/off event, PedalCoach displays his fuel efficiency score and fleet ranking. “It’s fun to razz the other drivers,” he says. “A lot of them razz me, too.” PedalCoach has an online management portal for driver fuel performance. Fleet managers contact drivers if performance dips, and Smith also is contacted periodically by experts at PedalCoach’s parent company, LinkeDrive, who look at the data and offer tips to improve. “They are offering us the tools we need to succeed,” Smith says. “Other companies will go get you the freight, and then you’re on your own. [TDC] is involved. They spend the money and invest in things to help us out. It shows me that I want to work for someone like that.” Zonar Systems’ ZFuel application calculates a score for each driver that shows how he performed given the circumstances. ZFuel also shows the amount of money drivers could have saved each trip if they had optimized the factors they control, such as speed, shifting and idling. The ZFuel app is an option for Zonar’s fleet management system, which comes with the rugged 2020 Android tablet display, V3 onboard computer and Ground Traffic Control online management portal.

Virtual rewards Businesses often use loyalty programs to influence their customers’ buying behaviors. Some in the transportation industry use similar programs to increase driver engagement. Loyalty programs often use points as currency. Websites and mobile apps are a

An “accident challenge” category gives drivers a chance to review a recent accident experienced by a P&S driver and suggest preventive countermeasures. The entries are judged, and points are awarded to the top three responses, which then PedalCoach gives are posted online. instantaneous The website also serves as a feedback on throttle communications hub for drivers input through its user interface that to read company news and resembles a digital announcements. Reports show gauge. which drivers use the program and which do not, giving managers an indication of who needs help convenient way for drivers to track points getting involved. and convert them to rewards. “The drivers view this program as a Birmingham, Ala.-based P&S Transbenefit,” says Johnathan Marshall, safety portation (CCJ Top 250, No. 82) uses an director. “We know that they are receiving online “Drive for Gold” rewards program the information from safety meetings and administrated by Stay Metrics. Drivers company announcements.” for the 975-truck flatbed carrier visit the P&S rewards points for safety perforwebsite to track their points and exchange mance, fuel preservation and roadside them for items from an online catalog. inspections with no violations. Drivers can Drivers are introduced to the program earn additional points for completing an during orientation and immediately earn online anonymous survey at the sevenpoints by completing the fleet’s safety and 45-day employment mark. training through the website. To increase “The survey has been instrumental in fleetwide participation, management infixing problems quickly that we may have stalled driver work stations at each terminot otherwise known about,” Marshall nal and created unique reward categories. says. Stay Metrics provides its fleet clients with survey results and other research, and also conducts exit interviews with drivers. “The exit survey allows us to review areas of concern that were not provided by drivers during their employment,” Marshall says. “This encompasses all areas of our organization, and information is shared with all department heads.” Trans-United, a 75-truck flatbed carrier, has decreased its monthly driver turnover rate by nearly 10 percent since it started using Stay Metrics one year ago. The Burns Harbor, Ind.-based company also has grown by 20 percent in that timeframe, says Jeff Fleming, president. PedalCoach has an online management portal Trans-United named its rewards for driver fuel performance. Fleet managers program “Driving for Green.” Drivers can contact drivers if performance dips. commercial carrier journal

march 2015

technology: EMPOWERING DRIVERS access the website using iPads supplied by the fleet, and they earn points for tenure, safety, revenue, customer service, clean logbooks, fuel savings and when operations “likes what they are doing,” Fleming says. Among carriers that use Stay Metrics, the drivers who are not engaged – those who do not use the rewards program at least three times per month – have a 48 percent turnover rate. Drivers using it more frequently have a 28 percent turnover rate.

Roehl Transport’s “Your Choice” performance pay program allows drivers for the Marshfield, Wis.based fleet to earn points in six main categories.

Performance pay Carriers are using their driver performance data to create sophisticated performance-based pay packages that can increase engagement by putting drivers’ income in their own hands. Some fleets have developed mobile apps to allow drivers to access a scorecard to monitor the performance criteria that will determine their future income. In January 2012, Roehl Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 58) rolled out its “Your Choice” performance pay program, where drivers earn points in six categories. Every three months, their point total determines their pay for the following quarter. The Marshfield, Wis.-based fleet has 10 mileage-based pay levels. Drivers can move up or down by a maximum of one level each quarter and track their performance using the MyRoehl app. More than 80 percent of the company’s drivers use the app actively, says Greg Koepel, vice president of workforce development and administration. The app presents information to drivers in a scorecard view with a drill-down function that shows trip-level details as a spreadsheet. Roehl plans to make the scorecard more dynamic and interactive; monthly updates will offer real-time information, coaching and guidance. “We want to make this a differentiator,” Koepel says. The app also has a document imaging tool that helps drivers submit paperwork quickly. Drivers also can respond to mes54

commercial carrier journal

sages; the app mirrors the messaging function between Roehl’s dispatch software and in-cab computing platform. Trans-United engages drivers with in-cab iPads that function as a portal to the company’s Driver Dashboard, which features a scorecard of performance data and results. Drivers also can access the company’s website, which includes interactive features such as a load board and its rewards program. “It puts a lot of power in the drivers’ fingertips,” Fleming says.

Extending fleet mobility For fleets, one advantage of Android and Apple devices is that most drivers – especially younger ones – already are familiar with the technology and appreciate its many conveniences. Many telematics providers offer the best of both worlds – a device that stays in the vehicle for electronic logs and vehicle/ driver performance monitoring while also providing access to a world of apps. Telogis’ telematics platform is compatible with any device to run its suite of cloud-based applications that include truck navigation, compliance, telematics, route optimization, work order management and mobile integration services. A driver scorecard mobile app, Telogis McDonough, Ga.-based Bennett International Group uses Rand McNally’s HD-100, a small wallet-sized device that plugs into the vehicle’s diagnostics port.

| march 2015

Coach, helps drivers understand what is being asked of them and how they are rewarded for success, says Mark Wallin, vice president of product management. Drivers can download Telogis Coach to their personal devices or use it on company-supplied ones. The app tracks a driver’s performance for safety, productivity, customer service, fuel efficiency, route compliance and more. Drivers see an overall score on a 100-point scale with individual metrics stacked in tabs. By touching a metric, drivers can drill down to details such as where an incident happened on a map. Drivers also can access training videos within the app. Bennett International Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 67), a McDonough, Ga.-based fleet with 2,600 owner-operators, has created custom apps for drivers to submit paperwork, find loads, save fuel costs and other functions to improve efficiency and safety. “The main thing is we wanted to get a mobile computer in drivers’ hands,” says Tim Hadden, chief information officer. “We put as much technology in drivers’ hands as possible.” Bennett uses Rand McNally’s HD-100, a small wallet-sized device that plugs into the vehicle’s diagnostics port. The device synchronizes with the electronic logbook and other apps on Android tablets through a Wi-Fi network. uDrove’s device geared toward owner-operators and small fleets uses its own cellular data plan and syncs with the uDrove app on Apple or Android devices. Drivers use the app for electronic logs, document imaging, proof-of-delivery receipts and expense tracking.

Fully synthetic Mobil Delvac 1™ LE 5W-30 heavy-duty diesel engine oil. It’s got what fleets need: improved fuel economy and long drain interval potential.* Make the switch at mobildelvac.com

*A Fuel Economy evaluation was conducted using two 2012 Freightliner Cascadia trucks in an urban driving environment. Testing was conducted on track at the Pecos Research & Testing Center, an independent 3rd Party test facility. Mobil Delvac 1™ LE 5W-30 was used in the engine and Mobil Delvac™ Synthetic Gear Oil 75W-90 was used in the rear axle. These were compared to a mineral 15W-40 in the engine and a mineral 85W-140 in the rear axle. Savings estimates are based on a fuel economy improvement potential of 1.5%, an average cost of $3.99 per gallon of diesel, with a baseline fuel economy of 5.9 mpg and 125,000 annual miles driven. Actual savings and potential fuel economy improvements are dependent on miles driven, diesel costs, baseline fuel economy, vehicle/equipment type, outside temperature, driving conditions and your current fluid viscosities.

Copyright © 2014 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries unless otherwise noted.

The lifeblood of your fleet

technology: EMPOWERING DRIVERS

Same-day pay

flatbed carrier gave drivers the option Mobile apps that capture images and into use truck stop scanning services tegrate with payroll and billing systems in or their own laptops and scanners to a fleet’s back office can enable same-day transmit images of delivery documents pay for drivers. to the office. In 2002, Packard Transport started Packard’s 209 owner-operators now paying drivers on the same day theyTRIM: 4.5" use their phones to transmit images delivered. The Channahon, Ill.-based instantly from any location. The compaTRIM: 3.75"

TRIM: 6.625"

IN THE COMPLEX LABYRINTH OF DG SHIPPING REGULATIONS, LABELMASTER BREAKS THROUGH.

ny’s custom software system from EBE Technologies automates its settlement process. Drivers can have their same-day pay wired through Comdata or have a check mailed to their house, says Chris Checca, IT manager. Packard never misses a payment if drivers get their paperwork submitted on time, Checca says. They have a number of convenient options to submit paperwork, including EBE’s Xpress Mobile Capture app and the Transflo Plus mobile app, as well as Transflo Express truck stop scanning from Pegasus TransTech. With EBE’s custom system, Packard also has reduced administrative costs. The company now has one full-time billing clerk doing what once took three clerks to do, even though its order volume has increased threefold, Checca says. Using mobile technology to stay connected and engaged with drivers is one way fleets can differentiate themselves from the competition.

When you’re shipping dangerous goods, complex, ever-changing regulations can leave you feeling lost. Labelmaster’s fully-customizable software, products and services are the way out. Our experts stay up-to-date on regulations and offer the tools and solutions you need to keep even your toughest shipments moving, on time and on budget.

labelmaster.com/learn-more • (800) 621 5808

commercial carrier journal

LM-19053_Labyrinth_Ad_4.5x7.375_v3.indd 1

Drivers for Channahon, Ill.-based Packard Transport can use EBE Technologies’ Xpress Mobile Capture app to submit paperwork.

| march 2015 1/30/15 2:33 PM

Keep your business growing by downloading the FREE CHRWTrucks® Mobile App.

Keep your business close at hand FIND LOADS MAKE CHECK CALLS

POST TRUCKS

GET DIRECTIONS

VIEW CURRENT LOADS

Take CHRWTrucks.com on the Road Grow your business faster. Use your favorite CHRWTrucks.com features on your smartphone. The free CHRWTrucks® mobile app, available for both iPhone® and Android®, helps you better manage your business while on the move. Download the app and get started today. Learn more at www.CHRWTrucks.com or call 800-323-7587.

E US AT

COME SE

738

BOOTH #

The Peterbilt-Cummins SuperTruck team integrated a waste heat recovery system in two demonstration vehicles as part of its 50 percent efficient engine package, which involved Cummins’ ISX15 engine.

RECOVERING WASTE HEAT An old theory finds new life – but will it work for every trucking application? By Jack RoBeRts

he next generation of heavyduty diesel engine design is driven by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas emissions regulations that limit the amount of carbon dioxide and other exhaust gases that the agency feels contribute to global warming. For OEMs, the focus of the new regulations is not on mitigating climate change, but rather on fuel economy. Industry experts say it makes sense to view the GHG regulations as a stealth move leading to the first fuel economy standards for heavy-duty and vocational diesel engines. One possible approach to greater diesel engine efficiency is the use of waste heat recovery systems, a technology mentioned in EPA’s published GHG 2017 guidelines that outline credit programs for manufacturers. Among those credits is one “intended to promote implementation of advanced technologies such as hybrid powertrains, engines with Rankine cycle waste heat recovery systems, and electric or fuel cell vehicles.” But what is a waste heat recovery

system? How does it work? Is it viable for diesel truck engines? A promising boost Today’s diesel engines have a heat efficiency rating of about 44 percent – meaning that nearly half of the energy potential present in a gallon of fuel ends up in the flywheel as available power after the combustion process. The rest of that potential energy – the other roughly 56 percent – is lost. “It comes out the combustion process as vaporized water and exhaust heat, although a certain balance goes into the cooling system to keep engine temperatures in check,” says Tony Greszler, vice president of government and industry relations for the Volvo Group. The concept of waste heat recovery dates to the beginning of the Machine Age when steam engine designers realized the inefficiency of their creations. Steam engines work by heating water to create high-pressure steam that is pushed through a cylinder to create power. “The concept is older than the diesel engine,” Greszler says. “But the concept

of applying it to a diesel, essentially as a secondary engine cycle, is what’s new.” Cummins has been at the forefront in developing waste heat recovery systems and has shown them to be a viable technology in laboratory demonstrations and truck installations, including the Cummins-led SuperTruck program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Satish Chandra, the company’s director of advanced systems integration, says the SuperTruck – equipped with Cummins’ prototype waste heat recovery system and in 24-hour head-to-head testing against a 2009 baseline truck – demonstrated a 75 percent increase in fuel economy, a 43 percent reduction in GHG emissions and an 86 percent gain in freight efficiency. “In Cummins’ experience, the technology is very attractive and viable when fully integrated in the vehicle system to boost fuel economy and support other energy needs such as driver comfort,” Chandra says. Stede Granger, OEM technical manager for Shell Lubricants, says a waste heat recovery system and a hybrid drive system work in a similar fashion. When a

commercial carrier journal

| march 2015 59

EQUIPMENT: WASTE HEAT RECOVERY trucking applications. hybrid vehicle’s brakes are “Kenworth and Paccar applied, kinetic energy is are constantly evaluating captured by the onboard new technologies that proelectrical motors. When vide benefit to customers,” the vehicle starts moving says Kevin Baney, Kenagain, the electric motors worth chief engineer. “As use the captured energy for engines continue to gain acceleration. efficiency through mea“That’s a highly efficient sures such as downspeeddesign, assuming you can ing, reduced friction and design an economic and parasitics, we also recognize compact system to capture the potential of waste heat and reuse that energy,” recovery systems.” Granger says. But that potential, acIn most proposed waste cording to Baney, depends heat recovery systems, heavily on the engine’s the boilers are either the duty cycle, and such exhaust system or the systems also add cost, exhaust gas recirculation complexity and weight to system. If the waste heat the vehicle. recovery system is in the “When customers evaluexhaust stream, it has to ate fuel-efficient features, be behind the selective This Cummins illustration shows a proposed waste heat recovery system. In most, the they typically expect a catalytic reduction system boilers are either the exhaust system or the EGR system. If the waste heat recovery system is in the exhaust system, it has to be behind the SCR system to work correctly. payback of no more than to work correctly. two to three years that “At that point, you have to connect the heat exchangers to some achieved a peak 75 percent improvement considers additional maintenance and upfront acquisition costs,” he says. “At in fuel economy over a baseline 2009 sort of expansion device,” Granger says present, we do not see an economically production truck,” says Ken Damon, – a turbine, a piston or any number of based application for waste heat recovery manager of Peterbilt Motors’ vehicle machines that can take pressurized gas in our vehicles, but we will continue to performance group. and convert it to usable power. Once evaluate its viability.” For vehicle applications, this approach that process is complete, that power Greszler says waste heat recovery can be harnessed and sent to an electric has been investigated in laboratories for systems theoretically could provide decades, and recent research and develgenerator to either run vehicle accesfleets with up to a 4 percent boost in opment has enabled implementation of sories or for gearing to convert it to fuel economy – assuming they operate functional prototypes on line-haul heavy mechanical power. in the right applications. It’s more likely Over the last 20 years, waste heat recov- trucks, says Mark Groeneweg, director of a vehicle would net only an overall ery increasingly has been used in station- Daimler Trucks powertrain engineering increase of 2 percent because of lost for the company’s NAFTA region. ary applications such as power plants to aerodynamic efficiency, he says. “These “Technology demonstrations faciliboost efficiency and reduce GHG effects. are sizeable systems, and packaging will tated by the U.S. Department of Energy Only recently has the technology been be problematic.” SuperTruck program are a successful demonstrated in laboratory environThe systems also present lag-time isexample of that,” Groeneweg says. “It is a ments as a viable means to improve fuel sues, Greszler says. Because it takes time promising technology to boost commereconomy in heavy trucks. for a waste heat recovery system to get cial vehicle fuel economy.” The Peterbilt-Cummins SuperTruck fluids up to temperature, fleets running team integrated a waste heat recovery in mountains or hills won’t be able to One size won’t fit all system in two demonstration vehicles access the additional power when they Despite the promise that waste heat as part of its 50 percent efficient engine need it most – during the uphill portion recovery technology holds, there are package. “Waste heat recovery was a key of a climb. “It’s technology that will work significant barriers to implementing it in contributor to the program results that 60

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| MARCH 2015

EquipmEnt: WASTE HEAT RECOVERY best hauling heavy loads in flat terrain,” he says. Weight also is an issue. “Our current estimates range from an additional 300 to 500 pounds,” Greszler says. “Maintenance demands will increase because it’s an entirely new system on the vehicle with lots of high-pressure plumbing and special lubrication demands.”

While Volvo thinks waste heat recovery technology potentially could be a useful option for some fleets, Greszler says the company also is concerned that it will be mandated by EPA as part of a future emissions or fuel economy regulation. “We don’t see it as a one-size-fits-all solution for fleets concerned about fuel economy,” he says.

The Expertise of Your Local Truck Parts Professional Backed by the Power of a North American Network

There’s no beating the ease of doing business with your trusted local truck parts distributor. As part of North America’s Leading Truck Parts Network®, your local VIPAR Heavy Duty Parts Professional offers the brands you want and the expertise you need, with the strength and resources of a network of over 500 locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The Right People. The Right Parts. The Right Places. Find out more at www.vipar.com

www.VIPAR.com 62 Untitled-6 1

commercial carrier journal

However, Chandra says potential weight gains will be offset by reductions in the powertrain and elsewhere on future truck designs. For example, radiators potentially could be designed smaller due to lesser heat loads because the waste heat condenser would handle some of the cooling demands. “If waste heat from EGR is used for waste heat recovery, the EGR cooler will be a new design,” Chandra says. “Other components are not likely to be affected. That’s why this is a technology that Cummins is still developing, testing and validating in applications, including our work on the SuperTruck program.” The technology’s commercial viability will drive its future timing for production implementation, Chandra says. “There are also a number of optimization opportunities in aerodynamics and drivetrains that will provide fuel economy gains.” Chandra says Cummins expects to deploy waste heat recovery technology in some fashion by 2020 or so, with some customers getting field test units in 2017 or 2018. “A version is being used in today’s Formula One racecars, where they add it to the standard V6 and call the package a hybrid,” Chandra says. “It recovers exhaust heat and turns it back into energy.” Much engineering work remains for waste heat recovery technology to yield a positive business case, which involves the system’s cost, its fuel savings potential and fuel cost itself, Groeneweg says. More development is required to reduce cost, improve over-the-road performance and manage the complexities related to numerous vehicle integration tradeoffs, including weight, packaging, radiator sizes and aerodynamic penalties. “The reliability and durability of this relatively complex system needs to be ensured before the product is ready for realworld commercial use,” he says. “That’s why current waste heat recovery systems are only on research and development prototype demonstrators.”

| march 2015 2/23/15 2:29 PM

DRIVE ON. With Genuine Eaton® aftermarket products. EATON FACTORY REMAN

GENUINE PARTS & REBUILD KITS

The next best thing to a new transmission.

If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to keep an Eaton® truck all Eaton, Genuine Eaton Overhaul Kits, Rebuild Kits and Bulk Parts offer a variety of options at every level. Buy Eaton Rebuild Kits for:

Every Eaton Factory Reman is built with more new parts than an ordinary rebuild. Every standard unit includes a new clutch housing and all units are performance tested to ensure the same quality as a brand new transmission. It offers a best-in-class nationwide fully transferable

2-year/unlimited warranty, 14 locations nationwide for same- or next-day delivery for truck-down situations and is backed by Roadranger® Support. visit roadranger.com/aftermarket

FLEX REMAN TRANSMISSION More Uptime. Fewer Part Numbers. With the FLEX Reman, 10 part numbers cover 80% of the market need. It features a best-in-class fully transferable 2-year/unlimited mile warranty. visit roadranger.com/aftermarket

BRIAN FLETCHER

GET YOUR CUSTOMIZED AFTERMARKET SOLUTION TODAY! Learn about the best aftermarket solutions for your fleet. Topics include: Transmissions, Clutches, Extended Protection Plans and more. All tailored to your unique need.

Unmatched quality, value and peace of mind Latest engineering design updates 100% Eaton content, backed by Roadranger® Support visit roadranger.com/aftermarket

Roadranger® Extended Protection Plans

The Roadranger® Network:

A Roadranger Extended Protection Plan eliminates worry over expensive, unplanned repairs.

• Supporting all makes, models and configurations of commercial vehicles.

visit roadranger.com/epp

NOW AVAILABLE IN ALL COMMERCIAL VEHICLE APPLICATIONS

Eaton Reman Transmission

• Roadranger real-time warranty provides timely response to warranty claims.

With Eaton’s new Authorized Rebuilder Program you now have the option to purchase locally rebuilt transmissions with 100 percent genuine Eaton components, meeting all of Eaton’s stringent re-use and rebuild requirements. Just look for the Eaton Authorized Rebuilder tag.

Eaton Advantage Series™ Clutch Roadranger-Approved Lubricant

3-Year/Unlimited-Mile Transmission Warranty* *Applies to applications only in the U.S. & Canada. Please refer to the Roadranger Warranty Guide (TCWY0900) for the latest warranty time and mileage offerings.

SOLO ADVANTAGE™ SELF-ADJUSTING CLUTCH The Solo Advantage Self-Adjusting Clutch features exclusive technology that keeps the clutch in constant adjustment. It also features spring-loaded cams that adjust for proper clearance with every disengagement. If your truck has hydraulic linkage, Solo is the only way to go. If you replace a truck with hydraulic linkage with anything other than a Solo Advantage, it is difficult for the driver to detect the need for adjustment. A clutch operating out of adjustment creates excess heat and friction, which diminish clutch life. If unaddressed, this results in damage to the clutch and hydraulic release system components. visit roadranger.com/clutch ©2015 Eaton. All rights reserved.

• Over 4,000 service and aftermarket partners throughout North America.

visit roadranger.com/authorizedrebuilder

EATON’S FULL PORTFOLIO OF CLUTCHES– TIERED TO MEET A RANGE OF NEEDS FOR PERFORMANCE, PROTECTION AND VALUE. Best: Easy Pedal Advantage™ Manual Adjusting Clutch

Better: EverTough™ by Eaton

Good: Solo and Easy Pedal Remans and ValueClutch™

Industry-leading vibration dampening along with Eaton proprietary friction material to protect the driveline and extend service life. Advantage Series release bearing extends lube interval to 50k in linehaul applications.

The reliability of a new clutch at the price point you need. Features aftermarket specific facings, a visible wear indicator and a 25,000-mile lube interval for linehaul applications.

Solo and Easy Pedal Remans are built to Genuine OE specs but priced for savings. The ValueClutch line is everything you expect from a new clutch at about the same price as a non-genuine clutch. visit roadranger.com/clutch

HOW TO

USE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following is an excerpt from How to Use Financial Statements, a manual produced by Commercial Carrier University and sponsored by Chevron Delo. CCU is an educational program produced by Commercial Carrier Journal that includes business management manuals, seminars aimed at improving management skills and a website. For more information, visit www.commercialcarrieruniversity.com. Business owners often ask, “If I pay off my bank debts, I can count that off on my taxes, right?” The question exposes a fundamental misunderstanding of the “basis of accounting” upon which financial statements are built. Learn the difference between the three main bases of accounting: accrual, cash and tax. As a result, your understanding of financial statements will grow dramatically. A basis of accounting is nothing more than a set of rules that the accountant follows in preparing the reports. It tells him when to count certain transactions in the records, and how to do it. The “when” is the biggest difference between the accrual method and the cash method of accounting. The “how” is the biggest difference between the accrual method and the tax method. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has developed accounting rules over time. Between generally accepted accounting principles, known as GAAP, and the actual rules established by various professional and regulatory boards, there’s a set of

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

practices to help all companies report profit and loss in basically the same manner. This allows for apples-to-apples comparisons between companies. For companies with publicly traded stock, the financial statements are the only real measuring sticks for investors. Inaccuracies or inconsistent practices lead investors to make the wrong decisions, and then lead them to the courthouse. To keep companies and their managers honest, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the AICPA require all companies to report profit and loss in the same manner. These rules frequently are referred to as GAAP. Accountants must comply with these rules and disclose in their reports when they are violated — or risk losing their licenses. Even privately held companies must follow most of these rules. Thus, your accountant gets mighty nervous if you suggest — knowingly or unknowingly — a treatment or practice of accounting that breaks the rules. Accrual basis means that a transaction is recorded when it happens, regardless of when cash actually changes hands. Consider

| MARCH 2015

how you might treat the revenue from a single haul. The accrual basis records the event when the haul is completed. The accountant enters the revenue on the P&L and logs an accounts receivable on the balance sheet. When the cash finally arrives, there is no further effect on the P&L. But the balance sheet changes, as accounts receivable is reduced and cash is increased. Thus, the accrual basis “matches” revenues and expenses in the same period. You record your revenue when your hauls are completed, whether or not the money is received during that period. Likewise, you record your expenses when you incur them. Some you pay in cash, some you might owe as accounts payable. Most companies use accrual basis, especially as they grow. That’s because banks and other lenders typically require you to report under the accrual basis in the loan agreements you sign. The bigger the loan, the more lenders have to lose, so the more they insist that you tighten your accounting practices. For loans of $1 million to $3 million or larger,

COMMERCIAL CARRIER UNIVERSITY lenders often require a review statement by an accounting firm. Since reviews (and audits, too) require the accountant to list any departure from GAAP or accrual, you must move to full accrual-basis accounting at that point. Cash basis means that you don’t record a revenue or expense item until you receive or write the check. Continuing our example, if you use cash-basis accounting, you don’t record anything when you complete the haul unless, of course, the shipper or receiver pays on the spot. When the check arrives, you record it on the P&L as revenue and on the balance sheet as cash. Few companies use the cash basis to keep their books, and there are lots of reasons not to do it. First, it doesn’t give a clear picture of real profit or earnings in a given month or year. Because it doesn’t match expenses with revenues, using the cash basis can lead to poor

If your company’s annual financial statements are presented on the tax basis, it’s probably because your bank has consented to the practice as a way to save you money on accounting fees. Your accountant saves time and effort if he uses the same basis of accounting for your published financial reports as he does for your tax return. The main difference between the accrual and tax bases is how you calculate depreciation. In addition, sometimes tax rules won’t let you deduct an expense in the same period that you record it under accrual-basis reporting. This means your accountant may have to maintain two sets of numbers, but that’s really not as hard as it sounds, given the capabilities of modern software packages. But it still takes time, and to save on accounting fees, you might elect to have your reports prepared on the income tax basis of accounting.

business decisions. What looks like a profit can really be a loss. And what’s deposited into your checking account does not equal your profits. Second, your bank may not allow you to use the cash basis; it wants to know what you’re earning or losing, and the cash method isn’t a good indicator of that. Third, the Internal Revenue Service may not allow you to use it. They want you to report on the accrual basis, which doesn’t let you manipulate income as easily as the cash basis. Tax basis means that the rules of the IRS are used in deciding how to record transactions. Essentially, your business’s P&L mirrors that of your tax returns. For most companies, this is a modified version of the accrual basis. Rarely, a company might use a tax basis based on the cash basis. Businesses that do generally are very small; many leased owner-operators use it.

Commercial Carrier University is an educational initiative for owners and managers of trucking companies that are held at select Truckload Carriers Association events. We’re certain you will find this program a valuable resource in managing your business more easily and more profitably. CCU’s goal is to provide you with an in-depth road map for success through clear advice on basic and advanced business practices. CCU Titles Available: • How to Evaluate Life Cycle Costs • How to Manage Cashflow • How To Plan For Succession • How to Use Financial Statements • How To Write A Business Plan Produced by:

In cooperation with:

CCU manuals are available on USB drives and can be purchased online through eTruckerStore.com.

Visit www.commercialcarrieruniversity.com for more information. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| MARCH 2015 65

E US AT

COME SE

738

BOOTH #

products new

Durable earbuds Mizco’s ToughTested earbuds are engineered to reduce environmental noise by as much as 30 percent while offering decibel-limited sound for hearing protection. The company’s proprietary EQ-Voice technology featured on two of the four models helps optimize sound for voice calls at the flip of a switch. The earbuds are tested for safety, fit, utility and durability and tuned by audiologists, sound engineers and independent labs to stand up to engine noise, traffic, construction and outdoor activities. Mizco, www.tough-tested.com

Trailer inspection system Lite-Check’s all-digital fully automated Verifier Trailer Inspection System is designed to perform trailer inspections and record electrical, brake and antilock braking system test data in one trip by using a tablet. The tablet allows the user to create a trailer file, operate trailer systems and collect data; record visual inspection data including tires, brake operation and damage; and transmit the file to a shop computer via a dedicated Wi-Fi connection for storage and later retrieval. Lite-Check, www.litecheck.com

Manifold for Caterpillar engines Bully Dog’s manifold for model-year 2003-06 Caterpillar engines is pressure-fitted with high-quality material to help eliminate cracks and leaks and is designed with gradual corners that facilitate better airflow and ports that help eliminate airflow interference. The ceramic coating helps cool exhaust gas temperatures by 100 degrees. The manifold is engineered to provide both increased fuel mileage and an additional 20-30 horsepower. Bully Dog Technologies, http://bigrig.bullydog.com

Fifth wheel bracket Fontaine Fifth Wheel’s Adjustable Plate Mount fifth wheel bracket replaces the company’s PMA and APB models with a single lightweight model that features a reinforced cast steel design built to provide the same load capacity. When paired with Fontaine’s No-Slack II 6000 top plate, the PML assembly has a 50,000-pound vertical load capacity; when equipped with a 7000 or 7000CC top plate, it can handle a vertical load of up to 55,000 pounds. Fontaine Fifth Wheel, www.fifthwheel.com commercial carrier journal | march 2015

products

Start/stop starters Bosch’s aftermarket starters for vehicles equipped with start/stop systems and components include reinforced bearings, an enhanced planetary gear unit and a heavy-duty meshing mechanism, together engineered to deliver up to 3.5 times the number of cycles of a conventional starter. All components are manufactured to high OEM standards for added durability, reliability, functionality and service life. Robert Bosch, www.boschautoparts.com

Expanded LED line

Carpet sets, floor mats

Truck-Lite has added 18 Signal-Stat LED products in the form of two additional lines – integral flange and low diode – with offerings in the Marker and Clearance, Stop/Turn/Tail, Front/Park/Turn and Back-Up lighting categories. The integral flange expansion includes 10 part numbers that bring additional housing and mounting options, adding a molded polycarbonate flange and housing to existing designs. The low diode expansion includes eight products engineered with fewer LEDs. Both lines feature full epoxy potting to help protect the circuit board.

Performance Choice offers carpet sets and floor mats for many Peterbilt, Kenworth and Freightliner models, with other models planned. A CNC cutter helps ensure accuracy and an exact fit when making carpet sets, and the floor mats are created for durability and style while protecting the truck’s interior.

Truck-Lite, www.truck-lite.com

Performance Choice, www.performancechoice.com

The World’s Best Cargo Bar Visit us at MATS - Booth #10225

Protect your cargo... ...cross country or cross town

Save-A-Load manufactures cargo bars for tractor trailers and pick-up trucks that stand up to the rigors of daily use.

Safe and easy to use Spring-loaded so it stays in place Holds like no other bar Prevents trailler damage

www.saveaload.com 68

1-800-SAV-LOAD

Check us out. We’re confident you will quickly agree that Save-A-Load produces the world’s best cargo bar!

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

Untitled-38 1

2/20/14 2:41 PM

THE PERFECT COMPANIONS FOR TRAILER MANAGEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE THE VERIFIER DOT Reports

Custom Reports

TESTING The first all digital trailer inspection system for collecting, storing, and printing a complete trailer report!

Lighting Brakes ABS

Free ABS Upgrades

FOR MAINTENANCE THE INSPECTOR 920 Repair and Service

1-800-343-8579 www.lite-check.com Spokane, Washington

Be at the top of your class. What does it take to excel in the trucking industry? How far will you go to be the best in the business? Commercial Carrier Journal invites you to the 2015 Spring Symposium to hear from experts, ďŹ&#x201A;eet executives, and others who are helping make sense of this business and shaping its future.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re back in Birmingham with new social activities!

Keynote Speaker and coaching legend Nick Saban

Keynote Speaker, PGA Announcer, and Pro Golfer David Feherty

products

Expanded tire line Bridgestone Commercial’s latest line of Dayton truck tires consists of eight patterns that double the brand’s product coverage for small fleets and owner-operators in a multitude of segments, including on-/off-highway longhaul and regional truckload, less-than-truckload, distribution, pickup-and-delivery and service-service applications for steer, drive and trailer positions. The lineup features expanded size and ply rating offerings and three SmartWay-verified and CARB-compliant options. Bridgestone Commercial, www.daytontrucktires.com

Full synthetic diesel engine oil Petro-Canada’s Duron-E UHP 5W-30 ultra-high-performance full synthetic low-viscosity heavy-duty diesel engine oil is formulated to provide added engine protection and improved fuel economy while meeting the performance requirements of API Service Categories CJ-4/SN. Petro-Canada Lubricants Inc., http://lubricants.petro-canada.com

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

products

Antifreeze/coolant system tools Prestone Products offers Heavy Duty Test Kits, Test Strips and a Refractometer for antifreeze/coolant system analysis. The kit’s contents are compiled to facilitate easy collection of samples for analysis of the levels of molybdate, nitrite, chloride, sulfates, corrosion products (iron

and lead) and silicates while testing the coolant for freezing/boiling points, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, hardness and buffering capabilities. The test strips help maintain the proper levels of supplemental coolant additives, while the refractometer is designed to determine the concentration (freezing/boil-over protection) of ethylene glycol-based coolants and diesel exhaust fluid. Prestone Command Corp., www.prestonecommand.com

Fatigue detection device Impecca’s Alert Band is a wearable early-warning Bluetooth fatigue detector band that attaches to the driver’s forehead and is designed to help sense fatigue and prevent accidents. The Alert Band is designed to monitor and analyze brainwaves and send real-time notifications and alarms to the driver’s smartphone before the driver begins to doze off and fall asleep. The device is built to be user-friendly, lightweight and comfortable for long periods of use and includes a long-lasting rechargeable 20hour battery. Impecca, www.impeccausa.com

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

FuelSurchargeIndex.org provides shippers, carriers and owner-operators with average retail fuel prices updated every 24 hours and speciﬁc to the route that the load is actually traveling. • FuelSurchargeIndex.org provides fuel data transparency for the entire industry • Use the actual retail price of diesel along a speciﬁc route to calculate the fuel surcharge • Accurate, detailed fuel data updated daily • Interface options available

SPEND BIG BUCKS

Get into the

ExpressLane

Industry leading, fully integrated accounting. No double entry. No exporting.

Full safety & compliance management.

Fuel management, fuel Tax reporting & automatic fuel card data imports.

Vehicle maintenance tracking with shop & inventory management.

TOTAL FLEET SHOPPER

ZamZow_OVD0813_PG.indd 1

8/12/13 8:25 AM

SUBSCRIBE TO CCJ AT

CCJdigital.com 3/12/12 9:24 AM Gateway Supply_CCJ0414_PG.indd 1

Windshield Cam_CRIG0512_PG.indd 1

3/24/14 9:07 AM

An unwavering

customer focus... we stake our integrity on it CAB SUSPENSIONS

CHASSIS SUSPENSIONS

AUXILIARY SUSPENSIONS

ACCESSORIES

YOUR TRUST...OUR PASSION! From OE engineering support to innovative design...From unmatched customer service to 99.7% on-time delivery...we pride ourselves on exceeding customers’ expectations.

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

MARCH 2015

Phone +1 800 222 6283 @LinkMfg www.linkmfg.com

TOTAL FLEET SHOPPER

OWNER OPERATORS AND SMALL FLEETS, IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SAVING MONEY THIS IS THE ANSWER. INSTALL AMSOIL'S BYPASS OIL FILTER SYSTEM AND SYNTHETIC OIL. CALL JIM AT 800-709-2516 FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION WWW.THEGREATESTOIL.COM

AmericanDrugTestingConsortium.com

Guaranteed full compliance with drug & alcohol federal regulations.3500 testing sites throughout U.S. Only $60/year. Go to above website or call 1-800-528-9075

American Drug Testing_OVD0213_PG080.indd 1

1/29/13 3:08 PM DirectEquip_CCJ0909_Pg.indd 1

TICKETS All Legal

Problems, AS SHOWN UNDER $200.00.

28 Years Fighting for the Trucker!

Nationwide and Canada Russian- Alena Spanish – Lucy Korean - Jessica

DISCOUNTED Attorneys Win 9 out of 10 Cases!*

CSA/DAC Help

1-800-525-HAUL (4285)

Reduced Company Rates Available

24 hrs (7 days a week) www.AmericanTruckersLegalAssoc.com *Past performance by attorneys who represent ATLA members does not guarantee future performance.

10/28/09 11:31 AM AmericanTruckersLegal_CCJ0115_PG.indd 1

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

MARCH 2015

12/11/14 1:34 PM

Subscribe to CCJ at CCJdigital.com

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR TRUCKING PROFESSIONALS

TOTAL FLEET SHOPPER

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. facebook.com/CCJMagazine

1 MATS BoothFacebook_CCJ0113_PG.indd There is only one product on the 12/12/12 #70112 market that would have prevented these accidents, the GiraffeG4 . . . designed by a truck driver, for truck drivers!

9:07 AM

Sensor with Mounting Adapter In Cab Programmable Readout

www.GiraffeG4.com 1-877- 543-1087 1-877-543-1087 78

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

Gaither Tool_CCJ0215_PG.indd 1

TRUCK PROTECTION SYSTEM

MARCH 2015 1/26/15 PM Giraffe12:10 G4_TPS1214_PG055.indd 1

12/2/14 3:04 PM

TOTAL FLEET SHOPPER NE T LOAD

find it... FREE Access to our load board, NextLOAD.com for Apex clients

fuel it... FREE fuel card with discounts at Ambest, Flying J, Petro, Pilot, Roadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Sapp Bros, Speedway, TA & Wilco-Hess.

factor it. FAST, RELIABLE, & FLEXIBLE cash flow solution.

get paid faster with apex!

844-827-7698

www.apexcapitalcorp.com/ccj

Search. Browse. Purchase. Anytime. Anywhere. DownloaD the app toDay.

888-838-6718

imperialsupplies.com

Fleet Maintenance Supply expertS COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL Kiene_CCJ0314_PG091.indd 1

MARCH 2015

79 2/9/15 1:34 PM

TOTAL FLEET SHOPPER

Add thousands of miles to the life of your tires

Because you could lose more than a wheel!

  

ENGINE OIL DRAIN VALVE OVER 10 MILLION SOLD WORLDWIDE

with the patented

G-1000

loose and unsafe

Tire Groover

ADVANCED DESIGN

Easy Fast Accurate •     

Today’s Technology = Extra Miles! MADE IN THE USA

888.829.1556

wheel-check.com /wheelcheck /+wheel-check

•          

Call 610-489-7670 or visit www.vanalstinemfg.com

Supplier to major tire manufacturers

TRAPPE, PA

V AN ALSTINE Manufacturing Company, Inc.

•     •        •    

      

Circle No. 121 on Response Card

Untitled-5 1 AM 1/26/15 11:48

WheelCheck_CCJ0215_PG.indd 1

10/23/14 4:001PM Untitled-15

2/19/14 2:54 PM

LET THE TOTAL FLEET SHOPPER FILL YOUR ADVERTISING NICHE

1-800-633-5953

More Than a Fuel Saver 118 LAND LINE

MAY 2013

• Decreased Drag • Increase Fuel Mileage • Increased Vehicle Stability • Reduces Rear Spray

Technical information www.airtab.com To purchase 970-663-9075 or www.buyairtab.com

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

Untitled-12 1 Airtab_OVD1208PG.indd 1

MARCH 2015 2/24/15 10/16/09 10:09 1:11 AM PM

TTad1.12:Layout 1 3/5/12 5:50 ToTal FleeT Shopper

Page 1

Help Drivers Pass Health Test 1, 2 or 4 Seat Bike — Drives like a car

Easy to Pedal

Multi-Speed

Fleet Maintenance & Inventory Management Software

Optional Electric Motor

A Fun Way To Pass The Health Test & Spend Quality Time With Your Family

Get your FREE Trial Demo NOW!

For a FREE brochure call

Call: 800.980.2555

1.888.518.4959 Ext. 32504 www.RhoadesCar.com

or visit: www.fleet-maintenance.com

Fleet Soft_CCJ0414_PG.indd 1

CCJdigital.com is always available

Open24HR_CCJ0811.indd 1

Fleet Washing Made Easy!

3/4/14 1:49 PM

Soap, Wash & Rinse a 53’ Trailer in 6-8 info@bitimec.com minutes! 1-877-637-1900

7/25/11 3:32 PM

Bitimec_CCJ0315_Pg.indd CCJ 1/6 Horizontol Version 212-15.indd 1

2/18/15 2/12/15 3:27 4:00 PM PM

http://bit.ly/ccjmagazine

LinkedIn_CCJ0113_PG.indd 1

commercial carrier journal CommercialPro_TruckFridge_OVD0413_PG092.indd 1 12/12/12 9:10 AM

march 2015

81 3/27/13 10:01 AM

SP12580_CCJAug_RecruitingHouse ad_HR.pdf

6/18/14

9:39 AM

AD INDEX Airtab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .970-663-9075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Lite-Check LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-343-8579 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Allison Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317-242-5000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Luber-finer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-882-0890 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

American Drug Testing Consortium . . . .800-528-9075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Lytx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-419-5861 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

American Truck Historical Society . . . . . .816-891-9900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Minimizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-248-3855 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58, 66

American Truckers Legal Association . . .800-525-4285 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

MobilDelvac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-MobilDelvac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Amsoil Distributor-Jim Fleschner . . . . . .800-709-2516 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Napa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-LET-NAPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC

Apex Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .844-827-7698 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

National Seating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-459-7328 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

BestPass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .518-459-1579 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18-19

Navistar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .InternationalTrucks .com . . . . . .IFC-1

Bitimec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877-637-1900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

O’Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FirstCallOnline .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

BorgWarner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-787-6464 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

PCS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281-419-9500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

CCJ Spring Symposium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-473-8372 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37, BC

CCJ’s Innovators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Peterson Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . .816-765-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

C .H . Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .855-229-6128 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

PrePass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-361-PASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Citgo Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HDLubes .com/ProveIt . . . . . . . . . . 41

Prestone Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-890-2075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Commercial Carrier University . . . . . . . . .800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64-65

ProMiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-324-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CumminsGenuineParts .com . . . . . . 7

Rand McNally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-789-6277 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Deckmate @ Gateway Supply LLC . . . . . .800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Rhoades Car International . . . . . . . . . . . .888-518-4959 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Direct Equipment Supply Co . . . . . . . . . . .800-992-1478 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Rig Dig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74, 80

Driver Recruiting Calculator . . . . . . . . . . .RandallReilly .com/DRC . . . . . . . . . 82

Save-A-Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-SAV-LOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Drivers Legal Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-417-3552 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Shell Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-231-6950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 25

Eaton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roadranger .com . . . . . . . . 17, 29, 63

TA-Petro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-632-9240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Espar Heater Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-387-4800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Thermo King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312-670-1164 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Fitzgerald Truck Sales & Glider Kits . . . . .866-553-0369 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Tiger Tool International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-661-4661 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Fleet One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-517-2537 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Trail King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-843-3324 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Fleet Soft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-980-2555 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Truckfridge .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502-863-4536 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Fleetline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-322-6653 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

TSI/SSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-223-4540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Fuel Surcharge Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409-697-2587 ext . 231 . . . . . . . . . 73

Van Alstine Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . .610-480-7670 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Fumoto Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .707-545-7020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Verizon Networkfleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-869-1353 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Gaither Tool Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-452-5010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Vipar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-494-4731 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Giraffe G4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877-543-1087 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Volvo Trucks North America . . . . . . . . . . .336-393-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Hoover’s Truck & Equipment . . . . . . . . . . .330-878-6630 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Water Cannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-333-9274 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Howes Lubricator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-438-4693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Western Star Trucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-850-STAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32-33

Imperial Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-558-2808 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Wheel-Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-829-1556 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Kiene Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-264-5950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Windshield Cam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403-616-6610 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

LabelMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-621-5808 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Yokohama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .YokohamaTire .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Larson Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-369-6671 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Zamzow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-451-7660 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Link Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-222-6283 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 commercial carrier journal | march 2015

Mugwump Parkway

Pearl’s Pizza Palace

Preventable or not? Doe’s trailer sliced during pizza pullover

t noon, rain was falling on Mugwump Parkway. Northbound, John Doe was waiting for a chance to turn his tractor-trailer across the opposing traffic lane and enter the parking lot at Pearl’s Pizza Palace. “10-4 on the low-cal cheese and veggies,” mused Doe. Finally, confronted by a virtually empty stretch of road, Doe started his turn. Simultaneously, far ahead in the southbound lane, Betsy Bibbel put the pedal to the metal in her bright blue Trans Am Formula 350, seeking to beat the “pink” traffic light in her path. Traveling at warp speed, Bibbel shot through the intersection – and suddenly was faced with the last few feet of Doe’s John Doe was turning left into a restaurant’s parking lot trailer as it was disappearing into Pearl’s lot. when a speeding driver came from out of nowhere in the Bibbel realized at the last second opposite lane and couldn’t that she’d badly miscalculated avoid a collision. Was this a her closing speed and slammed preventable accident? on her brakes, but her emergency maneuvers weren’t enough to avoid the right rear corner of Doe’s trailer. Thankfully she wasn’t hurt, but when authorities arrived on the scene, they cited a now-starving Doe for failure to yield right-of-way. He never got his veggie pizza, and to make matters worse, he later got slapped with a warning letter from his safety director, who charged him with a preventable accident. A flabbergasted Doe contested the decision, and the case was turned over to the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee. NSC ruled in Doe’s favor, saying there was nothing he could have done to anticipate or ward off Bibbel’s mindless sneak attack.

commercial carrier journal | march 2015

WHEN TIME IS MONEY

YOU NEED A LITTLE KNOW HOW. Your job is to keep moving. Our job is to make sure nothing stops you. NAPA Truck Service Centers use quality NAPA parts and KNOW HOW to help keep your truck where it belongs, conquering the road. NAPATruckService.com | NAPAOnline.com | 1-800-LET-NAPA

Visit peterbilt.com/579 for more information.