Ccj0616

JUNE 2016

FIRST IMPRESSIONS Don't take chances with driver onboarding page 58

10 ways to improve your maintenance practices in the CSA era

VOCATIONAL TRUCKS

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Under the hood with heavy haulers

VEHICLE STABILITY

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Safety systems still innovating

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR TRUCKING PROFESSIONALS

ONBOARD NAVIGATION Never ask for directions again page 47

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LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

Senate OKs bill to change hours regs

T

Sleep apnea gathering focuses on time, wages

C

osts, both time and money,

he U.S. Senate last month passed a transportation funding bill that could change hours-of-service regulations The Senate bill could set a new 73-hour cap on the amount for truck operators should the of hours truckers can work in a consecutive seven-day House also pass the bill and the period following a 34-hour restart. president sign it.

The bill’s hours-related provisions would tie the rule’s future to the outcome of a pending Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration study in the works since early 2015.

The two outcomes are (1) a return to 2013-enacted rules governing truckers’ 34-hour restarts or (2) a return to 2011 restart rules, with a new 73-hour cap on the amount of hours truck drivers can remain on duty in a seven-day period.

A separate amendment floated by Sen. Richard Blumenthal would have restored the 2013-implemented restart rules, but it was not brought for a vote.

The 2017 FY Transportation and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill passed Congress’ upper chamber as-is by an 89-8 vote, but any changes to hours regulations have a way to go before becoming law.

The measures face stiff opposition in the U.S. House, which floated an alternative plan that negates the FMCSA study and reverts the rules governing the use of a 34-hour restart to those in place in 2011 and currently in place now.

Under the House plan, truckers’ 34-hour restarts would not have to include two 1-5 a.m. periods, and their frequency would not be limited.

Under the Senate’s plan, two paths are offered for hours regulations. If the FMCSA study concludes the 2013-implemented restart changes are better for safety and trucker fatigue levels, the requirement that a restart include two 1-5 a.m. periods would return, as would the once-weekly limit to the restart’s use.

Should the study find the opposite – that truckers operate more safely under the prior unrestricted restart – then truckers could be on duty 73 hours in a rolling seven-day period that would move forward one day at midnight each day. The current restrictions on 60 driving hours Scan the QR code with your in seven days and 70 driving hours in eight days smartphone or would remain intact. visit ccjdigital.com/ The Senate legislation, in addition to its news/subscribe-touphill House battle, also faces a veto threat by newsletters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, a daily e-mail newsletPresident Obama, who cited the hours changes ter filled with news, analysis, blogs as one reason why. and market condition articles.

– James Jaillet

were big topics of conversation

during listening sessions on a sleep apnea pre-rule and operator safety last month.

“An owner-operator’s livelihood depends on his or her truck mov-

ing,” said Andrew King, a research analyst with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, at the second of three listening sessions in Chicago. “If an owner-operator misses work to be tested, that makes it hard to pay their bills.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration hosted the listening sessions.

Truck drivers at the second session echoed comments from the first meeting that basing a driver’s likelihood of having obstructive sleep apnea on body mass index and neck size isn’t a fair practice.

“The decision to send a driver for a sleep study needs to be based on more than neck size and BMI,” said truck driver Carla Williams. “Basing a driver’s likelihood of having sleep Continued on page 12

Commenters at the listening session questioned whether there really is a correlation between drivers with sleep apnea and crash risk.

commercial carrier journal

| june 2016 11

JOURNAL NEWS Continued from page 11

use a CPAP in a non-APU truck in a

directors, was diagnosed with mild

apnea on two factors that are often

no-idle state such as California and

sleep apnea six years ago. She was

not the best indicators of sleep

CPAP-induced hypothermia when

referred to a sleep clinic from her

apnea is poor practice.”

used at low temperatures.

primary care physician, and her

Trucker Bob Stanton of

Insurance coverage is also

only known symptom was snoring.

Truckers for a Cause, a sleep apnea

an issue, according to Stanton,

She took an in-home test, which

patient support group, urged the

because insurance companies

came back inconclusive, then had

agencies to extend the pre-rule

sometimes don’t see a sleep study

an in-lab test, which revealed mild

comment period because of a

as a medical necessity.

apnea. She then had an oral appli-

survey in progress by the American

“If a driver is qualified as high risk

Transportation Research Institute.

by a medical examiner, the claim

“After talking with ATRI, they’re

is sent to the insurance company,

ance fitted by a dentist. In total, she missed seven days of work.

Commenters noted several problems truck drivers potentially can encounter with CPAP machines while on the road.

“Unlike many people who report

going to be hard-pressed to get

who will then deny it based on

to work at the same time every

between sleep apnea and com-

the data from the survey com-

medical necessity,” he said. “In

day and can make appointments

mercial motor vehicle crashes, and

piled before the June 8 deadline,”

developing the criteria for this rule,

during lunch so they don’t miss

that patients had no greater crash

Stanton said. “Stakeholders need

will the criteria meet medical neces-

work, truck drivers don’t have that

probability before or after the

more time to provide you with

sity for insurance reimbursement?

luxury,” Coutoure said.

diagnosis.

good, objective, quantified data.”

Otherwise, the cost will be incurred

Stanton also named several

by the driver.”

Commenters also brought up

No commenters questioned

the question as to whether there

whether sleep apnea treatments

really is a correlation between

worked, but they did question the

can encounter with continuous

Johanne Coutoure, who runs in

drivers with sleep apnea and crash

criteria used by medical examiners

positive airway pressure machines

both Canada and the United States

risk. King said a 2004 FMCSA study

to send drivers for a sleep study.

while on the road, including how to

and serves on OOIDA’s board of

stated there was no association

problems truck drivers potentially

Canadian owner-operator

– Matt Cole

OOIDA expects ruling on ELD mandate by yearend

T

he Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association expects the courts to rule by yearend on whether or not to uphold a U.S. Department of Transportation final rule to require truckers to use electronic logging devices to track hours-of-service.

OOIDA filed a lawsuit earlier this year with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals asking the court to strike down the rule.

FMCSA in December 2015 published its ELD final rule that gave most operators two years to comply.

12

commercial carrier journal

| june 2016

OOIDA argued in its legal complaint that the mandate violates truckers’ Fourth Amendment rights and does not have a safety benefit.

Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice president, echoed those charges last month, calling the mandate “wholly inappropriate.” The rule is set to take effect December 2017, and Spencer said he thinks the 7th Circuit Court will issue

its decision “well in time to head off the proposed deadline the agency set.”

“This is an issue the court sees the necessity to move a little quicker on than they sometimes do,” he said.

The lobbying and owner-operator advocacy group in 2011 successfully challenged DOT’s prior attempt at an electronic onboard recorder mandate, arguing the rule didn’t do enough to prevent harassment of truckers via the devices. The court agreed, striking down the rulemaking entirely.

Congress then asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to produce another ELD mandate. The agency in December 2015 published its final rule that gave most operators two years to comply.

This time, OOIDA argues that the rule is too invasive of truckers’ privacy, calling the mandate unconstitutional and “arbitrary.”

– James Jaillet

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JOURNAL NEWS

INBRIEF 6/16 • Two people were killed and two were injured May 4 in a workplace shooting at a Knight Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 24) terminal in Katy, Texas. Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman said Marion Guy Williams, 65, was fired that morning, then came back to the Phoenix-based company’s terminal and shot and killed his former supervisor, Mike Dawid, then shot and killed himself. Two other Knight employees were injured by flying debris.

• A Kansas jury awarded $3.25 million in damages to Marten Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 50) for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The Mondovi, Wis.-based refrigerated carrier sued Plattform Advertising, a business it had used to market open trucking jobs online, for using its name and trademarks after it had stopped using Plattform’s services. Marten had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Plattform in 2013.

• USA Truck (CCJ Top 250, No. 60) rebranded its asset-light logistics business, formerly known as Strategic Capacity Solutions, to USAT Logistics. The Van Buren, Ark.-based truckload company said the name change and the design of a logo for USAT Logistics are

14

commercial carrier journal

| june 2016

the first steps in its strategy to more fully realize the value of its asset-light business through an expanded third-party logistics offering.

• The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a safety advisory for certain cargo tank trailers manufactured

by Trailers Y Tanques De Aluminio used primarily for transporting petroleum crude oil.

FMCSA said the company’s cargo tanks with capacities of 8,400, 8,717 and 10,500 gallons had inadequate accident damage protection, and the 10,500-gallon models also had inadequate venting capacity of pressure relief systems.

• The projected publication date of a final rule to establish a commercial driver’s license drug and alcohol clearinghouse was pushed back 13 days from Aug. 16 to Aug. 29. The rule will establish a database of CDL holders who have failed or refused a drug test and require carriers to upload this information to FMCSA at least annually. It also would require carriers to query the database when hiring drivers.

• The American Transportation Research Institute is seeking input from for-hire carriers for its annual “Operational Costs of Trucking” report about basic cost information such as driver pay, fuel costs, insurance

premiums and lease or purchase premiums.

Carriers who complete the survey at http:// atri.checkboxonline.com/OpCosts2016.aspx before June 17 are asked to provide full-year 2015 cost-per-mile and cost-per-hour data.

The results will be released later this year.

• Alvin Shin Chen, 54, and Fiona Xilin Chen, 46, co-owners of California-based trucking company Metro Worldwide Inc. and Pacific Coast Distribution, each were held on $950,000 bail for an alleged scheme to avoid higher insurance premiums and taxes by paying drivers cash and providing inaccurate employee information to state officials. The co-owners of the 20-truck interstate carrier allegedly misled their insurer about how many employees they had and what work they performed. They each were charged with 18 counts of workers’ compensation fraud and five counts of failing to pay taxes.

• Jason L. Flynn, a Tennessee-licensed truck driver, was issued an out-of-service order after police found open beer cans and drugs in his truck following a crash and a field sobriety test detected the presence of alcohol. Flynn made an illegal turn in north Georgia on March 17, which caused a crash with a passenger vehicle. The vehicle became wedged underneath Flynn’s trailer, hospitalizing the driver, FMCSA says.

JOURNAL NEWS

CVSA ad hoc committee seeks to define ‘e-inspection’

T

he Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance last month continued work at its Workshop event in Chicago on defining an “electronic inspection” and the parameters of a new North American Standard Electronic Inspection.

With several variants of wireless or electronic inspections being deployed in real-world testing today, CVSA established an ad hoc committee “to consider the creation of a new inspection level that is based on electronic data/information.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration itself is testing its Wireless Roadside Inspection program in at least five states, and the partially automated “e-inspection” Level 3 demonstration by Drivewyze and telematics partners is being conducted in at least four states.

Establishing a definition could pave the way for such inspections to be adopted on a voluntary basis by enforcement jurisdictions across the country.

The ad hoc committee is expected to reconvene at the fall CVSA Workshop in Little Rock, Ark., to continue its work. Only after settling on a final definition of what constitutes an e-inspection will their work move up the chain to be discussed and voted on by two higher committees, including CVSA’s Executive Committee.

– Todd Dills commercial carrier journal

| june 2016 15

JOURNAL NEWS

Court rules against Colorado drivers in Decker wage law exemption case

C

olorado intrastate truckers who transport out-of-state shipments destined instate are exempted from federal and state wage law, according to a federal appellate court.

On April 21, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district’s court award of summary judgment to Decker Truck Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 135).

This is an order issued when case facts are not in dispute and a ruling can be issued without a trial. The courts considered previous rulings regarding the Motor Carrier Act exemption of the Federal Labor Standards Act. The Iowa-based for-hire reefer and dry van carrier contracted with a beer company to pick up and deliver at two facilities located 5 miles apart in Fort Collins. Decker drivers took outbound shipments from the brewery to a warehouse, then backhauled empty kegs, pal-

lets and hops from there to the brewery.

Most of the company’s sales are to outof-state distributors who receive a payment for each keg and pallet returned.

The drivers argued they should have received overtime pay and breaks for the repeating schedule they worked. They drove four 12 hour-and-15-minute days one week, followed by a three-day week with the same schedule.

Last year, a U.S. district court granted Decker’s motion for summary judgment after it agreed the drivers qualified for the MCA exemption. This act exempts overtime pay requirements when the U.S. Transportation Secretary has power to establish qualifications and maximum hours-of-service.

The judges also considered the kegs, pallets and hops returned by out-ofstate distributors that the drivers backhauled from the warehouse to the brew-

Drivers for Decker Truck Lines argued they should have received overtime pay and breaks for the repeating schedule they worked.

ery. Temporary warehouse storage does not alter the fact that these goods were returned across state lines and ultimately destined for brewery, they stated.

The court also disagreed with the drivers’ contention that they would be classified as equipment operators under the Colorado Minimum Wage Order.

It affirmed Decker’s argument they are interstate drivers, which exempts them from this order.

– Jill Dunn

Carrier gets extension of sleeper berth split waiver

T

he private carrier of snack maker McKee Foods was allowed an extension to its 2015-granted waiver allowing its drivers to split their 10 required sleeper berth hours into segments, rather than having to take them consecutively or in the limited 8/2 split.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced in March 2015 that it had granted McKee a waiver to allow some of its drivers to use either 5/5, 4/6 or 3/7 splits to satisfy their federally required 10 sleeper berth hours per day.

The extension tacks on an extra four years to McKee’s exemption, pushing its expiration to March 2020. It comes pursuant to a FAST Act provision that required all FMCSAissued hours exemptions in place at the time of the law’s enact16

commercial carrier journal

ment to be extended to five total years.

The waiver applies to team drivers for McKee who run electronic logging devices, have at least 26 hours of offduty home time from Friday night to Saturday night each week and are limited to 10 hours of driving time per day. The agency said last year when granting McKee’s exemption that it would give the U.S. Department of Transportation “real-world context

FMCSA initially granted McKee Foods a waiver in March 2015 to allow some drivers to split their 10 required sleeper berth hours into segments.

| june 2016

over a substantial period” to “observe the effects of split sleep.”

By FMCSA’s own research, however, truck operators who use split sleeper berth periods show no greater levels of fatigue or unsafe driving habits than those who keep 10 consecutive sleeper berth hours. The agency cited its own 2013-released report on split sleeper berth time in its approval of McKee’s waiver.

The agency recently released documents showing it has plans for another study on split sleeper berth flexibility, though research likely wouldn’t begin until late this year, at best.

Following FMCSA’s approval of McKee’s exemption, for-hire carrier CRST Expedited made a similar exemption request for its team drivers.

– James Jaillet

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JOURNAL NEWS

800 miles of Pennsylvania highways receive speed limit increase

N

early 800 miles of Turnpike and highway in Pennsylvania now have a speed limit of 70 miles per hour, up from 65.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation last

month upped the speed limit on 396 miles of the Turnpike and 400 miles of certain PennDOT highways. In 2014, speed limits were increased to 70 mph on 201 miles of Turnpike and highway, meaning that last month’s hike gives Pennsylvania travelers 997 miles of

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PennDOT roadways posted with the new limit are: • I-79 from I-90 in Erie County south to a point just north of the State Route 228 interchange in Butler County (97 miles); • I-79 from I-70 in Washington County south to the West Virginia border (33 miles); • I-80 from the Ohio state border east to a point near mile marker 190 in Clinton County (190 miles); • I-80 from a point near mile marker 195 in Union County to a point near mile marker 247 in Columbia County (52 miles); • U.S. 15 from the interchange with State Route 14 in Lycoming County north to the New York state border (49 miles); • I-99 from Exit 68 in Centre County south to a point near mile marker 34 in Blair County (34 miles); • I-99 from Exit 28 in Blair County south to mile marker 0 (Turnpike) in Bedford County (28 miles); and • I-380 from I-84 in Lackawanna County south to Exit 3 in Monroe County (21 miles).

– CCJ Staff

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commercial carrier journal

| june 2016

Last month’s hike gives Pennsylvania travelers nearly a thousand miles of 70 mph speed limits.

JOURNAL NEWS

Next phase of federal Unified Registration System starts Sept. 30

B

eginning Sept. 30, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will require trucking companies to use the online Unified Registration System and will stop accepting paper forms or faxes to apply or update records.

That day, the agency will launch the second phase of the new simplified electronic system that will replace existing registration databases. URS will be the sole source of registration data for FMCSA staff and motor carriers, as well as for state licensing and roadside safety enforcement personnel.

FMCSA says the URS, when fully implemented, will better identify unsafe “chameleon” carriers that try to regain authority by attempting to register as a different, unrelated business entity. The agency anticipates the new system will save the industry $9 million in time and fees over the next decade.

This system is not to be confused with Unified Carrier Registration, which is not an FMCSA program but rather an interstate agreement governing registration information and UCR fees paid by motor carriers, private carriers, brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies.

On Dec. 12, FMCSA implemented URS’ first phase by requiring new applicants for registration to use the MCSA-1 online The URS will better identify ‘chameleon’ carriers that form. The second phase try to regain authority by will involve registraattempting to register as a tion entities subject to different entity.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. This will affect interstate motor carriers and private and for-hire property and passenger motor carriers. It includes freight forwarders, brokers, intermodal equipment providers, hazardous materials safety permit applicants/holders and cargo tank facilities.

The only entities exempt from the online registration system would be Mexican long-haul carriers. These are outside the scope of URS regulations, but will be part of a later rulemaking implementing additional requirements included in the 2012 surface reauthorization act.

Before the second phase starts, entities that had only MC and FF numbers will receive U.S. Department of Transportation numbers because only the latter will be used after the second phase begins. Historically, companies did not pay for a USDOT number, but beginning Sept. 30, new applicants must pay a $300 fee for each registration type, including safety and operating authority registrations.

Companies still will receive a USDOT number, but a distinct safety registration is necessary to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce.

Beginning Dec. 31, new exempt for-hire and private hazmat carriers must have insurance filed by insurance carriers, just as nonexempt for-hire carriers, brokers and freight-forwarders currently do. Also, new private and exempt for-hire carriers must have on file a Designation of Service of Process Agent (Form BOC-3) before receiving registration. Existing carriers may begin filing Sept. 30 and must have filings in by Dec. 31.

– Jill Dunn

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commercial carrier journal

| june 2016

Trucking’s Top Rookie nominations open

A

check for $10,000 and a package of prizes will be awarded to one skillful professional truck driver when Trucking’s Top Rookie is named in August.

The award, named in honor of the late Mike O’Connell, recognizes the best professional truck driver who has been on the job for less than a year.

The Trucking’s Top Rookie contest is a partnership between CCJ sister publication Truckers News, the Truckload Carriers Association, Commercial Vehicle Training Association, Rand McNally, Pilot Flying J, Progressive Commercial Insurance, National Association of Publicly Funded Driving Schools, American Trucking Associations and the Red Eye Radio Network.

Nominations may be made online by 5 p.m. CT June 24 at truckload.org/rookie.

A panel of seven judges will review each nominee and select 10 finalists. The winner will be announced Aug. 26 at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.

Last year’s winner was Frederick Weatherspoon, a 52-year-old veteran of three branches of the military and a driver for Dartco.

O’Connell was formerly CVTA executive director and originated the idea of honoring a top rookie driver to help show new drivers they are important to and appreciated by the trucking industry.

– CCJ Staff

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JOURNAL NEWS

Trucker files motion asking Supreme Court to take up ELD lawsuit

T

he U.S. Supreme Court was scheduled to issue a decision soon on whether it may take up the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s suit against the U.S. Department of Transportation and its December 2015-published electronic logging device mandate once a decision has been issued by a lower court.

A petition was filed in April with the Supreme Court by truck driver William B. Trescott, a company driver for Swift Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 3). According to court documents, Trescott also filed earlier this year to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of OOIDA and truckers Richard Pingel and Mark Elrod, the two other plaintiffs suing DOT and its Federal Motor Carrier

Safety Administration over the ELD mandate.

The court has not yet responded to Trescott’s request to intervene in the lawsuit. OOIDA said it has “no involvement” in Trescott’s motions.

Trescott’s petition asks the nation’s high court to issue a writ of certiorari to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the court currently overseeing the proceedings. Such a writ, if granted, would mean the Supreme Court has an interest in hearing the case once the 7th Circuit Court has issued its decision.

The 7th Circuit Court is the federal appellate court immediately below the Supreme Court. A denial of Trescott’s motion would mean the Supreme Court intends to leave the decision in the 7th Circuit Court’s hands.

The writ, if granted, would mean the U.S. Supreme Court has an interest in hearing the ELD case after a lower court issues its decision.

OOIDA filed a legal complaint in March against FMCSA seeking to overturn the agency’s ELD mandate. The rule is set to take effect in mid-December 2017, but OOIDA has asked the court to strike down the rule, arguing it’s an unconstitutional violation of truckers’ Fourth Amendment rights and will do little to enhance safety.

– James Jaillet

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JOURNAL NEWS

Fleet says FMCSA discriminates against its Chinese drivers

Petition seeks to require states to provide truck parking

n Asian-owned trucking company is alleging it has been the subject of “unlawful and discriminatory enforcement by federal and state officials” because it employs Chinese drivers whose primary language is not English.

In a letter sent by the company’s personnel representative, Kevin Galbreath, to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Acting Administrator Scott Darling, North Carolina-based Truse Trucking alleges the discrimination has been ongoing since 2005.

An FMCSA spokesman was unable to confirm that the letter had been received and wouldn’t comment further.

The letter to Darling says the issue came to a head when FMCSA issued a policy enforcement memorandum in 2007 that instructed enforcement officials to conduct roadside inspections in English and place drivers out-of-service if they are unable to understand and respond.

The company alleges FMCSA “failed to follow rulemaking formalities and failed to provide proper notice to the industry and public,” adding the agency should have published a new policy in the Federal Register.

Truse says its drivers have been issued more than 400 citations ordering drivers out-of-service since 2005.

The company adds it has submitted evidence to Chief Administrative Law Judge Ronnie Yoder that “shows federal and state enforcement officers knowingly and intentionally discriminated against Truse based on national origin and English language proficiency (ELP).”

The letter also states FMCSA brought civil penalty enforcement cases against Truse in 2007 and 2009 based on alleged ELP violations, and Truse demanded an administrative hearing, which it was granted.

Now, Truse says, FMCSA has withdrawn the cases, effectively denying Truse a judicial resolution and a chance at recovering any of its costs and fees, which the company says is hundreds of thousands of dollars over the preceding eight years.

Truse says it’s in the process of preparing new discrimination complaints with the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Justice Offices of Civil Rights and plans to file a new complaint with DOT’s Office of Inspector General requesting a full investigation into the company’s claims.

– Matt Cole

ruck drivers have started an online petition at Change.org asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to The petitioners say they require states to cre- understand that even a plain ate and maintain dirt lot could incur costs to a state and would be willing to truck parking areas. pay to help defray costs.

The petition asks FMCSA to “mandate that each state provide enough state-sanctioned truck parking along interstates to match annual truck traffic volume statistics,” and adds it can be done by “making a plain dirt lot available for truckers to park in at various rural exit ramps.”

The petitioners also say that they understand that even a plain dirt lot could incur costs to a state. “Aside from land procurement, several factors are at play for which we, the undersigned petitioners, would gladly contribute via nominal coin- or token-operated toll gates to enter” the lots. They added they’d be willing to pay $1 for entry to a dirt lot, $2 for a gravel lot or $3 for a paved lot.

The group listed five “considerations” for the lots: · No-frills parking lots for large trucks, either dirt, gravel or pavement. · Reasonable freeway-type light poles. · Dumpster near exit of parking lot. · Snow management in winter conditions. · Law enforcement should not be allowed to “troll” these lots, but instead would be restricted to weigh stations.

More information about the petitioners can be found on their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/truckerpetitionorg. The full letter can be read at http://www.truckerpetition.org/ petition_truckparking.pdf. To sign the petition, go to https://www.change.org/p/flip-the-lawfmcsa-please-direct-states-to-provide-rest-stopsfor-truckers#delivered-to.

– Matt Cole

A

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| june 2016

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MARKETPULSE

T

he following information is obtained from the April 2016 CCJ MarketPulse Report, a survey of 200 senior executives at trucking companies who have agreed to participate monthly. The April 2016 CCJ MarketPulse Report received 78 completed responses from carrier executives.

If you would like to participate in the CCJ MarketPulse survey, please email Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@randallreilly.com.

This year is very disappointing. We are making the necessary changes in our business to compensate for this year and already looking ahead to 2017.

– CCJ MarketPulse respondent

B

Respondents said business conditions deteriorated in April compared to March, with 25.6 percent saying April was worse than March compared to 24.4 percent saying business conditions were better. 60.3 percent of respondents said business conditions in April were worse than the same month last year. Over the next six months, 16.7 percent expect business conditions to worsen, while 34.6 percent expect them to improve, with respondents from fleets with more than 100 power units slightly more optimistic.

Business forecast for the next 6 months Much worse Worse

Overall

Same

Up to 100 power units

Better

More than 100 power units

Much better

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Adding capacity Despite the gloomy outlook, 34.6 percent of respondents plan to add new trucks to their fleets, with respondents from larger fleets more likely to do so. 9 percent of respondents plan to downsize their fleets, an increase from recent MarketPulse surveys.

IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS, WE PLAN TO:

OVERALL 34.6%

Increase the size of our fleet Replace aging equipment but keep fleet size the same Decrease the size of our fleet Make no change in our fleet

33.3% 9.0% 23.1%

UP TO 100 MORE THAN 100 POWER UNITS POWER UNITS 24.0% 39.6% 32.0% 8.0% 36.0%

34.0% 9.4% 17.0%

7

8

1 0 9 T MONTH EV ER ES

Fleets mixed about near future

Freight volume tops carrier concerns

6

5.0

1 = WORST 10 = BEST OR

ST

2 MONTH EV

4

For the first time in years, driver availability (32.0 percent) is no longer at the top of carriers’ list of concerns. Freight volume (39.7 percent) now tops the list for both respondents with up to 100 power units (44.0 percent) and those with more than 100 power units (37.7 percent). Respondents’ concerns over freight pricing is also rising, jumping to 19.2 percent in April, a 2.1 percent increase from March.

W

5

in April ER 3

1

Carrier sentiment dips The Carrier Sentiment Index for April was 5.0, down sharply from the 5.4 recorded in March. The index assesses the month on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the carrier’s worst month and 10 being the best. The index level for carriers with more than 100 power units was 5.0 (5.3 in March), and the level for those with up to 100 power units also was 5.0 (5.6 in March).

SOURCE: CCJ MARKETPULSE REPORT

Carrier top concerns 80% 70% 60% Driver availability

50% 40% 30%

Freight volume

20%

Freight pricing

10% 0%

CCJ MarketPulse is brought to you by Shell Rotella.

Other

June

2015

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Regulation

Nov.

Dec.

March

April

commercial carrier journal | june 2016

25

Jan.

Feb.

2016

Available exclusively in Freightliner and Western Star trucks.

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Startup offers electric Class 8 But sticker shock might keep it parked awhile

N

ikola Motor Co. is promising the coming launch of a new Class 8 truck will “even the playing field” for small fleets and owner-operators. How company founder Trevor Milton plans to help them is by building Nikola One – a 2,000-horsepower electric semi-truck with a range, he claims, of roughly 1,200 miles.

Milton – who originally founded the upstart company to design and manufacture electric vehicles, energy storage systems and electric vehicle drivetrain components – said Nikola One is capable of pulling a total gross weight of 80,000 pounds.

The majority of the truck’s components are being developed by NMC, but the company turned to Meritor for help in co-designing the independent suspension.

You may not pass a Nikola One on the highway anytime soon, but I think it will play a role in ushering out technologies we will come to see as standard in the future.

Nikola One’s fully electric 335-horsepower motor features a dual gear reduction at every wheel (6×6). The truck outputs 3,700-plus lb.-ft. of torque before gear reduction and nearly 86,000 lb.-ft. of torque afterward.

The independent suspension system, based on Meritor’s all-wheel-drive ProTec High Mobility Independent Suspension, is designed to reduce vibration and boost ride quality, while its steering geometry works to improve tracking, centering feel and intuitive feedback.

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| june 2016

By removing the diesel engine and transmission and manufacturing the cab out of lighter carbon-fiber panels, NMC was able to install many of Nikola One’s heaviest components at or below the frame rail, lowering the center of gravity and improving safety.

“Nikola One actually weighs about 2,000 pounds less than a regular diesel (21,000 pounds),” Nikola Motor Co.’s Nikola One is a 2,000-horsepower Milton said. “We removed the electric semi-truck with a range of roughly 1,200 miles. engine, the transmission, the drivetrain and all the liquids that go in those. All the batteries actually weigh less than the diesel engine does alone.”

Additional benefits of removing the diesel engine, Milton said, include the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a larger and more aerodynamic cab and a quieter and more comfortable ride.

Without a transmission, the Trucks equipped with a 150-gallon CNG tank will only things needed to make the be eligible for ‘free fuel’ for their first million miles, Nikola One go or stop are the NMC says. electric and braking pedals.

Nikola One’s electric motors are powered by a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack charged by an onboard turbine. The fuel-agnostic turbine automatically charges the batteries when needed, eliminating the need to plug in the unit. The turbine, Milton said, burns about 25 gallons per hour and, when coupled with the batteries, gives the truck a range of about 1,200 miles between stops and fill-ups.

Going downhill, the Nikola One’s six electric motors absorb the braking energy normally lost and deliver it back to the batteries.

Because there is an electric motor at each wheel, the Nikola One’s software provides dynamic control to each wheel. Torque vectoring controls the speed and torque of each of the six wheels independent of each other at any given moment.

The Nikola One’s cab features a sliding mid-entry door, a full-size refrigerator and

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.

freezer, an electric climate-controlled cabin, a 15-inch touchscreen infotainment display, a 10-inch instrument cluster display, 4G LTE internet and Wi-Fi, over-the-air software updates, a panoramic windshield, a sunroof, two full-size beds, a microwave and a 42-inch television.

Each of the features will be powered by the truck’s 320-kWh battery pack, alleviating the need to idle or run a separate generator.

The Nikola One’s proprietary hardware and software also features platooning capabilities. Once testing is complete and government regulations allow, a single Nikola One driver will have the ability to virtually hitch and lead up to five driverless Nikola One trucks through NMC’s wireless vehicle network and self-driving technology. Virtual Hitch/Fleet Convoy technology is part of the truck’s hardware, and Milton said every Nikola One will come with it.

Milton isn’t the first to put a range-extending turbine in a heavy truck.

Peterbilt did something similar with its Walmart Wave concept GOING ELECTRIC: truck a few years ago. Where Milton Nikola Motor Co. intends to roll beats the likes of Paccar to the table out an electric Class 8 truck that is in his commitment to sell one features 2,000 horsepower. soon. While Pete’s Wave tractor is GET YOUR CHECKBOOK: The still a concept, Milton expects to sticker price on a Nikola One will begin deliveries to customers who range from $350,000 to $415,000. plopped down a $1,500 deposit within the next 24 to 36 months.

FUTURE TRENDS: The truck eventually may help usher out I’m a big believer in turbine technologies we will come to see technology. I think that it’s going to as standard. become a major player in the quest for zero emissions, infinite range or wherever the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is leading us. I also believe we get closer to the major integration of electric motors every time you turn the page on your calendar.

But I’m not a believer in a half-a-million-dollar sticker price. You could get Tesla’s first generation Roadster for $130,000. That put the electric car with a 0 to 60 time of 3.7 seconds in the lower end of a bracket that includes the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari.

Nikola One’s sheer uniqueness means there isn’t a good comparison, but considering that you can add nearly every option to any Paccar, Volvo Group or Daimler-made aero package truck and still never sniff $400,000 shows there’s work to be done on the consumer side, especially with shippers beating up their fleets for lower rates and further squeezing their profitability.

JASON CANNON is Equipment Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcannon@randallreilly.com or call (205) 248-1175.

Heavy-duty Sprinter to launch in Europe

M

ercedes-Benz Vans last month unveiled a heavier version of its Class 3 Sprinter, set to be available in Europe later this year. Company officials said plans for the U.S. market were “certainly not ruled out.”

The heaviest Sprinter to-date – billed as Sprinter 314 CDI in Europe – features a 12,100-pound The Sprinter 314 GVWR, a boost of about 1,000 pounds CDI features a 12,100-pound GVWR. from the former Sprinter 3500’s upper limit. The heavy-duty Sprinter offers a nearly 1,000-pound increase in load capacity, resulting in a total payload of between 6,500 and 7,500 pounds depending on the model.

Considering Mercedes’ Metris and fourwheel-drive Sprinter each were brought stateside following European launches, it’s not beyond reason to expect Sprinter to offer the heavier Class 3 van in the United States in the coming model years.

– Jason Cannon

Mainstay offers 165-DGE back-of-cab CNG system

M

ainstay Fuel Technologies has begun production of a 165-DGE (diesel gallon equivalent) back-of-cab onboard compressed natural gas fuel storage and delivery system. Using the latest generation of Type IV cylinder technology and proprietary fuel module designs, the system incorporates several builtin safety features.

Mainstay’s 165-DGE BOC The CNG system is onboard CNG designed to offer narrow system is engirail space requirements neered for fast, and reduced frame weight, efficient fills. and the same design and features also will be available in a 120-DGE BOC configuration.

– CCJ staff commercial carrier journal

|

june 2016

29

INBRIEF • International Truck now offers over-theair programming for Cummins engines, enabling drivers and fleet managers to use a mobile interface to update engine control modules. OTA programming initially will be available for limited release of Cummins 2017 model-year engines beginning this fall.

• The Cummins Connected Diagnostics system now is compatible with the DriverTech DT4000 onboard computing system, allowing drivers to see urgent engine system faults and receive actionable information with Cummins recommendations.

• Wabco will manufacture and supply high-performance air-compressor technology for Cummins’engines globally and expand the scope of Wabco Compressor Manufacturing, Wabco’s existing Charleston, S.C.-based joint venture with Cummins.

• Wabco acquired Laydon Composites Ltd., a manufacturer of aerodynamic devices for heavy-duty trucks and trailers.

• Mack Trucks will invest $70 million over three years in its truck assembly operations at Lehigh Valley, Pa., to improve manufacturing quality and efficiency and modernize the 1

30

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million-square-foot facility. Enhancements will include a 75,000-square-foot expansion.

• East Manufacturing opened a new manufacturing facility at its headquarters in Randolph, Ohio. The 73,000-square-foot facility will have the capacity to produce 2,000 trailers annually.

• Paccar will offer Allison Transmission’s fully automatic TC10 in Kenworth’s T680 and T880 and Peterbilt’s Models 567 and 579 with both Paccar and Cummins engines.

• Peterbilt customers and enthusiasts can build their own Model 579 – choosing from a range of specs, colors and configurations – with a new free app available for iPads through the Apple App Store.

• Haldex is relaunching its“value line” Midland brand of aftermarket parts, which will include actuators, air tanks, air coils and air tubes, as well as electrical coils, clutches, fittings, gladhands and water pumps.

• Webb Brakes’S-ASA adjusters are standard on Fontaine platform and heavy-duty trailers with Hendrickson axles and suspensions.

• Mitchell 1 announced an agreement with First Vehicle Services, a provider of fleet man-

agement and maintenance services, to provide FVS technicians access to its TruckSeries and ProDemand software programs.

• Navistar said subscriptions to its OnCommand Connection open architecture remote diagnostics system have surpassed the 200,000-vehicle mark.

• Xtra Lease announced orders for 6,000 new trailers for 2016, including dry vans, liftgate vans, reefers, flatbeds and chassis, most of which will be equipped with aerodynamic side skirts, low-rolling-resistance tires and trailer-tracking units.

• Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. announced that Pottle’s Transportation purchased the 75,000th 4000D-X Composite dry van trailer made at its manufacturing plant in Glade Spring, Va. • Bendix announced the delivery of more than 450,000 Electronic Stability Program systems since the product’s introduction in 2005.

• Stemco announced the sale and installation of its 50,000th TrailerTail, 13,000 of which were sold in 2015. The company built a new TrailerTail production plant last year in Longview, Texas, to meet increasing demand for the aerodynamic device.

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Mack touts 2017 engine lineup, mDrive predictive cruise

M

ack Trucks celebrated Earth Day in Austin, Texas – consistently ranked among the “greenest” cities in the United States – by unveiling its 2017 MP series engines.

Keeping in step with Austin’s aggressive greenhouse gas and nitrogen oxide reduction goals, John Walsh, vice president of global marketing and brand strategy for Mack Trucks, said the company’s new-generation engines boost fuel efficiency from 2.1 to 8.8 percent compared to prior model-year engines with additional upgrades in power and productivity while reducing GHG emissions.

“We have become a leader in innovation,” said Dennis Slagle, president of Mack Trucks. “We’ve got the best products [now] that we’ve ever made.”

For the coming model year, Mack’s 11-liter MP7 and 13-liter MP8 engines get a handful of advancements designed to simplify maintenance and improve efficiency and productivity.

Both engines feature an updated wave piston design that Mack says raises the compression ratio and enables more complete combustion of fuel, and a common-rail fuel system that injects fuel more precisely. Combined with a two-speed coolant pump, Stu Russoli, Mack highway and powertrain products marketing manager, said these features help increase MP7 fuel efficiency by up to 5.1 percent and MP8 fuel efficiency by up to 5 percent.

A number of additional improvements were made to both engines, including a new two-piece valve cover, shimless rockers and a low-pressure fuel system with an enhanced integrated aftertreatment dosing module to help reduce maintenance needs. An updated double-walled exhaust gas recirculation flow sensor helps reduce condensation and soot buildup in cold weather, while a new intake throttle 32

commercial carrier journal

| june 2016

enables a faster warmup when the engine is started.

“In addition to efficiency and maintenance improvements, we’re also delivering more power,” said Russoli. “With a new 425-horsepower rating, the 2017 MP7 offers 13-liter power in a lightweight efficient 11-liter package ideal for weight-sensitive applications.”

Targeting long-haul applications, Mack will offer its 2017 MP8 engine with a turbo compounding system engineered to increase power and efficiency. Turbo compounding converts waste energy from the exhaust into mechanical energy that is fed back to the engine. The system adds up to 50 additional horsepower, enabling a substantial increase of fuel efficiency of up to 8.8 percent.

The additional power allows the engine to maintain full torque as low as 900 rpm.

This not only enables a broader operating range in top gear, but also allows a truck to hold top gear longer when overtaking a hill, even with falling engine rpm.

The Mack MP8 with turbo compounding is available with Mack’s Super Econodyne downspeeding package.

The 16-liter MP10, the standard engine for Titan, gets no changes for the next model year.

The 2017 Mack MP8 is available for order now, while the 2017 MP7 and MP10 engines will be available in July. The Mack MP8 with turbo compounding will be available for order in October.

Predictive cruise for mDrive Also for 2017, Mack Trucks will offer Mack Predictive Cruise, an intelligent system that memorizes a route when cruise control is on, storing up to 4,500 hills in its memory. The next time the driver travels the route, Mack Predictive Cruise engages Mack’s mDrive automated manual transmission to choose the most

Mack’s 2017 MP7 offers 13-liter power in a lightweight efficient 11-liter package ideal for weight-sensitive applications.

Mack Predictive Cruise engages Mack’s mDrive automated manual transmission to choose the most fuel-efficient gear.

fuel-efficient gear.

Mack Predictive Cruise monitors driver speed, engine load, weight and the road gradient to select the best gear for the road ahead to improve fuel economy.

When approaching an incline, Predictive Cruise allows slightly more speed, and mDrive then maintains the highest gear possible instead of downshifting, remaining in that gear and preventing downshifts if they are not needed to crest the hill.

Mack Predictive Cruise can increase fuel efficiency by up to 1 percent and does not require a constant GPS connection. After a short connection to GPS, Mack Predictive Cruise recognizes the hill and sends the communication to mDrive, which automatically knows the optimal speed and gear strategy for the upcoming terrain.

When traveling downhill, Mack Predictive Cruise maintains vehicle speed, using kinetic energy and softly applying the engine brake. Because the hill is stored in the vehicle’s memory, Predictive Cruise recognizes it and knows when the gradient will even out, allowing the truck to maintain its speed for the next hill.

– Jason Cannon

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Western Star growing in down truck sales year

Volvo made up 12.4 percent of all trucks sold in the United States last year – a company record for North America.

I

Volvo hit record market share in 2015

F

ollowing a personal-best U.S. retail market share in 2015, Volvo Trucks wants to continue both its North American growth and its push for greater I-Shift automated manual transmission take rates among new truck orders.

In an industry update spanning a wide range of topics last month at the company’s New River Valley truck manufacturing plant in Dublin, Va., Volvo Trucks global boss Claes Nilsson and North American head Göran Nyberg announced that 88 percent of new Volvo truck orders in 2015 were spec’d with the company’s I-Shift.

That feat comes less than 10 years after Volvo introduced the transmission to North America in 2007. That news coincides closely with Volvo’s announcement earlier this year that it made up 12.4 percent of all trucks sold in the United States last year – a company record for North America.

Nilsson and Nyberg also touched on the next phase of emissions and fuel economy standards coming to the U.S. trucking industry in waves over the next decade.

Phase II standards take effect as early as next year for 2018 model-year trailers. Though the truck-specific portions of the new standards won’t take effect until 2021, truck OEs already are preparing to meet the new regulations. Nyberg said the industry hopes to avoid a pre-buy scenario like the one seen before the 2007 emissions standards took effect.

Both executives also hope the company will stay on course to showcase its platooning technology, currently in development, at a test track before yearend.

Nilsson said that while the technology to develop automated platoon-ready trucks is just years away if not already available, the challenge lies in bringing legislators on board and infrastructure up to speed.

“I think it’s going to take quite a long time” to do so, he said. “We have a product we are actively working with. It will be up to the legal agenda to decide on how and at what pace we will be able to introduce this new technology.”

– James Jaillet 34

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| june 2016

f truck makers were to pick a year to charge forward in market share, few would likely put 2016 at the top of their list. But even with the oil and gas market nearly stagnant, Western Star said it is poised to grow its North American market share substantially this year.

Kelley Platt, Western Star’s boss, said last month that her company will sell twice as many trucks this year as in 2010, with 65 percent of its sales coming in the United States.

Year-to-date, North American market share is at 3 percent, up from 2.6 percent through the same time last year and up more than a full point from 2010, which Platt attributes to a growing dealer base and versatile product line.

Western Star has pinned many of its overthe-road hopes to its 5700XE, the company’s first aerodynamic highway truck.

Mike Guarino, on-highway and municipal segment manager, said Western Star was the last OEM to the table with an aerodynamic model but trails only big sister Freightliner’s Cascadia in terms of efficiency.

Platt said dealers have 100 Detroit-powered demonstration units in the field, and at least one test fleet has passed 7.8 mpg.

Much of the delay in the 5700XE’s launch was in the design challenges. Guarino said engineers were careful to steer clear of the “jelly-bean” shape common on many aerodynamic units. Western Star wanted to preserve its rigid look while still being able to offer efficiency upgrades.

“It still needed to look like a Western Star,” he said. “That was important.”

– Jason Cannon Western Star has pinned many of its over-the-road hopes to its 5700XE, the company’s first aerodynamic highway truck.

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Safety first

Bendix, Wabco tout truck stability technologies

BY JASON CANNON

L

ast year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a final rule requiring that all heavy trucks made on or after Aug. 1, 2017 be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) systems on threeaxle tractors.

NHTSA estimates the resulting monetary savings on crashes, reduced congestion and property damage will yield a yearly societal benefit that ranges from $3.6 million to $19.2 million.

For its mandate, NHTSA chose ESC technology over roll stability control. Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government and industry affairs, says ESC offers an all-in-one higher level of protection for the driver. “[ESC] technology is designed to help mitigate both rollover and loss-of-control situations on slick surfaces,” he says.

Both ESC and rollover-only systems work in conjunction with the truck’s antilock braking system, but full-stability systems use more sensors.

“The steer angle sensor measures the driver input, so this is the sensor that actually goes right through the center of the steering column,” Andersky says. “We also add a directional stability sensor that tells us which direction the vehicle is going.

When the driver goes left, and the vehicle goes in any other direction but left, that’s when ESC kicks in.”

MeritorWabco says the truck’s engine control unit constantly compares the vehicle’s actual movement to performance models using various vehicle sensors. If the vehicle shows a tendency to leave the driver’s intended path (oversteer or understeer) or exceed a critical lateral acceleration threshold, the system intervenes by selectively 36

commercial carrier journal

| june 2016

During a recent Bendix product demonstration, guests experienced firsthand the company’s truck safety and driver protection technologies.

applying appropriate brakes and/or reducing the throttle to align the vehicle to the driver’s path or speed.

“The best way to mitigate a rollover is to slow the vehicle down as quickly as possible,” Andersky says. “[ESC] cuts the throttle and applies the brakes on the steer, drive and trailer axles.”

Rollover-only systems cut throttle while applying the brakes on both the drive and trailer axles, he says. “In a loss-of-control situation, roll stability doesn’t do anything because it doesn’t know there’s a loss of control because it doesn’t have those two sensors to let it know that, ‘Hey, we’ve got a loss of control.’ ” The level of sophisticated decision-making that ESC can process in nanoseconds was the driving factor in NHTSA opting for an ESC mandate versus rollover-only, Andersky says.

“In a case of a jackknife going to the left, we may not want to apply all of the brakes,” he says. “We may just want to apply the left steer axle and the trailer brakes to help straighten out the combi-

nation. We can do that because [ESC] can control where the brakes are applied on the tractor [and trailer] and how much braking force is applied.”

Fleets already are taking note of the benefits of ESC protection. Andersky says Bendix typically sees its Electronic Stability Program systems outsell rollover-only platforms by as much as 3:1 depending on OEs and truck specifications.

“The reality is [ESC] is a better rollover system because it can read the rollover situation sooner because rollovers actually start at the front of the vehicle with steering and speed input,” he says. “Since we’re reading that, we can react earlier to a rollover situation.”

Bendix says it has delivered more than 450,000 ESP systems since its introduction in 2005. In 2015, about 35 percent of new tractors were equipped with some form of stability control, Andersky says.

“My expectation is that we would probably see that rise with the mandate to probably about 80 to 90 percent [industry-wide],” he says.

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UPS updates hybrid-electric fleet

U UPS’s updated hybrid-electric trucks are intended to deliver significant fuel economy equivalency gains – up to four times that of a gas-powered vehicle.

PS (CCJ Top 250, No. 1) last month announced updates to 125 of its hybrid-electric delivery trucks designed to extend their range and improve fuel economy as part of the compa-

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38 Untitled-33 1

commercial carrier journal

ny’s broader Rolling Laboratory approach. A compact quiet-running 2-cylinder engine replaces a prior 4-cylinder engine to help extend the trucks’ range while improving performance and fuel efficiency.

The updated trucks are intended to deliver significant fuel economy equivalency gains – up to four times the fuel economy of a gasoline-powered vehicle. They will be deployed later this year in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio and Texas.

The updated E-Gen chassis with the integrated 650-cc engine by Workhorse Group Inc. was announced by Carlton Rose, UPS Global Fleet Maintenance and Engineering president, at the annual Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, Calif.

“These vehicles are a great example of the impact our Rolling Lab approach is having,” Rose said. “Our real-world testing of this new technology revealed opportunities to improve its performance and efficiency, which led to the development of a more advanced propulsion system.”

The trucks were purchased under UPS’s commitment to log 1 billion miles with alternative-fuel and advanced technology vehicles by the end of 2017.

“These low-emissions trucks are designed specifically to meet the stopand-start needs of UPS’s urban delivery routes while driving unprecedented fuel and maintenance savings,” said Steve Burns, Workhorse chief executive officer. “This new system enables the vehicle to accommodate UPS’s typical route on battery energy and uses a very small internal combustion engine to add additional energy to the batteries when and if needed and eliminates range anxiety.”

– CCJ Staff

| june 2016 5/19/16 9:07 AM

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technology Culture of excellence Covenant Transportation Group undergoes transformation

N

ear the end of 2009, Doug Schrier was on a work assignment in New York City. As a consultant, he had three weeks to prepare a nuclear power plant for a reactor shutdown.

The shutdown process normally took 14 days to complete, but he planned to compress the schedule to 10 days, saving the client tens of millions of dollars. In the middle of the project, the chief executive of his firm called with a different assignment: “I need you to go figure out trucking.”

“Trucking, right – that’s got to be easy,” Schrier remembers thinking. “All you are doing is moving freight from point A to B.” His firm had a client, Covenant Transportation Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 37) of Chattanooga, Tenn. Its consultants were struggling, and the project was failing.

“At Covenant, I quickly found out what transportation is really about,” said Schrier, who gave a TURNING A PROFIT: Covenant Transportation Group grew revenues presentation during and reduced its operating ratio. last month’s CCJ Spring Symposium HOW TO DO IT: Four programs and a variety of technologies have in Birmingham, Ala., helped to achieve these results. about how CTG has been transformed by LOFTY GOALS: CTG’s big projects are expected to generate a 200 creating a culture of percent return on investment. excellence.

The problem he encountered when he began working at CTG was “the amount of data that we had within the four walls, and the lack of use of that data.” People were running the company by their hips, he observed.

In August 2010, he became a full-time CTG employee and today is vice president of continuous improvement and project management. Schrier leads a team of 33 employees responsible for ongoing improvement projects.

CTG has five subsidiaries that include asset carriers Covenant Transport, Southern Refrigerated Transport and Star Transportation that operate a combined 2,700 trucks. From 2011 to 2015, the publicly traded company grew revenues from $653 million 40

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june 2016

MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET

BY AARON HUFF

Covenant Transportation Group’s Doug Schrier tells CCJ Spring Symposium attendees how to create a culture of excellence.

to $724 million, reduced its operating ratio from 98 percent to 90 percent and increased earnings per share from (– $0.33) to a positive $1.92.

Schrier explained four programs and a variety of technologies that have helped to achieve these results: Management operating system. CTG uses software to track how work is forecast, planned and performed and how managers follow up on, report and evaluate results. By using this system, CTG is able to “step up our game,” Schrier says.

Train the organization to be problem solvers. Managers are trained how to perform root cause analysis of problems, manage by the numbers and drive improvements by creating action plans. The company also rewards and recognizes achievements.

Kaizen events. CTG regularly assembles a meeting with employees from multiple departments to express what negatively impacts their workday and how to make it better. The goal is to create an action plan that will save $10,000 for each event. This year, the average savings from each event have been $57,500.

4 Disciplines of Execution. CTG is using Franklin Covey’s 4DX program to tie everyone in the organization to a single goal and create accountability.

Schrier stressed that the company does not start projects without looking at the process flow and expectation for what is going to be done.

CTG generally will not undertake a big project unless it can generate a 200 percent return on investment, he said.

AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call 385-225-9472.

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technology

INBRIEF • Aljex Software, a provider of cloudbased transportation management systems for brokers and carriers, implemented Auto-Post for its Trucking Module.

The application, available to Aljex users at no extra charge, is designed to enable dispatchers and asset managers to post available or soon-to-be available equipment to Truckstop.com with one mouse click. Load information entered once in Aljex populates the load board forms automatically through an application program interface.

• Spireon, a provider of mobile resource management and business intelligence, added a Driver Performance Program and mobile app to its portfolio. Designed to be an engaging incentive-based system, the program allows individual drivers and teams of drivers to compete for rewards and recognition during a competition season. Drivers can view their rankings and scores through the mobile app. Fleet managers have access to driver performance data to provide recommendations and coaching and to generate detailed reports.

• Spireon added a refrigerated trailer telematics system for customers who require extra precautions to safeguard their perishable goods or products during climate-controlled transportation and shipping. FleetLocate Temperature Monitoring features remote real-time temperature monitoring and documentation of required temperature history and reporting, as well as pinpoint location tracking of trailers that are unhitched from power or detained.

• Dossier Systems, a provider of fleet maintenance management software, released its updated Dossier 6.5 software that features Active Alerts, a new notification system designed to alert drivers, operators, fleet managers and dispatchers about events and/or status changes.

Other enhancements include expanded Standard Repair Time tools and reporting and extensions of External Work Management workflow, plus additional and improved partner integrations.

• FourKites, a provider of real-time tracking solutions for shippers and third-party logistics providers, announced a collaboration with JDA Software Group Inc. to make FourKites’ real-time visibility data available within JDA’s transportation management software system by leveraging traditional and more advanced

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TMW study: Rates up, utilization down in 2015

A

robust rate environment drove solid financial gains for transportation companies in 2015, but truckload carriers saw declining utilization, and other transportation service providers reported mixed results. These and Most truckload irregular and dedicated fleets other trends surfaced from the most posted significant improvement in financial recent 12-month reporting period of performance, according to TMW Systems’ Transportation & Logistics Study. a Transportation & Logistics Study from software provider TMW Systems.

The latest version of the study incorporates detailed information on rates, utilization, driver wages and retention, management of maintenance costs, diversification plans and other insights collected in 2015 from more than 150 transportation enterprises with $31 billion in combined annual revenues.

Participation in the underlying survey grew by more than 15 percent over the preceding year, TMW said.

Most truckload irregular route and dedicated fleets posted significant improvement in financial performance, and twice the number of irregular route and nearly three times as many dedicated carriers reported healthier operating ratios. However, those gains were driven almost exclusively by rate increases, as utilization – another fundamental contributor to profitability – declined for many fleets over the same period.

“There’s room both for enthusiasm about respondents’ improved financial performance and concern regarding the challenges that continue to negatively impact operational efficiency,” said TMW President David Wangler. Among the insights: Driver retention: Fleets posting increased driver miles per week generally experienced lower turnover, with additional factors – wages, fleet size, average length of haul and tractor-to-fleet-manager ratio – continuing to affect both driver turnover and, by extension, asset utilization.

Asset utilization: Hours-of-service rules and, increasingly, fleets catering to driver preferences such as increased home time continue to impact many fleets’ daily working percentages.

Dedicated services adopting more flexibility: Data points to a trend replacing some traditional dedicated contract freight services with hybrid blends of dedicated and regular service that come with more flexible pricing and adaptive service levels on select lanes.

Service expansion: A growing number of carriers with plans to diversify are targeting the brokerage and third-party logistics segments, while fewer intend to expand into dedicated carriage and warehousing.

Fuel cost management: Lower fuel prices benefitted fleets, but respondents continued to aggressively adopt idle reduction technologies such as auxiliary power units and in-cab heaters.

Participants in the annual study survey receive a comprehensive version of the report containing aggregate detailed response metrics for more precise benchmarking insights and KPI planning. To access a summary version and to sign up to participate in the 2016 study, go to www.tmwsystems.com/study. – Aaron Huff

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technology

INBRIEF streams of intelligence provided by FourKites, enabling end-to-end supply chain visibility, carrier connectivity, efficient onboarding and real-time visibility.

• GPS Insight, a GPS fleet tracking provider, announced a new integration partnership with Fleetio, a fleet maintenance software provider, that allows mutual customers to receive automated odometer readings and diagnostic trouble code alerts from GPS Insight inside the Fleetio software application.

• TomTom, a provider of navigation and mapping products, announced a partnership with StreetScan to deploy TomTom Bridge in its fleet of roadway inspection vans that help cities monitor, maintain and repair roads. TomTom Bridge is a rugged navigation device designed for vehicle fleets that seamlessly connects business applications with TomTom maps, traffic and navigation software.

• SkyBitz, a provider of trailer tracking technology, announced that Las Cruces, N.M.-based Mesilla Valley Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 78) renewed its contract and updated its 5,000-trailer fleet with cellular-based Falcon series products without hardware costs by using the SkyBitz as a Service enterprise subscription option. Falcon is designed to allow MVT to accurately capture and bill for detention by viewing heat maps of idle time on SkyBitz’s web application.

• CarriersEdge, a provider of online safety and compliance training tools, announced that Tacoma, Wash.-based Interstate Distributor (CCJ Top 250, No. 79) is using its platform to provide customized maintenance training. The fleet’s driver and maintenance training needs are being managed on the CarriersEdge system, and its human resources operation is using an integration to track compliance and distribute training materials and company policies.

• Lytx announced that Eagan, Minn.based truckload carrier Transport America selected its DriveCam program – which combines video capture of road incidents such as hard braking or sudden swerving, data analysis of those incidents and personalized coaching insights – to promote safe driving practices for its 1,800 drivers. Transport America said it selected DriveCam after a trial period with 50 of its trucks.

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Stay Metrics shares results from online driver training

S

tay Metrics – provider of an online rewards, engagement and analytics platform used by motor carriers to retain drivers – announced the progress of its Drive Safe training program launched last fall.

In September, Stay Metrics began adding a monthly series of training modules to the privately-branded online driver rewards and recognition site it administers for trucking industry clients. The modules focus on topics in safety and health and wellness.

“This engaging and rewarding training experience increases driver satisfaction and retention for our clients,” said Tim Hindes, chief executive officer of Stay Metrics. “More importantly, it is helping drivers to be safer and healthier, which benefits them individually and the trucking industry as a whole.”

Stay Metrics delivers the online driver training to clients through its partnership with Luma, a provider of digital education solutions. Each training module lasts up to six minutes and uses a combination of video, animation, text, audio and interactive game elements that cater to the specific learning preferences of truck drivers. Luma gathers feedback and research from drivers to improve the training experience and create new modules.

To date, drivers have earned 33,500 awards for completing modules in the expanding Drive Safe library. Stay Metrics automatically records the completions, and drivers can rewatch modules Stay Metrics’ training modules for its at any time. The Safety and Health & online driver rewards and recognition Wellness modules have been viewed site for trucking industry clients focus about 100,000 times total. on topics in safety and health and wellness.

Jordan Carriers, a 350-truck flatbed company based in Natchez, Miss., is using the Drive Safe program for all of its ongoing monthly driver training requirements.

“The online content we used previously was very long and repetitive,” said Shirley Gurney, a registered nurse and the company’s injury management coordinator. “Drivers opposed the length, and many would not do it. The training we get from Stay Metrics is short, to the point and very interactive.

Drivers love it. They’ve made comments that it’s like playing a video game, but most importantly, they truly retain what they are being taught.”

With the Stay Metrics driver rewards platform, Jordan Carriers automatically awards points to drivers for completing the training each month. Drivers also earn points in safety, compliance and other categories to redeem on more than 40,000 items in an online catalogue that includes movie rentals, bigscreen TVs and vacation packages.

“They appreciate their points,” Gurney said. “They look forward to that. Our drivers are being rewarded for just about everything they do in their regular workday.”

– Aaron Huff

technology

U.S. Bank adds lowest-cost fuel search, routing to app

U

.S. Bank added routing and price optimization tools to its Voyager Mobile App. The new Trip Planner tools, part of the Voyager Fuel Network, focus on the most efficient path from point A to point B, and a Smart Buy feature finds the lowest-cost fuel within the route’s given radius.

Low-cost stations are shown on a map that allows drivers and fleet managers to better plan routes and stops based on their fueling costs. In addition to creating maps within the mobile app, it can produce printable reports and maps for fleets that do not issue mobile devices or allow drivers to use them.

Pricing data is obtained in near-real time from thousands of fuel and service stations. The app can filter for various amenities such as maintenance and repair shops, and a hands-free voice

prompt can automatically announce a location, brand, distance and price.

“It builds the lowest-cost fuel choices into a driver’s daily route while allowing for frequent price updates,” said Ramel Lindsay, U.S. Bank fleet product manager. “It works especially well for fleets

that operate primarily around a central hub, but it handles longer routes with equal dexterity.”

The Voyager Mobile App, downloadable for free through the Apple and Google Play stores, was built in partnership with Ignite Media, a technology provider focused on the oil and gas, transportation and financial sectors.

– Aaron Huff

The Voyager Mobile App’s Trip Planner tools, part of U.S. Bank’s Voyager Fuel Network, focus on the most efficient path from point A to point B.

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technology

Home time, health top reasons truckers leaving industry

H

ome time and health issues are the predominant reasons that truck operators are leaving the industry, according to survey results released by background check and drug testing firm HireRight.

In its annual 2016 Transportation Spotlight, HireRight reports that of the 3,500 carrier personnel surveyed, respondents said 41 percent of drivers leave to spend more time at home, and another 21 percent report leaving

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because of health-related factors.

“Driving is a physically demanding profession, and getting proper rest, eating right and maintaining an exercise routine is a challenge due to the nature of the job,” said Steven Spencer, manager director of transportation for HireRight.

“The workforce is aging, and attracting younger drivers remains a challenge due to the trucking lifestyle.”

HireRight said the findings should prompt carriers to take a close look at health and wellness programs that, in addition to aiding in driver retention efforts, also help lower health care and worker’s compensation spending.

According to the survey, 45 percent of respondents said their company does not offer a driver wellness program. However, 35 percent reported their company offers safety and accident prevention programs, 21 percent said they offer free flu shots, and 18 percent said they offer smoking cessation programs.

“The transportation industry is realizing that wellness programs and other methods of improving the quality of life for drivers, while relatively new to motor carriers, are effective ways to attract and retain drivers and boost their overall health, well-being and retention,” Spencer said.

Just shy of 60 percent of the survey’s respondents said driver recruiting and retention was expected to be their company’s top challenge in 2016.

To that end, 51 percent of surveyed carriers reported they have invested in driver pay increases in an effort to attract new drivers or keep current ones, 49 percent said they had upgraded their fleet’s equipment as a driver retention tactic, and 41 percent said they now offer driver recognition and rewards programs.

– James Jaillet

june 2016 1/21/16 12:54 PM

technology

in focus: ONBOARD NAVIGATION Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Covenant Transport has geofenced all locations of customers, their facilities and other company-specific points of interest.

Strategic routing Customization needed to maximize onboard navigation

BY AARON HUFF

C

ovenant Transportation Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 37) has seen a big payback from making its routing more strategic. Doug Schrier, vice president of continuous improvement and project management, said the difference is how the company now customizes its routes to improve safety and efficiency and reduce miles.

In 2012, before the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based truckload company launched strategic routing, its drivers were involved in nine navigation-related accidents caused by being on the wrong street at the wrong time, or being stopped on the side of the road because their navigation system was not working.

In some instances, drivers had pulled

Telogis Navigation uses the vehicle’s current location, planned stops and fleet-specific parameters to calculate optimal routes.

up to plants and did not know where to enter. Covenant now has geofenced all locations of its customers, their facilities and company-specific points of interest.

When drivers cross these virtual perimeters, the navigation system provides them with specific directions to make sure their routes are accurate 100 percent of the time. When drivers approach a customer’s facility and if trucks are meant to enter in a certain way, the navigation system will make sure drivers follow specific directions.

Drivers also will get an alert if they are approaching a turn with a sharp radius, warning them to slow down. Covenant has been working with its navigation provider, Telogis, to make the custom modifications. The company also has added a compliance layer to the program to know when drivers are going out of route and not using navigation.

“We are really driving up the compliance of those things to make

ALK CoPilot Truck combines real-time position data from a wide variety of compatible mobile devices with the company’s PC Miler software database and routing engine.

sure we do not have navigation accidents like we’ve had in the past,” Schrier said.

Commercial navigation systems for fleets have the capability to allow for some customization of routing preferences.

This was not the case with early versions on the market, but fleets have demanded more flexibility and customization of routing, especially for the final mile.

Telogis Navigation combines a turnby-turn navigation application with a cloud-based route optimization engine into a single Software-as-a-Service platform that uses the vehicle’s current location, planned stops and fleet-specific parameters to calculate optimal routes.

ALK Technologies’ onboard navigation software, CoPilot Truck, combines real-time position data from a wide variety of compatible mobile devices with the company’s PC Miler software database and routing engine to deliver turn-by-turn guidance.

Rand McNally sells IntelliRoute TND to drivers (TND 730 LM and 530 LM) as a standalone GPS device and to fleets as an integral navigation component of its fleet management platforms.

As Covenant’s experiences show, taking the time to customize routes and make the most of navigation technology can generate significant returns.

Rand McNally sells IntelliRoute TND to drivers as a standalone GPS device and to fleets as a navigation component of its fleet management platforms. commercial carrier journal

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june 2016

47

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Nussbaum revisits fuel efficiency metrics to improve results

BY AARON HUFF

“S

etting new ideas in motion” is more than a slogan at Nussbaum Transportation, especially with leadership plans now underway to drive new fuel savings on top of already enviable results.

In 2012, CCJ first recognized the Hudson, Ill.-based truckload carrier as a CCJ Innovator for a cost-saving solution it created for a long-time customer. Electrolux, a household appliance manufacturer, was bringing raw materials – primarily steel coils – inbound to its plants on flatbed trailers and then shipping finished product to distribution centers in dry van trailers.

The inefficiencies in Electrolux’s supply chain led to inflated rates for carriers to cover deadhead miles, since dry vans weren’t arriving loaded and flatbeds weren’t leaving that way.

Nussbaum worked with a trailer manufacturer to develop and test a specialized heavy-duty dry van trailer. Once the project was complete, Nussbaum secured a new long-term contract with Electrolux and was able to use the same trailer equipment to haul steel coils in and finished product out.

Nussbaum’s current fuel economy efforts are another example of successfully resolving inefficiencies and cutting costs. The company now is averaging close to 9.0 mpg with a fleet of 300 trucks, and few if any drivers are below 8.0 mpg, says Brent Nussbaum, chief executive officer.

Scoring fuel Starting in 2010, Jeremy Stickling, director of human resources and safety, began a project with the company’s IT department to create an automated driver scorecard and performance-based pay program.

As part of the project, Nussbaum developed Excelerator, a proprietary software program designed to measure mpg data for each driver fairly and accurately. The scoring

NUSSBAUM TRANSPORTATION Hudson, Ill. method is similar to a golf handicap, only more scientific.

Drivers are spotted points according to the year and model of truck, the absence of an auxiliary power unit and the types of trailers they pull. Excelerator also awards points for load weights; heavier loads get a handicap, whereas light loads take points back.

The software also adds points for weather events. Excelerator cross-references the company’s database of past truck locations, reported in 15-minute increments, to a national weather database of temperature records.

Excelerator even matches truck locations to a database of wind speeds and directions. If drivers claim they were fighting headwinds, Nussbaum instantly can tell the driver how many points they were spotted for that segment of their trip. It also accounts for topography and trip length; shorter trips are likely to lower mpg because of more stop-and-go activity.

“The reason we do all of this analysis is to measure what the driver’s real situation was,” Stickling says. “That has to be resolved in their mind for them to be properly motivated.”

Once the external factors are considered, the conversation with drivers can focus squarely on results they can control, such as their speed and rpms.

Every month, drivers receive a fourpage scorecard in the mail, and they also

The truckload company plans to drive new savings by taking driver performance monitoring to the next level. commercial carrier journal | june 2016

49

can view weekly statistics from the scorecard through their in-cab communications system. The scorecard is updated monthly in the company’s mobile app, which drivers can access using their personal devices.

Going to the next level Despite the great lengths to deliver accurate mpg results for Nussbaum’s performance-based pay program, drivers still ask managers questions such as “Did I get enough credit for that factor?”

Stickling says.

Meanwhile, driver managers are not always certain what to prescribe to improve results. They also may struggle to explain to drivers why results changed from month to month. It’s not unusual to see fuel scores change by 20 percent, Stickling says.

That’s why earlier this year he initiated plans to take Nussbaum’s fuel scorecard and driver performance monitoring to the next level. The idea is to have a scoring system based on “habits and behaviors” rather than mpg “results.”

The change, Stickling believes, will remove any remaining subjectivity from driver fuel scores and focus the conversations solely on behaviors they can control.

Focused on behaviors In spring 2015, Nussbaum initiated a pilot project of a video-based driver safety platform that quickly led to fleetwide implementation.

Besides using the critical event data and video recordings to coach for safety, Nussbaum plans to use the platform’s expanded analytical and reporting capabilities to drive fuel performance improvements.

Nussbaum plans to use accelerometer “g-force” data in conjunction with granular vehicle telematics and sensor data to give drivers more specific coaching and action plans.

Specifically, the company will be cap50

commercial carrier journal | june 2016

Nussbaum Transportation CEO Brent Nussbaum says the company’s driver retention success is a result of how it treats them.

turing what a driver does with his right foot and steering wheel. Outside factors such as hills, wind, truck issues and load weight will become less relevant, Stickling believes.

Nussbaum plans to change its Excelerator fuel scoring to a five-prong system based on the following metrics: Smooth driving. Nussbaum will use g-force data coming from all directions around the accelerometer. The setting will be sensitive and capture data at a frequency level that will “tell us which drivers are smooth and easy in their movements,” Stickling says.

“A smooth driver is often one who is gentle on takeoffs and uses the truck’s momentum instead of accelerating and then hitting the brakes right before stopping.”

Speed management. By using speed bracket data, Nussbaum will measure how much time a truck spends at certain speed levels. While the fleet is governed at 65 mph, the data show that drivers who run between 59-63 mpg save more fuel.

“This will let us see very clearly which drivers are setting highway speeds in the low 60s versus those who run up against the governor all the time,” Stickling says.

Throttle usage. Using the speed bracket data format, Nussbaum can monitor average throttle usage of drivers at certain lower speed levels, allowing it to see if throttle usage is comparatively

high or low in the 6-10 mph bracket. A driver who eases into the throttle is more fuel-efficient. Even with a heavy load, a driver could accelerate at the same rate using 30 percent or 60 percent throttle.

Space management. When triggered by an excessive g-force and a warning from the fleet’s radar-based collision mitigation system, the video-based safety system will send event data for review by analysts, who will enter a “safety observation” for the driver’s following distance at one of four levels: 0 to 1 second, 1 to 2 seconds, 2 to 3 seconds and 3 to 4 seconds. Drivers with only a few observations will receive points. Those with frequent following distance issues have poorer fuel economy results and will receive no points.

Idle time. Based on truck anti-idle technology and the time of year, Nussbaum sets an idle target percentage for the month. Drivers get points for hitting the target and extra points the further below the target they land.

Stickling says Nussbaum’s new scoring system is simpler, but a learning curve is expected. “Drivers will still have to learn from the ground up what creates a smooth driving score and what they have to overcome,” he says.

The company consistently has low annual driver turnover in the mid-30 percent range, and Brent Nussbaum says its driver retention success is a result of how the company treats them. Its culture of respect extends to its advanced technologies to improve performance.

“We believe that every driver wants to be a professional,” he says. “When you teach them how to drive more professionally, that is something they can be proud of and is a reflection of our culture and belief that they are not just a truck driver.”

CCJ INNOVATORS profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking’s challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953.

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How data, technology help retain new drivers

BY AARON HUFF

AARON HUFF

A

Rick Drigmore, Pride Transport shop manager, explains the fleet’s maintenance procedures to new drivers.

AARON HUFF

Pride Transport’s hand-wash truck bay serves as both a trucking image campaign and a driver recruiting tool.

58

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| june 2016

t 8 a.m. on a May morning, Jeff England, founder of Pride Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 201), walked through the aisle in the company’s maintenance bay on the way to the second floor in the adjacent office building.

A few minutes later, a group of 10 new drivers gathered in an isle to meet Rick Drigmore, the shop manager, who stood between the upright hoods of two Freightliner Cascadia Evolution trucks.

The drivers were going through Pride’s orientation training program. “When in doubt, just ask,” Drigmore said.

The drivers appeared most interested when the discussion turned to the leadership of the 500-truck company based in Salt Lake City. Drigmore said Jeff England “wants to be remembered as a truck driver” and occasionally takes trucks to dealerships and loads to shippers to make sure Pride drivers are treated with respect.

“That’s how it should be,” a driver commented.

During the day, the new recruits also met with Gene Cardall, director of maintenance, who showed a presentation of various driver amenities. The most popular is the DirecTV service from EpicVue. Alex Talo, a new driver from Las Vegas who recently left a larger carrier, says Pride’s orientation training program is

TECHNOLOGY: DRIVER ONBOARDING in-depth and informative. Another new driver, Heather Glidewell from North Ogden, Utah, described the orientation experience as “hands-on.”

Steve Schelin, director of recruiting, said the most important part of Pride’s orientation program is getting drivers acquainted with the company’s culture and introducing them to the people and resources they need to be successful.

Driver onboarding has become a major area of focus for fleets, with research showing that nearly one-third of new drivers will quit in 90 days and half within the first six months. Getting drivers accustomed to a new workplace, systems and culture can take time, but as the orientation experience at Pride shows, there are many opportunities to make a first impression.

The right tools Lisa Pate, chief administration officer of U.S. Xpress (CCJ Top 250, No. 13), says the Chattanooga-based truckload carrier added an extra day to its orientation program to prep student drivers for the unique challenges of their new lifestyle.

“We are not making any assumptions about what they know and don’t know,” Pate says.

J.J. Keller and Associates offers an online training course for new drivers titled “CMV Driver Basics for Entry-Level Drivers.” The product is designed to help drivers understand the importance of operating safely, being a qualified driver and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Regardless of experience, research shows the leading cause of early driver turnover is mismatched job expectations.

After a few days or weeks at a new fleet, drivers may think their earnings, home time, equipment, routes or other early job experiences are not what were advertised.

With unmet expectations, “drivers may begin a belief system that the company doesn’t care about them,” says Jay Green, business development consultant for Strategic Programs, which gathers anony-

Chattanooga-based truckload carrier U.S. Xpress added an extra day to its orientation program to prep student drivers.

mous feedback from drivers on behalf of its motor carrier clients.

The candid assessments Strategic Programs collects from its call center are used to identify areas where fleets can improve the onboarding process.

Perhaps no expectation is more easily derailed than pay, and that’s why Stay Metrics recently made a change to its onboarding surveys to detect mismatched driver expectations for compensation.

The company offers the driver surveys to fleet clients separately or as part of its online driver rewards, engagement and analytics platform.

As a neutral third party, Stay Metrics conducts onboarding surveys on behalf of motor carriers through a phone interview with drivers at the seventh and 45th day of employment.

The seven-day survey now asks drivers their pay expectations. Motor carriers receive an immediate e-mail alert if the response is not within the pay range that was communicated in the recruiting and orientation process. Carriers then can connect with the driver and discuss possible disconnects and resolutions.

The surveys have a final question that asks drivers if they would like to be contacted by their company to address any questions or concerns, and an immediate alert is sent to the client if drivers answer “yes.” To date, drivers are asking to be contacted about 15 percent of the time, says Tim Hindes, chief executive officer.

Agency, a driver recruitment advertising firm. Its research also shows that drivers will decide within the first 72 hours of orientation if they will ever leave their new employer.

As evidence that the onboarding experience makes a difference in retention, the judges for the Best Fleets to Drive For contest scored the top 20 fleets’ onboarding programs 18 percent higher than the overall average. The Top 20 in the contest – produced by CarriersEdge in partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association – also had a 15 percent better retention rate of drivers than the rest of the field.

Online training is one strategy that fleets are using to improve their onboarding experience for drivers.

Conversion offers 52 online training modules for driver orientation and onboarding. Most of the modules cover the

Orientation training Drivers who change jobs say orientation meetings are the part of the process they dislike the most, according to a survey of drivers by Conversion Interactive

Stay Metrics conducts onboarding surveys on behalf of motor carriers through a phone interview with drivers at the seventh and 45th day of employment. commercial carrier journal

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Oakville, Ontario-based 4Refuel uses the CarriersEdge online training platform to assign courses on hazardous materials safety and other topics to drivers the week prior to orientation.

safety and compliance topics that fleets require drivers to complete before taking their first load.

Conversion’s customers can deliver the training to drivers through a web-based learning management system from EBE Technologies as part of its E-Learning Academy platform. The modules are short videos with training objectives listed at the beginning and test questions at the end. Drivers cannot fast-forward the videos when watching.

Fleets use the platform to assign modules to drivers, monitor their progress and stay in contact during the training process. They also can upload and distribute documents such as human resources forms for drivers to complete prior to arriving at their offices for orientation meetings.

Pricing for the E-Learning Academy is a monthly subscription, and the price is fluid based on the number of drivers that complete the orientation training program each month. Fleets have to option to upload their own content and can work with Conversion to create custom modules.

“Ultimately, we are trying to improve the driver experience,” says Kelley Walkup, president and chief executive.

Milan Supply Chain Solutions of Milan, Tenn., has improved its orientation experience by reducing the time spent in meetings that once took more than two days. Drivers now can complete online training before they arrive and spend just 60

commercial carrier journal

| june 2016

one day at the office for orientation.

Milan uses the Infinit-i Prime online learning management system from Vertical Alliance Group. All orientation presentations are recorded on video.

“Now we can hire a driver, and he can continue to work for another company at the same time he is completing our orientation,” says Pat Landreth, manager of loss prevention. “We have less downtime and less expense.”

Online training has helped 4Refuel develop what it considers to be an effective driver orientation program. The Oakville, Ontario-based fuel delivery provider has an annual turnover rate of between seven and 10 percent, says Ross Jessop, national fleet maintenance and safety manager.

The fleet, which operates 170 trucks in Canada and the United States, uses the CarriersEdge online training platform to assign courses on hazardous materials safety and other topics to drivers the week prior to orientation that starts on Mondays. Drivers complete the courses over the weekend, at home, in about six hours.

With the time savings, 4Refuel’s orientation program takes two days instead of three. The company also knows more about its drivers before they arrive, which helps it focus on areas where extra training is needed.

Driver relations All businesses use customer relationship management systems to plan and execute sales and marketing campaigns. Many

fleets now use similar software to manage driver relationships.

EBE is adding a Driver Relationship Management System as an option for its Ships driver lifecycle platform that has different modules designed to automate workflow in driver recruiting, safety, compliance, payroll, scorecards and more.

Fleets can use DRMS to set up automated communication plans for various “touch points” with drivers during the onboarding period. Automatic notifications can be sent, on a scheduled basis, to human resources, maintenance, payroll and other departments to hold them accountable for contacting drivers and making sure their needs are met.

DRMS also can be used to distribute online surveys to drivers and view the results, says Cindy Nelson, EBE vice president of business development.

WorkHound’s cloud-based application anonymously collects and aggregates driver feedback data. Scheduled text messages can be sent to drivers’ personal devices asking them how they are feeling about their job and why.

“We leave it open-ended to drive ‘bottom-up’ engagement,” says Max Farrell, co-founder of WorkHound. As soon as drivers respond to the message, the results and trends are presented to fleet managers through an online portal.

When a driver shares a comment that shows a “high risk” of leaving, the system will request permission to break anonymity. If the driver consents, an instant notification is sent to the fleet manager.

CDL Helpers’ cloud-based Fleet Relationship Management system keeps a rolling log of driver interactions with management and office staff. The system helps ensure that driver interactions follow a consistent process.

As conflicts with drivers are entered in the system – such as a driver being frustrated with a dispatcher – the system is able to determine the risk of certain types of conflict. A notification could be sent to a fleet manager that a pay dispute has to

TECHNOLOGY: DRIVER ONBOARDING be resolved within a set timeframe before it escalates, says Tucker Robeson, CEO.

Ongoing training Out of more than 4,500 drivers surveyed for Best Fleets to Drive For, 89 percent agreed that ongoing training is important for them to succeed. More fleets are making training a financially rewarding experience.

Stay Metrics offers a series of interactive driver training modules that focus on safety and driver health and wellness topics. New modules are added monthly to the online driver rewards platform it manages for clients.

Liquid Trucking, a Plattsmouth, Neb.based hazardous materials hauler, used to conduct training on site using paper handouts. It since has converted all of its training to online courses that drivers access within the Stay Metrics platform.

More than 80 percent of Liquid drivers check the rewards site regularly to view points they are awarded for clean logbooks, work anniversaries, birthdays, customer compliments and other categories.

Drivers also earn points for watching training videos, taking exams and completing other tasks using personal computers, tablets and mobile devices. The website keeps a record of what they have completed. Drivers redeem their points for a large selection of consumer items.

The Stay Metrics training is developed

by Luma. Each two-minute module combines video, text, audio, animation and interactive game elements, such as pointand-click and drag-and-drop features.

Luma gathers feedback and analytical data from drivers to constantly improve the modules and create new training topics based on their requests.

Structure also is critical to make online learning successful. CarriersEdge’s training modules and learning management system are designed to make it easy to

assign drivers training content and track their progress. The training includes interactive learning that helps keep drivers engaged, says Jane Jazrawy, CarriersEdge chief executive.

More companies are zeroing in on the orientation and onboarding experience to set drivers up for long-term success.

Milan Supply Chain Solutions uses the Infinit-i Prime online learning management system from Vertical Alliance Group. All orientation presentations are recorded on video. commercial carrier journal Radiator Works_CCJ0416_PG.indd 1

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Retention, technology change how fleets choose vocational trucks

BY JASON CANNON

G

enerations ago, vocational trucks were about as basic as one could get – a steering wheel and three pedals.

Trucks that were meant to be battered on the jobsite got few options that weren’t designed for moving payload.

But the quest for driver retention and the trickle-down of available technologies have begun to change how vocational trucks are spec’d.

“Years ago, if you needed a truck, you would go to the dealer and buy something on the lot,” says Ralph Lo Priore, director of fleet assets and processes for Stoneway Concrete. “You rarely had a guy who would spec his own truck.”

Today, customizing its trucks has helped Lo Priore’s company cherrypick the technologies that would most benefit its 85 mixers, 65 dumps and 20 tractors.

“We look at the weight savings seriously while considering the engine, axles and body,” says Eli Carro, president of EAC Transport. Carro says his company prefers aluminum bodies but often compromises with steel due to upfront costs.

The most important factor Lo Priore considers is weight savings versus longevity. A decision he made years ago to go with a lighter dump body resulted in an accelerated replacement rate of the bodies, negating any payload gains.

“We’re always trying to figure out what could be the possible payload and, if we make it lighter, what is the balance ratio of longevity and your unladen weight,” he says.

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Small packages Curtis Dorwart, Mack Trucks’ vocational products marketing manager, says the continued growth of technology has made it possible for smaller, lighter engines to do work that once required 15-liter engines.

“A 13-liter engine, with the proper power band, can rival a 15-liter engine in many vocational truck applications,” says Kevin Baney, Kenworth chief engineer.

Lo Priore took advantage of weightsaving potential by switching from a 13-liter Paccar engine to an MX-11.

“That was a 400-pound savings by doing nothing,” he says.

Charles Cook, Peterbilt’s marketing manager for vocational products, says habits have shifted away from spec’ing the biggest and most powerful engine available, with a preference to now find the right engine for the job.

“Customers realize the benefits and lower costs of spec’ing an engine that has the right horsepower and torque to get the job done, particularly if they’re in weight-sensitive applications,” Cook says.

Weight savings aside, drivers also are looking for trucks to operate quieter, allowing them to run for more extended periods, Cook says.

“That’s why more vocational customers are looking for smaller, lighter engines that run quieter and offer enhanced fuel economy,” he says.

traffic en route to a jobsite, Lo Priore also has begun spec’ing Allison’s 4700 automated transmission.

“I had a couple of guys that wanted to quit” before they’d drive with an AMT, he says. “Now the response is they don’t

Not so shifty With his concrete mixer and rock trucks often finding themselves fighting Seattle

Peterbilt’s Model 567 can be ordered in 121- and 115-inch BBC lengths with a wide variety of heavy-duty components and axle configurations.

| june 2016

Titan is Mack’s heavy-haul/severe-service workhorse, with a 265-inch wheelbase, a 44,000-pound S440 rear axle and a 605-horsepower MP10 diesel engine.

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

EQUIPMENT: VOCATIONAL TRUCKS want to shift, especially in the mixer industry. I’ll never buy another clutch again.” Lo Priore says spec’ing automated transmissions “was probably one of the smartest things I ever did.”

Dorwart sees a bright future for AMTs such as Mack’s mDrive HD thanks to weight savings, cost efficiencies and improved fuel consumption.

“For many applications, they make perfect sense – a great balance of features that opens the driver pool for those with less experience,” he says.

A decrease in demand for manual shifting prompted Ford to drop manual availability altogether across its truck lineup.

“We no longer offer manual transmissions in F-Series trucks because demand for manual transmissions has fallen to very low levels,” says Mike Levine, Ford’s Truck Communications manager.

“At the same time, we’ve improved the robustness and fuel efficiency of our automatic transmissions.”

Year-to-date, Cook says, about half of Peterbilt’s Class 8 conventional trucks – both vocational and on-highway – have been spec’d with an automated or automatic transmission.

“Two major factors driving this growth are improved fuel efficiency and improved driver comfort with less fatigue,” he says. “Regarding the latter, the ease of operation with automated and automatic transmissions allows customers to recruit drivers from a larger pool.”

David Hillman, vice president and general manger for Navistar’s vocational lineup, says the transmission isn’t the only component getting a heavy dose of automation. The automation of the overall powertrain also has emerged as a trend, he says.

“I believe the main reason is for driver comfort, retention and recruitment,” Hillman says. “I think there certainly are some efficiency gains, but it’s more an outcome than an input to the equation.”

Mary Aufdemberg, director of prod-

uct marketing for Freightliner Trucks, is seeing more optimization between the engine and transmission, as well as more electrical integration of complex body and truck electronics using features such as the company’s SmartPlex multiplex electrical system.

Cool and comfy Electric windows and air conditioning used to be optional perks on work trucks, but Lo Priore says the era of finding drivers willing to grind out a day in a hot and noisy cab is a thing of the past.

Carro says that with his drivers spending all day in a cab hauling asphalt in the Florida heat, their comfort is a priority.

“We have heard from our customers that drivers are increasingly important in the decision about brand and specs of the truck, and that trend seems to be increasing,” says Ann Demitruk, vice president of marketing for Western Star.

Lo Priore agrees. “You’ve only got one shot at ordering the truck and keeping the driver happy,” he says. “If you can keep the guy happy, you don’t get grievances, and it changes the whole morale of the drivers, the mechanics and everybody else. I feel the extra little money you spend is money well-spent.”

Dorwart says keeping drivers comfortable behind the wheel is now a significant factor in spec’ing given the shortage of qualified drivers and the aging of the general labor pool.

“Spec’ing more comfortable seats, interiors and some nice accessories, along with an AMT, can really make things more pleasing and easier for the driver,” he says.

Allison’s 4700 RDS 7-speed automatic transmission – with optional second ‘deep reverse’ – can be ordered on Kenworth’s T880, T800, W900 and C500.

Ford designed its F-650/F-750 interior based on its F-Series pickups and chassis cabs.

Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director, says plush amenities pay off in more ways than just retention. “A comfortable operator is a more productive operator,” Swihart says.

Aufdemberg agrees. “Technology has made drivers more productive and efficient, and depending on the application and situation, some of the features can result in a better experience,” she says. “Vocational fleets are doing a lot to make the profession of driving a truck more appealing, and they are looking for specs that will make drivers enthusiastic about their jobs and productive.

A comfortable operator is a more productive operator.

– Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director

commercial carrier journal

| june 2016 63

EQUIPMENT: VOCATIONAL TRUCKS Fleets are considering the evolving needs of their drivers and how creating a comfortable work environment can impact driver recruitment and retention.”

Many of the changes flowing through the work truck market are being influenced by light-duty pickups, Hillman says.

“It wasn’t that long ago that your pickup was just sort of a basic work tool,” he says. “As those have become more laden with creature comforts, the expectation of drivers in a Class 8 vehicle lags a bit, but it kind of follows that. It wasn’t uncommon not that long ago for a work truck to not have air conditioners, but these days it’s an expectation.”

To Hillman’s point, Levine says Ford designed its F-650/F-750 interior based on its F-Series pickups and chassis cabs, noting that the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 engine is 25 percent quieter inside the cabin at 60 mph than the previous model, with noise levels dropping to 68 decibels from 74.

Each of Navistar’s HX Series’ four models are available in either set-forward or set-back front-axle models and in short- or longhood configurations.

Western Star’s 4700 features a 110-inch BBC and is suited for dump, mixer, crane, roll-off, sewer vacuum and plow applications.

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“At idle, noise levels are improved as much as 45 percent, dropping to 48 decibels from 63 decibels,” Levine says.

“Comfort and technology, including fleet telematics, are more important than ever.”

Smarter trucks Beyond the powertrain, trucks have developed the capability to make some of the more menial decisions for the driver. Hillman says Navistar’s Diamond Logic electrical system can be programmed to turn on the headlamps automatically when the windshield wipers are activated.

Fleets also are looking to added technologies to improve uptime. “Customers will rely more on telematics for route planning, to diagnose problems and to make service decisions,” Aufdemberg adds.

Baney says drivers increasingly are looking for instantaneous feedback about the truck’s operation.

“In the work zone, the driver needs to concentrate on the status of the payload, PTO, dump bed and what’s happening around the truck,” he says.

“The idea is to provide the driver the right information at the right time for enhanced productivity.”

Hillman says it’s an improvement of the human/machine interface. “It’s the way drivers work with the equipment to improve their productivity,” he says.

Cook says truck telematics provide a good example of how technology has evolved and is proving to be indispensable.

“It is making a significant impact on fleet uptime and maintenance management,” he says. “Its importance will continue to increase as the technology evolves with more functionality and further integration of more truck systems.”

Baney says technology also has made the spec’ing and body-building process more efficient. A generation ago, that

| june 2016

process involved paper schematics and body-builder manuals couriered back and forth. Today, application engineers at the truck OEM work closely with the body builder to ensure that the chassis and body come together as expected.

“We’re sharing 3D models that show crossmember locations, PTO locations and clearances, special frame-drilling patterns and other air, electrical and emissions equipment on the frame,” he says. “We can help the customer visualize what their truck is going to look like right down to a fine level of detail before anyone drills the first hole.”

Surfing for specs Not to be underestimated in the change of spec’ing preferences is the information superhighway. Thanks to the internet and its abundance of easy-to-find information, customers are now in the driver’s seat when it comes to getting what they want.

“Back in the day, you weren’t able to reach out to these people efficiently,” Lo Priore says. “With technology the way it is, you can actually ‘a la carte’ these trucks. Now you have so many more tools to spec out a truck.”

Aufdemberg says today’s vocational customer is also more in tune with how their business operates and is increasingly concerned about how a truck will help their bottom line versus simply having the biggest one on the jobsite.

“They are considering the real cost of ownership over the lifetime of their vehicles and are thinking more holistically about the purchase and value-added specs,” she says. “While the point-of-sale relationship is still important, customers today also have a higher level of expectation when it comes to parts and service.”

Hillman agrees. “Customers really have a handle on their revenues and their costs, and there is an appetite for approaches that enable them to be better,” he says.

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EQUIPMENT

Hendrickson’s severe-duty suspension available in T880

EQUIPMENT NEWS | INBRIEF

Kenworth’s vocational T880 now is available with the Hendrickson Ultimaax advanced severe-duty rubber suspension designed to balance empty-ride quality and loaded stability for added driver comfort while also cushioning the load.

For the T880, the suspension is available with axle ratings from 46,000 to 52,000 pounds and axle spacings of 54 and 60 inches with an 11-inch ride height for applications such as refuse, sand and gravel, crane/boom, platform, construction and logging.

The suspension features bar pin end bushings, a progressive load spring design and a rugged axle connection to help extend its service life.

• Isuzu’s new medium-duty NPR Diesel features a 13,000-pound GVWR and a 33.5-inch frame that can accept bodies up to 102 inches wide, 91 inches high and 20 feet long. Billed as a “Class 4 truck at a Class 3 price,” the model features four wheelbase options between 109 and 176 inches.

It’s powered by the company’s 3.0-liter 4JJ1-TC turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine producing 150 horsepower and 282 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,600-2,800 rpm. The NPR Diesel features a standard 30-gallon rear-mounted in-rail fuel tank.

IsuzuCV.com

Hendrickson-intl.com, Kenworth.com

New International heavy-haul model International Truck officially unveiled the HX520, the fourth and final model of its HX Series lineup. The HX520 is a 120-inch bumper-to-back-of-cab truck or tractor in a set-forward-axle configuration designed to serve the heavy-haul tractor, construction dump and platform stake/crane markets.

The broader HX Series, International’s new line of Class 8 premium vocational trucks, was introduced in February at the 2016 World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas. “We have been generating a steady stream of truck orders since we launched the HX Series,” said Jeff Sass, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “We expect demand for the HX Series to continue to grow with the HX520’s debut.”

The HX Series set-forward and set-back models are available in either shortor long-hood configurations depending on the application. The HX520 and HX620 models offer Cummins’ ISX15 engine, while the HX515 and HX615 are powered by Navistar’s N13 engine.

InternationalTrucks.com

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• Mack Trucks announced that its mDrive HD 13-speed automated manual transmission will be standard on its Granite models starting with production of the 2017 MP8 engine. Featuring a low-ratio creeper gear, the mDrive HD 13-speed AMT also is available on Pinnacle and Titan models. Mack unveiled the 13- and 14-speed models of the transmission in March, and they will be available for purchase in October.

MackTrucks.com • Mack Defense was awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract from the General Services Administration for Mack Granite model chassis, which will be modified with wrecker and carrier bodies from a separate agency. Completed vehicles will be supplied to military and federal civilian customers. With a capacity of up to 60 tons, the units feature a rugged, durable frame and are powered by the MP8 engine.

MackTrucks.com

EQUIPMENT

Western Star rolling out new offroad package, transformer chassis Western Star announced at Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds the launch of its new Extreme Duty (XD) Offroad package and MBT-40 Transformer chassis.

The XD Offroad package, engineered for rugged environments, initially is available on the 4900 and 6900 models, but the company plans to make it available for other models.

Between the two current available truck models, the XD40 package will be the flagship specification, with heavy-duty components designed for multiple applications. John Tomlinson, XD and vocational sales manager for Western Star, said the XD40 package was developed to be a consistent and repeatable chassis spec.

The XD40 package includes a Detroit Series 60 Tier 3 engine or 2016 Detroit DD16 engine, an Allison 4700 or 4800 ORS transmission, a 110,000-pound planetary rear axle, a 28,000-pound front drive axle in allwheel-drive or standard, and a front engine skid pan.

Western Star’s 6900XD Offroad MBT-40 – the Multi-Body Transformer – is designed to quickly change from one fully functional in-cab-controlled body application to another.

“The MBT-40 package is a gamechanger in construction applications for its ability to be multiple pieces of equipment in one chassis,” Tomlinson said. “Offroad chassis equipment can be expensive to buy and maintain, and new emissions levels are making the investment even more costly.”

Using a Palfinger G68 hooklift that has a lifting capacity of 68,000 pounds and a new transformer package, the MBT-40 is designed to give customers greater utilization of their chassis by

Western Star’s 6900XD Offroad MBT-40 – the Multi-Body Transformer – is designed to quickly change from one fully functional in-cab-controlled body application to another.

replacing the need to have multiple pieces of dedicated offroad equipment on a jobsite that sit for long periods of time when they are not needed. With this new product, complex and heavycapacity bodies can be changed over and back to work quickly and easily.

The unit is equipped with a generic in-cab control system and a selfadapting hydraulic system designed to allow operators to quickly and easily swap the controls of multiple body applications.

The MBT-40 features multiple hydraulic air and electrical connections that allow it to connect and power a variety of body needs from powerful flow-controlled hydraulic motors and pumps to heavy high-flow tip cylinders.

“Mining, quarry and offroad construction industries are looking for better solutions right now, and we have the answers for them with this new product,” Tomlinson said.

Allison ORS transmission Western Star’s 4900 and 6900 models are now available with Allison Transmission’s Off Road Series fully automatic transmission. The 4700 ORS transmission is available as an option for the 4900 and 6900, while the 4800 ORS is available as an option only on the 6900.

Both transmissions are engineered for use in articulated dump trucks and other rough-terrain heavy haulers. With wide gear ratios and maximum gross vehicle weights of up to 211,644 pounds, the 4700 and 4800 ORS both are engineered for larger payloads.

6900XD upgrades Western Star’s 6900XD also is available with a 28,000-pound-rated flat leaf front suspension with a 62.5-inch slippered spring length in combination with a 28,000-pound front drive axle. The slippered spring option is engineered to both reduce wear and tear and contribute to a smoother ride as it absorbs shocks on bumpy roads and uneven surfaces.

Steer axle springs are “doubleslipper-mounted,” meaning that the chassis rests on the springs with hard plastic pads and no shackle brackets.

The axle is held in place with a torque rod system designed to provide added payload capacity with a smoother ride over rough terrain, whether empty or loaded.

The 6900XD is used in offroad applications such as mining, construction and logging and can haul 500,000-pound loads as a tractor and move 80,000 pounds as a dump.

– Jason Cannon commercial commercialcarrier carrierjournal journal || june aPril 2016 2012

67

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NEW Wide-base retread for refuse trucks

Satellite TV antenna Winegard’s DuraSat D4 automatic in-motion satellite TV antenna for trucking applications is almost half the size of its predecessor and features a sleeker lightweight design. Using improved motors and updated algorithms, the antenna is engineered to offer improved tracking for quicker recovery when obstructions cause signal loss. It is designed for quick and easy setup with either a rear-cab or permanent roofkit mount and by connecting coax cable from the unit’s coaxial output to the satellite receiver and the receiver to the TV. The antenna, available in a white or black dome, is powered through a 12-volt output but can be connected to a 110-volt outlet with a power converter.

Winegard, www.winegard.com/durasat, 800-288-8094

Tire inflator AME’s Accu-Flate XL Digital Tire Inflator is designed to measure, inflate and deflate tires with advanced precision. The device is equipped with a 6-foot hose and is powered by two AAA batteries. A backlit LCD screen with an auto-off function helps preserve battery life.

AME International, www.ameintl.net, 352-799-1111

Michelin’s X One XZU S+ Pre-Mold retread is designed for all-position wide-base single tires used by urban waste and refuse trucks. The retread features a winged tread that helps enhance shoulder protection in high-scrub stop-and-start applications. It features a 29/32-inch-deep tread depth and an optimized straight rib design that both contribute to added wear life. The company’s proprietary Co-Extrusion technology and a two-layer compound both help minimize the casing’s temperature to facilitate added durability.

Michelin Americas Truck Tires, www.michelintruck.com, 888-622-2306

Regional, urban delivery tire Goodyear’s Endurance truck tire line for regional and urban delivery fleets is designed to offer more miles to removal, low rolling resistance and more resistance to curb impact damage. The company’s proprietary IntelliMax Rib Technology uses contoured sipes to promote tread stiffness, which helps provide regular wear and optimal snow grip. The tire’s tread design boasts a computer-optimized footprint and a deep tread depth to facilitate added mileage, while a steel casing with super-tensile steel belts helps add toughness and durability. A dual-layer tread compound is engineered for improved fuel economy and greenhouse gas compliance, while the tire’s casing is designed for added retreadability.

The Endurance RSA replaces the G661 HAS and is available in size 11R22.5, load ranges G and H, with more sizes planned.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., www.goodyeartrucktires.com, 330-796-2121

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PRODUCTS

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Cabin air filter Luber-finer’s Extreme Clean HD Premium Cabin Air Filters are designed to trap airborne particles ranging in size from 5 to 100 microns, preventing most allergens from entering the passenger cabin. The air filter combines baking soda and carbon in the media, helping to remove nuisance odors. Application coverage includes Freightliner, International, Volvo, Kenworth, Sterling and Western Star. Recommended in-service time is 12,000 to 15,000 miles, though the filter may need to be replaced sooner if the vehicle frequently operates in harsh conditions.

Luber-finer, www.luberfiner.com, 800-851-3641

Grote’s 4-inch Stop Tail Turn lamps are designed to operate with a range of 9 to 32 volts. All voltage upgrades are contained within the lamps themselves, requiring no changes to their fit, form or function, leaving appearance and light intensity unaffected.

Lamp installation is engineered to be consistent with existing standard connectors and mounting accessories.

Grote Industries, www.grote.com, 800-628-0809

Mudflap securement device Minimizer’s Fast Flaps are designed to secure mudflaps without creating any holes in the flap or sacrificing strength. A screwdriver can be used to pry the Fast Flaps bar apart, allowing the user to insert a mudflap into the gap in seconds.

Minimizer, www.minimizer.com, 800-248-3855

commercial carrier journal | june 2016

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PRODUCTS

THIS YEAR’S ACTIVITIES:

• Best of show winners from past Pride & Polish events compete for the National Championship • Show trucks from across the country on display

TA|Petro Truck Parking Community • FREE Truck Parking • Shuttle bus transportation to convention center • Showers, food vendors and exhibitor demos • RV parking (no hook-ups)

Discovery Pavilion This year GATS is introducing a brand new pavilion where you can touch, try and test the newest products and gadgets in the industry! Trucking professionals and everyone else will find something to discover.

Oil drain valve The EZ Oil Drain Valve now is available to fit Caterpillar’s C15 Acert engines that are equipped with an oversized drain plug. The valve is designed for routine oil changes and oil sample analysis by replacing the drain plug, allowing oil to be drained with a touch of a finger by pushing the lever up and turning it. The lever then can be returned to the locked and closed position, securing it from any accidental openings and preventing oil spills and overflows. Optional hose ends can be installed onto the valve to facilitate easier hose connections.

Global Sales Group, www.ezoildrain.com, 425-999-1200

Silicone hose and elbows Continental’s 4-ply coolant silicone hose and elbows are engineered to handle extreme temperatures in newer heavyduty engines. Silicone has a 400-degree continuous rating and a 450-degree peak rating, making the hose elbows suitable for applications that involve frequent mountainous terrain and maximum-weight cargo that drive up the engine’s heat. The hose elbows complement the company’s radiator hose line and silicone charge air cooler hose and heater hose.

ContiTech Mobile Fluid Systems, www.veyance.com

• Daily meet and greets and celebrity appearances • Live performances at the booth • Prize giveaways and drawings

FREE ADMISSION ONLY WHEN YOU PRE-REGISTER!*

Register at GATSonline.com or call 888-670-7549.

REGISTRATION SPONSORED BY

*Onsite registration is $10

72

commercial carrier journal | june 2016

Trailer power management system Phillips’ Permalogic Smart-Charge trailer power management system is designed to recognize and automatically manage the best power sources to charge liftgate and auxiliary battery banks. The system is engineered to pull from all available sources individually or collectively, including the dual- or single-pole liftgate charging system, tractor batteries, the reefer and a fourth source such as solar power. The system has built-in low-voltage detection to help avoid draining power sources and an LED indicator to display which power input source is being used.

Phillips Industries, www.phillipsind.com, 800-423-4512

Landstar Health & Wellness Pavilion Being healthy is important to drivers. A clean bill of health can be the deciding factor in keeping jobs, maintaining a high quality of life and ensuring that your family has peace of mind. Landstar and GATS want to do their part to help the industry thrive and enjoy great health. After all, we’re family. #GATS #TruckShow

@TruckShow

GreatAmericanTruckingShow

Thursday, August 25 Friday, August 26 Saturday, August 27 2016 Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas

FREE ADMISSION ONLY WHEN YOU PRE-REGISTER!* Register at GATSonline.com or call 888-670-7549. *Onsite registration is $10

PRODUCTS

Sine wave inverter Integrated stub axle suspension Ridewell’s integrated RAR-251 Stub Axle Air Ride Suspension for heavy-haul applications contains two beam assemblies that can be integrated with a 32-inch-track Ridewell axle configured with Wabco Pan 19 disc brake assemblies. The suspension’s pivot design and lateral stiffness help increase capacity for trailer manufacturers wanting a multi-tire configuration that provides a 40,000-pound-capacity per-axle line while improving ride quality. The system is designed for a minimum 10-foot-wide trailer up to a 14-foot or wider installation and accommodates 225-70R 19.5 and 245-70R 19.5 tire sizes at a 12-inch ride height. Additional configurations include a 12.25-inch drum brake assembly for 17.5-inch tires and a Ridewell stub axle with a Pan 19 disc brake configuration to accommodate a 22.5-inch wheel.

Xantrex’s Freedom Xi sine wave inverter is engineered to offer clean AC power, smart battery management and quick connection terminals in a lightweight package, allowing customers to operate most electronics and appliances within its power range.

Xantrex, www.xantrex.com, 800-670-0707

Ridewell Suspensions, www.ridewellcorp.com, 800-641-4122

A/C units Split’s 2.0 and 3.0 O.R. air conditioning units from Bergstrom Standard Products can be installed in multiple variations and locations and are available with a remote control, manual or automatic functions and a Centigrade or Fahrenheit digital thermometer. Maximum operating time is eight hours, and system output ranges from 6,820 to 10,920 Btu/hr depending on the package.

Bergstrom Inc., us.bergstrominc.com, 815-874-7821

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Primera’s miniature Trio All-inOne UltraLight Printer weighs 2.6 pounds and is designed to print, scan and copy in full color or grayscale with up to 4,800-dpi print resolution on standard-size paper. The book-sized inkjet printer slips into most laptop bags and connects to any computer, laptop or tablet with a USB port. It comes with power plug adapters and is available with a battery pack.

888-838-6718 | imperialsupplies.com

74 Untitled-5 1

Primera, www.primeratrio.com, 855-797-2332

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AD INDEX American Truckers Legal Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-525-4285 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Ancra International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-233-5138 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Bitimec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-637-1900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Bostrom Seating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-459-7328 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 CCJ Market Movers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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CCJReviews .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Detroit Diesel Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313-592-5000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26-27 Direct Equipment Supply Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-992-1478 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Dorman HD Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-868-5777 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Drivewyze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-988-1590 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Eaton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roadranger .com/Reman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Emerson Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5124 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 EpicVue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844-EPICVUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Fitzgerald Collision & Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 931-450-4450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Fitzgerald Truck Sales & Glider Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-553-0369 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Fumoto Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707-545-7020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Great American Trucking Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-349-4287 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72, 73 Great American Trucking Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-349-4287 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B/W 12-13 Great Dane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773-254-5533 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Howes Lubricator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-438-4693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Imperial Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-558-2808 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Isuzu Commercial Truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-441-9638 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 J .J . Keller & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-564-2333 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Lytx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-419-5861 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Minimizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-248-3855 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Navistar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . InternationalTrucks .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 O’Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FirstCallOnline .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Omnitracs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-348-7227 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 PCS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281-419-9500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Penske . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844-868-0817 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 PeopleNet Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-346-3486 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-473-8372 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC PPG Commercial Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PPGCommercialCoatings .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 PrePass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-361-7277 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 ProMiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-324-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Radiator Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-RAD-WORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Rig Dig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68-69 Ryder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryder .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Safety First Sleep Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-728-9229 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Shell Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-231-6950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B/W 40-41 Shell Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-231-6950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, IBC TMW Fleet Maintenance Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-401-6682 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Trucker Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TruckerTools .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Truckfridge .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502-863-4536 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Truckstop .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-203-2540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 TSI/SSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-223-4540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Verizon Networkfleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-869-1353 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 VIS Service Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-847-8721 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Volvo Trucks North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336-393-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC-1 Wheel-Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-829-1556 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Xtra Lease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XtraLease .com/Rebills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 commercial carrier journal | june 2016

79

If I use thinner oils will my engine still be protected?

The ability of engine oil to prevent wear by keeping moving parts separated is one of the key functions that it has to perform. That ability comes from the fluid viscosity and the additives which protect

By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants the metal surfaces.

The thickness of the oil film which separates the moving parts is dependent on the viscosity of the oil and it will also depend on the speed and load of the engine operation. If oil is too thin to provide effective separation between moving parts or does not effectively control contaminants, this could result in increased wear through the contact of metal parts or abrasive wear, and could possibly shorten engine life.

As truck and engine manufacturers are trying to achieve the maximum fuel economy for their equipment, the trend is to use lighter viscosity oils to assist in reducing fuel consumption. These full synthetic or synthetic blend oils are expected to provide fuel economy benefits, but not compromise on engine durability. Through extensive testing on synthetic blend Shell Rotella® T5 10W-30, Shell has demonstrated a 1.6% fuel economy improvement benefit vs. conventional 15W-40* with no compromise on durability.

PREVENTABLE or NOT? Deer delivers dilemma to Doe

S

hould trucker John Doe swap his rusty but wonderfully loud ol’ Harley for some of Billy Bob’s vintage Winchesters? “Yep, I surely will,” he decided, smiling at the prospect of beefing up his collection. As a fresh celery stick disappeared into Doe’s mouth to celebrate the decision, he saw that it was 10 p.m. with fair weather, light traffic and great country jams on satellite radio.

But Doe’s luck was about to change. A minute later, as his tractortrailer began to descend a steep grade on North Carolina’s dark heavilywooded Pookatella Pike … Holy groundhogs! A six-point buck sudJohn Doe avoided hitting denly decided to race across the higha deer that raced in front way from the opposing side! Almost of him on the highway, only to sideswipe a guard- choking on his celery stick, Doe hit rail and destroy his right the brakes hard. front fender. Was this a Then, in a desperate attempt to preventable accident? avoid hitting the deer, Doe steered his tractor hard right, partially off the roadway. As a result, he missed the deer but heavily sideswiped the guardrail – the only thing between his rig and a deadly dropoff – and destroyed his right front fender. Later, he contested the warning letter from his safety director that charged him with a preventable accident.

Asked to resolve the issue, the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee upheld the preventable ruling. By reacting as he did, Doe easily could have driven his big rig through the guardrail and off the side of the mountain, probably resulting in his own death. In sum, it would have been far safer to have kept his rig on the road and, if fate decreed, flattened the stag. Had he struck the animal, the accident probably would have been ruled nonpreventable.

Manufacturers develop their engines to operate efficiently with specific viscosity grades, so you should check with them to see which viscosity grades they allow and/or any specific conditions such as ambient temperature, which may influence the use of those viscosity grades. The SAE and API have established minimum requirements for lighter viscosity oils which should allow for effective protection of key engine parts.

A number of diesel engine manufacturers recommend lower viscosity lubricants in their newest engines, and the move to lower viscosity lubricants is reinforced by the announcement that one of the focus areas for the next generation of heavy-duty diesel engine oils will be fuel economy improvements, which lower viscosity oils have demonstrated the ability to provide. This is particularly important as the first-ever fuel economy regulations for heavy trucks will begin in 2014.

Synthetic engine oil also can help keep the engine clean through improved sludge, deposit and varnish protection, and helps reduce overall engine wear under extreme operating conditions.

Synthetic engine oils typically have more stable viscosity and provide better protection when the engine is running under high-temperature conditions, such as high speeds and heavy loads. *as demonstrated in 2009 on-the-road field testing for 10W-30 viscosity grade only, highway cycles, compared to Shell Rotella® T Triple Protection® 15W-40.

This monthly column is brought to you by Shell Lubricants. Got a question?

Visit ROTELLA.com, call 1-800-237-6950 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.

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commercial carrier journal | june 2016 11/9/15 9:07 AM

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*In on-the-road field testing in medium-duty trucks. (For 10W-30 viscosity-grade-only, highway cycles, compared to Shell ROTELLA® Triple Protection® 15W- 40).