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JULY 2017 | VOL 174 | NO. 7

JOURNAL

COVER STORY:

IN VIOLATION, PART I: BRAKES

While brakes can fail or fall out of compliance at any given time, a proper and thorough pre-trip inspection is a fleet’s first line of defense in catching the problem before law enforcement finds it. In CCJ’s first installment of a three-part series on “Preventing CSA Vehicle Maintenance Violations,” several maintenance experts offer their best practices on brake maintenance.

LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

Cover design by David Watson

FEATURES

Special Report: ELDs and hacking

With millions of electronic logging devices coming online, could they become a gateway for hackers to access sensitive vehicle controls and information? Fortunately, spokespeople from ELD suppliers say the probability is virtually impossible.

Supreme Court rejects OOIDA’s ELD appeal … FMCSA study to assess split sleeper berth

CCJ ’s Tech Toolbox: Choosing the right tech

options … FMCSA

With an abundance of new technologies available in the trucking industry, finding the right product at the right time can be a difficult endeavor. By mixing driver and supplier insight with predictive financial metrics and in-house data, carriers can develop repeatable strategies for evaluating and selecting products that maximize their return on investment.

ance minimum hike … FMCSA proposes rules to help drivers get rule beats regulatory freeze … Texas OKs driverless and unmanned vehicles … White House rescinds memo deeming O-Os employees …

Trailer focus: Flatbeds

Supreme Court won’t

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nixes liability insur-

CDL … Driver training

Automating cash flow

When forces constrict cash flow for motor carriers and freight brokers, survival is at risk, but a variety of technologies can help keep money moving. Some are designed to maintain tighter controls on the outflow, or expenses, to slow the bleeding, while other technologies can help accelerate the conversion of receivables to cash.

News

rule on carriers’ access to drivers’ history … L.A. port truckers strike over emissions plan

Innovators: P&S Transportation

14 InBrief

The Birmingham, Ala.-based flatbed hauler empowers employees of all departments and levels of seniority to use big data to make strategic decisions on the company’s behalf.

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017 3

DEPARTMENTS

ccjdigital.com

technology

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

Editorial

Editor: Jeff Crissey Senior Editor: Aaron Huff Equipment Editor: Jason Cannon Managing Editor: Dean Smallwood News Editor: James Jaillet Associate Editor: Matt Cole Contributing Editor: Todd Dills

18 19 19

U.S., OEMs will stay on green path without Paris Climate Accord Tesla working with large fleets on design of electric semi tractor Petro-Canada prepares to debut low-viscosity nextgeneration oils

28 30 32 32

editorial@ccjdigital.com

Does the "Uberization of Trucking" start with the driver? TMW’s Reveal Series now available to Appian users PrePass weigh station bypass available on Bestpass devices U.S. Bank adds electric ChargePoint locations to fleet card

20 InBrief

32 InBrief

Mack optimistic, expects truck sales to flourish for rest of 2017 Michelin debuts airless, connected concept tire

24 Test Drive:

Volvo VNR Regional Tractor

34 35

Paragon rolls out multiskilled driver update Honeywell launches Connected Freight IoT monitoring solution Omnitracs updates Roadnet Anywhere

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017

Electrifying news from Cummins

Preventable or Not?

Ad Index

Products

Sleep monitor, mudflap, air filters, more

Upfront

John Doe’s efforts to avoid a Corvette that swerved into his path caused him to jackknife and slide off the wet road and into a light pole. Was this a preventable accident?

Design & Production

Art Director: David Watson Graphic Designer: Kenneth Stubbs Quality Assurance: Timothy Smith Advertising Production Manager: Leah Boyd production@ccjdigital.com

Trucking Media

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

Corporate

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

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LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

Supreme Court rejects OOIDA’s ELD appeal

n a victory for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Supreme Court last month said it would not hear a lawsuit challenging a DOT rule requiring truck operators to use electronic logging devices to track hours of service. The Supreme Court’s June 12 decision leaves in place a lower court ruling upholding the mandate and its Dec. 18 compliance deadline. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association spearheaded the lawsuit, with its outside legal counsel representing the association and owner-operators Richard Pingel and Mark Elrod. OOIDA said it was “extremely disappointed that the Supreme Court does not see the merit in reviewing our case with so many questions about its constitutionality.” The group said it would continue to press the issue in Congress and is encouraging members to call their representatives and voice their concerns. The American Trucking Associations, meanwhile, said it concurred with the Supreme Court’s decision. “We are pleased to see that the The U.S. Supreme Court left in place a lower Supreme Court will not interfere with court ruling upholding the ELD mandate. the implementation of this important, and congressionally mandated, safety rule,” ATA said. “We will continue to support FMCSA as they work toward the December deadline for electronic logging devices and urge them to provide certainty to the industry about when and how to comply with this rule by continuing to move toward implementing this regulation on schedule.” OOIDA, seeking to have the mandate struck down in court, argued it violated drivers’ constitutional protections against warrantless searches and seizures and that the rule did not meet congressional stipulations set for an ELD mandate. In its appeal to the Supreme Court, OOIDA and the trucker plaintiffs argued the mandate has implications outside of trucking, as it pertains to “millions of ordinary citizens going about their normal workdays under constant electronic surveillance without warrants,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice president. OOIDA brought the lawsuit in March 2016 against DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Scan the QR code with your Safety Administration. A three-judge panel smartphone or for the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of visit ccjdigital.com/ Appeals heard the case last September. The news/subscribe-tonext month, it ruled against OOIDA and in newsletters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, a daily e-mail newsletfavor of DOT, dismissing all of OOIDA’s ter filled with news, analysis, blogs arguments against the mandate. and market condition articles. Continued on page 10

FMCSA study to assess split sleeper berth options

ollowing incremental steps in recent years, the

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month announced a pilot program intended to gauge the feasibility of adding more split sleeper berth options to hours-of-service regulations. FMCSA was soliciting carriers and drivers for the study and was seeking at least 200 drivers to participate. According to FMCSA’s June 6 Federal Register notice, drivers will be studied for up to 90 days. Those interested in participating should visit SleeperBerthStudy.com to complete an application, take a questionnaire and provide written consent to be studied. Current regulations allow drivers, as an alternative to a straight 10-hour off-duty period, to take an eight-hour sleeper berth period to break up their 14-hour on-duty limit and their 11-hour drive-time limit. Drivers using this provision then must take a two-hour off-duty or sleeper period after exhausting their current day’s limits. The agency’s split sleeper berth pilot program seeks to determine the effects other split sleeper Continued on page 10 commercial carrier journal

| july 2017 9

JOURNAL NEWS Continued from page 9 The plaintiffs appealed the ruling to the 7th Circuit, asking for a rehearing en banc — that is, for all 13 judges on the 7th Circuit bench to evaluate whether the case can be reheard. That appeal was denied, leading to OOIDA’s request to the Supreme Court to hear the case. The issue is likely a nonstarter with lawmakers, industry observers say. Five years ago, a Republican-led Congress required DOT and FMCSA to develop the ELD mandate, which also has bipartisan support from Democrats. “I believe this is ‘game, set, match,’ ” said Joe Rajkovacz, head of regulatory affairs for the Western States Trucking Associations and a former owner-operator. WSTA “has moved to making sure our members are educated on this issue, and we’re encouraging them to not wait until the last minute.” June_CCJ_Ancra RAR_7x4.5.pdf 1 5/8/17 – James Jaillet

Continued from page 9

systems such as video recorders, roadside

berth options – such as 5-5, 6-4 and 7-3

inspections, wrist actigraphy (studying

– would have on drivers and their fatigue

total sleep time and wakefulness), in-cab

levels. The study’s outcome could dic-

psychomotor vigilance tests, subjective

tate whether FMCSA decides to pursue

sleepiness ratings as noted by drivers and

reforms to hours regulations pertaining to

sleep logs. Researchers then will study the

split sleeper berth flexibility.

data and make conclusions regarding the

FMCSA said last year it had partnered with Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute and Washington State

positive or negative outcomes of drivers using split sleeper berth options. FMCSA has not said how long the data

University to conduct the split sleeper

collection phase will last, only saying that

berth pilot program.

individual drivers will be studied for up to

Researchers will study the 200 (or

90 days. The agency also did not say how

more) drivers in their normal operations.

long it would take to produce conclusions

However, drivers will be free to split their

based on the data gathered.

sleeper berth time into two segments of “any combination … totaling 10 hours.” “Drivers would be able to use split or

Public comments about the study were being accepted for 60 days, giving carriers and drivers the chance to provide the

consolidated sleep schedules as they

agency with input about the study and

choose, but they still must meet the

how it should proceed. The comment

daily minimum rest requirements,” the

period is available at the Regulations.

agency says.

gov rulemaking portal at Docket No.

The study seeks to gather data from 8:54 AM electronic logging devices, monitoring

FMCSA-2016-0260. – James Jaillet

CMY

commercial carrier journal

Untitled-23 1

| july 2017 5/11/17 1:20 PM

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JOURNAL NEWS

FMCSA nixes liability insurance minimum hike

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month officially withdrew a rulemaking intended to explore the pros and cons of increasing liability insurance minimums for motor carriers. The agency cited a lack of data from key stakeholders. FMCSA’s original Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, published November 2014, sought input from carriers, brokers, shippers, insurers and others about how increasing the current $750,000 minimum would impact insurance premiums for carriers, their ability to obtain insurance and more. FMCSA was tasked by Congress in the 2012 MAP-21 highway bill to study whether an increase was needed. Current limits were set in the mid1980s, and groups have argued that the minimum is too low to cover the costs of today’s crashes and medical expenses.

An FMCSA study released prior to its ANPRM concluded that current coverage minimums hadn’t kept up with inflation or rising liability costs. The American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association both opposed the rulemaking, calling it unnecessary since only 1 percent of crashes exceed $750,000 in liability claims and that most trucking companies carry liability insurance of $1 million or more. They also argued that a mandatory increase could drive premiums up and push smaller carriers out of business. The ANPRM sought to quantify those impacts by surveying carriers and insurers about the costs of premiums at various liability coverage levels, how much those costs could increase if the agency raised the minimum, how often crashes exceed the minimum, how

FMCSA contended prior to the rulemaking that current liability coverage levels couldn’t cover the costs of today’s crashes.

often carriers go bankrupt due to costly crashes that exceed coverage and more. However, the agency said it received too little feedback, particularly from insurance companies, to proceed. Mike Matousek, OOIDA's director of government affairs, said the ANPRM’s withdrawal is significant because FMCSA usually leaves a docket open, even if a proposal is no longer being advanced. – James Jaillet

FMCSA proposes rules to help drivers get CDL

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month proposed two rules intended to make it easier for would-be truckers to obtain a commercial driver’s license. One proposed rule would allow states to issue commercial learner’s permits of up to one year instead of the current six-month limit with the option to renew the CLP for another six months. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety

“We could eliminate unnecessary burdens to both the applicants and to the states,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Daphne Jefferson.

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017

Administration says having a one-year expiration will “eliminate unnecessary retesting and additional fees” for those seeking the additional 180-day renewal. The proposed rulemaking states that if a CLP holder does not obtain his or her CDL within the year before the permit expires, the driver then would be required to reapply for the permit. The second proposed rule addresses active duty and veteran military members seeking to obtain a CDL. The rule would permanently waive the CDL knowledge test for members of these groups, as well as National Guard members and Reservists, who were employed within the last year in a military position that required the operation of a commercial vehicle. FMCSA previously granted a two-year exemption last October to allow these service members to waive the knowledge test. This proposed rule could be com-

bined with another rule published last October that allows the same qualified military members to apply for a skills test waiver. The two rules would give states the option to waive both the CDL knowledge and skills tests. “These two proposals could save time, reduce costs and, most importantly, ensure that states only issue commercial driver’s licenses to well-trained highly qualified individuals,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Daphne Jefferson. FMCSA was seeking comment on both proposals, which could be made for 60 days at Regulations.gov following their June 12 publication in the Federal Register. Comments for the CLP changes can be made by searching Docket No. FMCSA-2016-0346. Comments for the knowledge test waiver proposal can be made by searching Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0047. – Matt Cole

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JOURNAL NEWS

INBRIEF 7/17 • Uber’s autonomous truck unit in San Francisco is under inspection by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles and California Highway Patrol over concerns that the company’s Otto subsidiary may have broken the law by testing autonomous trucks on public highways. Trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds cannot operate autonomously on public roads in California. • More than 850 trucks and trailers previously owned by Aurora, Colo.based Graebel Van Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 148), which shut down its operations in March, will be auctioned off at Ritchie Bros. unreserved public auctions this year without minimum bids. To view the Graebel inventory and auction dates and locations, go to RBAuction.com. • Covenant Transportation Group, parent company of Southern Refrigerated Transport, promoted Billy Cartright to chief operating officer and executive vice president at SRT, where he will lead the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based refrigerated hauler’s management team. Cartright previously served as SRT’s senior vice president of administration. • The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 2017 Out-Of-Service Criteria Handbook contains new footnotes related to out-of-service conditions for compliance, or lack thereof, with the federal electronic logging device mandate. Drivers not exempted from ELD use must be using the devices by Dec. 18. The updated criteria relate directly to hours-of-service regulations and the out-of-service criteria pertaining to them, such as having no logbook, having no previous seven days of logs and presenting a false log. • The California Department of Motor Vehicles instituted new requirements to hinder illegal immigrants from obtaining a commercial driver’s license. All new and existing CDL applicants and renewals must provide proof of California residency, along with proof of U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency or legal presence. The California DMV said it reduced the list of acceptable documents to align with federal requirements.

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017

Driver training rule beats regulatory freeze

The oft-delayed rule sets January-issued memo from President Trump a minimum classroom directing federal agencies to reassess certain curriculum required to be regulations further delayed the effective date of a rule taught to CDL seekers. establishing minimum training standards for new truck drivers before the rule went into effect last month – four months later than originally scheduled. In a notice published May 23, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had delayed the rule’s effective date to June 5 — the third such delay this year and a four-month departure from the rule’s initial effective date, Feb. 6. The rule’s compliance date of Feb. 7, 2020, does not appear to be affected by the delays, which were “necessary to provide the opportunity for further review and consideration of this new regulation,” the agency explained in the May 23 Federal Register notice. The Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Vehicle Operators rule sets a minimum classroom curriculum required to be taught to commercial driver’s license seekers. It also stipulates that pre-CDL drivers become proficient at behind-the-wheel operation, as judged by an FMCSA-approved trainer, before being allowed to receive a CDL. It also establishes a registry of FMCSAapproved trainers from which CDL applicants must be trained. Though the rule was published Dec. 8, a regulatory freeze issued by Trump the day he took office snagged the rule, as it had not taken effect. FMCSA announced a 60-day delay in the rule’s effective date, to March 21, and then another delay, to May 22, prior to last month’s delay announcement to June 5. – CCJ Staff

Texas OKs driverless and unmanned vehicles

he Texas Legislature in late May passed a bill to establish a basic regulatory framework for Texas is one of the first states to autonomous vehicle operation in the state, includa regulatory frameing allowing vehicles without humans present in the establish work for autonomous vehicles. vehicle to operate on the state’s roadways. The Texas House passed SB 2205 on May 21, a few weeks after the state’s Senate approved the legislation, sending the bill to Texas Gov. Rob Abbott’s desk to sign into law effective Sept. 1. The five-page bill prohibits the state’s Department of Transportation or any localities from requiring a franchise, such as a special license or permit, to operate an autonomous vehicle in the state. The legislation also states that vehicles capable of operating without driver input, including the ability to follow traffic laws, may do so “regardless of whether the person is physically present. The automated driving system is considered to be licensed to operate the vehicle.” The bill also establishes a protocol for crashes involving automated vehicles, stating they’re responsible with complying with laws already on the books regarding crash protocol. The autonomous vehicle actions drew nearly unanimous support from Texas lawmakers, with the bill passing the Senate 31-0 and clearing the House 137-1. – James Jaillet

JOURNAL NEWS

White House rescinds memo deeming O-Os employees

he Trump administration last month rescinded a 2015 U.S. Labor Department memo that changed the interpretation of federal wage and hour laws regarding owner-operators’ employment status. Rescinding the memo removes pressure from carriers using owner-operators and gives those drivers more assurance that they can remain independent contractors, said attorney Greg Feary, president at transportation law firm Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary. The July 2015 memo issued by David Weil, head of DOL’s Wage and Hour Division under President Obama, indirectly instructed businesses and state labor agencies to view owner-operators as employees. “That memo functionally said anyone economically dependent on a singular entity and who were exclusive to that entity is an employee,” Feary said. That definition applied to owneroperators leased to carriers, as most owner-operators in that model are dependent on their carrier and operate exclusively for that carrier. The Weil memo wasn’t specific to trucking, rather targeting all segments of the U.S. economy. Its application in trucking was concerning, said Feary, given the nature of the relationship between owner-operators and carriers. “If I want to be an employee truck driver, I can find that job,” Feary said. “It’s harder if I want to be an independent

Rescinding the memo removes pressure from carriers using owner-operators and gives those drivers more assurance that they can remain independent contractors.

contractor running my own business. Why would I want to do that? Because I’m an entrepreneur, and I want to build a business and live in a world where the

harder I work, the more money I make. “But when the government comes in and rewrites the rules to say that a guy is an employee, and the motor carrier says ‘I don’t even want to bring independent contractors on board,’ it robs the opportunity [for owner-operators] to build a business.” – James Jaillet

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JOURNAL NEWS

Supreme Court won’t rule on carriers’ access to drivers’ history

class-action lawsuit brought by six truck drivers — and backed by the OwnerOperator Independent Drivers Association — against the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Pre-Employment Screening Program reports it distributes to carriers has been refused by the U.S. Supreme Court, handing a victory to DOT. The drivers alleged DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shared too much information about drivers’ violation history to prospective employers in the PSP reports. The drivers claimed the reports disparaged their reputations and made it harder for them to find work. The information shared in their reports, they claimed, was “intentionally and willfully” beyond the PSP’s scope. The driver plaintiffs argued in the 2014 lawsuit that the PSP reports are only to contain accident reports and “reports of serious driver-related safety violations.” They claim FMCSA’s inclusion of information such as excessive weight violations, speeding in the 6-10 mph range, violation of certain hours-ofservice regulations, incorrect logs and unlawful parking violates provisions of the 1974 Privacy Act. DOT denied the PSP reports included too much information. The courts also have disagreed consistently with OOIDA-backed plaintiffs’ assertions. The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision last October in favor of DOT, and the court denied a rehearing in the case in December. The Supreme Court’s denial of OOIDA’s petition for the country’s high court to hear its case effectively ends the association’s bid in the Flock vs. U.S. DOT lawsuit. Driver Thomas Flock of Nebo, Ill., was the namesake plaintiff in the case, which also included as principal plaintiffs drivers Dennis Thompson, Thomas Gooden, Douglas Heisler, Walter Johnson and Gayla Kyle. – James Jaillet

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017

Truckers started picketing at XPO Logistics before spreading to Intermodal Bridge Transport and California Cartage Co.

L.A. port truckers strike over emissions plan

rayage truckers in Los Angeles and Long Beach last month went on strike at three companies after both cities unveiled plans to transition to zero-emissions trucks by 2035 and promote common environmental standards at ports nationwide. Both cities had signed declarations expanding their Clean Air Action Plans to launch a zero-emissions port truck pilot program in upcoming years, make new investments in clean technology and expand at-berth emissions reductions. However, they did not indicate to what extent truckers would shoulder the cost to comply with the new goals. “The last time they did this in 2008 with the Clean Truck Program, the corporations ended up passing on the cost to the workers by requiring them to lease a truck in order to get hired and illegally misclassifying them as independent contractors, leaving very little for the workers to take home to their families,” said Eric Tate, Teamsters Local 848 secretary-treasurer. Truckers started picketing at XPO Logistics before spreading to Intermodal Bridge Transport and California Cartage Co. Teamsters representatives say the companies treat them as employees as a general rule, but as independent contractors when it comes to benefits and compensation. Numerous federal and state authorities have ruled they should be classified as employees, said Tate. Over the last several years, the California Labor Commissioner has ordered more than $40 million in back pay to port owner-operators it determined should have been classified as employees instead of independent contractors, he said. While litigation and strikes over misclassification have continued, it was the mayors’ joint announcement to mandate zero-emissions port trucks that sparked truckers’ 15th work stoppage in four years. The mayors also introduced their Green Ports Collaborative to unite cities and ports in shared environmental standards, beginning with the West Coast before moving nationwide. The effort will include demonstrating future demand for zero-emissions equipment and working with manufacturers to produce the technologies needed. – Jill Dunn

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Keep on trucking

U.S. will stay on green path without Paris Accord

think we probably all have that one friend who we discover is an expert on a topic right after it becomes nationally trendy. I’ve got this one buddy who, according to his Facebook feed, is a leading expert on the Paris Climate Accord. The discovery of this new knowledge coincided with President Trump’s decision in May to leave the pact. If you’d have asked my friend six months ago, he probably would have told you the Paris Accord was a Honda dealership in France. He’s a nice guy, but come on. As one of the leading contributors toward global emissions, it’s important that the United States take a leadership role in throttling back climate change, but it’s not as if the Paris Accord was our only strategy of attack. If you need proof, you need only look on the highway. Trucking is surging fast-forward to cleaner emissions with or without U.S. involvement in the Paris AcLEADING CONTRIBUTOR: The U.S. must take a leadership role in throttling back climate change.

CLEANER TRUCKING: It’s not as if the Paris Climate Accord was our only strategy of attack. HIGHER PRICE TAG: A truck that offers 3 to 5 percent more fuel economy does offer a payback.

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017

Ryder’s compressed natural gas fleet is just one example of trucking’s path toward a greener future.

cord. Speculation has swirled the past several months over the likelihood that Trump would delay the implementation of greenhouse gas Phase 2, a resolution that drove a lot of refinements to model-year 2017 heavy truck engines. With each passing day, it appears less likely that Trump will do anything with Phase 2 – which will have a more immediate, and arguably more lasting, impact on trucking than the Paris Accord ever would, beyond what is already set in motion. Under the terms of the agreement, each of the participating 148 countries should regularly report its plans to mitigate global warming. That sounds a lot like the job of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and similar state agencies, and you can’t swing a dead cat on the highway without violating some kind of EPA legislation. According to EPA, 6,587 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent GHG emissions were produced in the United States in 2015. That’s down from the previous year. The United States didn’t sign the Paris Accord until April of the following year, and it didn’t go into force until six months ago.

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Truck OEMs plan to move forward with lower-emissions engines. We’re making our own headway here. Roger Nielsen, president of Daimler Trucks North America, told me in April the company planned to move forward with lower-emissions engines regardless of Trump’s action or inaction on Phase 2, and that’s not the first time I’ve heard this from an OEM. Yes, the trucks are more expensive, but a truck that offers 3 to 5 percent more fuel economy does offer a payback. Even if it feels like pennies being dragged through your nose, it’s still real money. And, yes, emissions systems are a pain to maintain, but they are getting better with improved intervals and easier service access. Shippers are also drivers of greener innovation, demanding their carriers reduce their carbon footprints. They aren’t about to reverse course over anything that happens in Paris. States also have their own emissions requirements that in some cases exceed what is required by the feds. All these individual regulations will funnel upward to reducing emissions nationwide and, ultimately, globally. In my view, pulling out of the Paris Accord doesn’t lessen the U.S. commitment to a cleaner planet; it just changes how we’ll arrive at one. Green trucking – whether it’s through improved efficiency, fuel cell technology or Tesla’s electric semi – is here for good, and it will play a large role in getting us where we all want to go environmentally. JASON CANNON is Equipment Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcannon@randallreilly.com or call (205) 248-1175.

Tesla working with large fleets on electric semi design

hen Tesla debuts a working prototype of its electric semi-truck this summer, it will be a product of design input from some of trucking’s major players. Speaking last month at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, Elon Musk, chief executive officer, said carriers have helped drive the design and development of its electric tractor. “The biggest customers of the heavy-duty Tesla semi are helping ensure that it is specified to their needs,” Musk said. Bringing fleets into the engineering process has removed some of the mystery surrounding the project and helped Tesla provide a truck that meets trucking’s needs and expectations, he said. “We’ll be showing off a working prototype at the end of September, and we have shown it to a number of organizations, and they all love it,” Musk said. “They want to know how many can they buy and how soon. It’s just going to be a question of scaling volume to make as many as we can.” – Jason Cannon

Petro-Canada set to debut low-viscosity nexgen oils

hile Petro-CanPetro-Canada’s ada Lubricants Duron UHP 5Wlaunched most of its 30 is expected Duron CK-4 and FA-4 to launch in the third quarter, performance-specifiwhile Duron cation oils in DecemAdvanced 5W-30 ber, the company is scheduled to debut late next slated later release year. dates for two of its lowest-viscosity grades. Barnaby Ngai, Petro-Canada’s category portfolio manager for heavy-duty engine and driveline oils, said Duron UHP 5W-30 (API CK-4 5W-30) is expected to launch in the third quarter. Duron Advanced 5W-30 (API FA-4 5W-30) is scheduled to debut late next year, Ngai said. – Jason Cannon commercial carrier journal

july 2017

INBRIEF • Nearly 700 Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 5700 trucks equipped with NFD rear tandem axles are being recalled due to a possible defect in the powertrain axle assembly. Daimler Trucks North America said that during the hardening process, the axle assembly’s output shaft could have been made brittle, and if it were to break while the truck is going down a grade, the compression braking would be ineffective. Contact Daimler customer service at 800-547-0712; the recall number is FL-738.

ROTELLA ROUNDUP

The 411on10W-30

• Michelin agreed to acquire telematics provider NexTraq from Fleetcor in an all-cash deal to accelerate its telematics growth and provide synergies to increase its scale, expand its geographic footprint and strengthen its overall competitiveness in U.S. fleet management technology and services. NexTraq provides solutions that help enhance driver safety, fuel management and productivity for small fleets with Class 3-5 vehicles .

By Dan Arcy, Shell Lubricants

Many fleets are switching to 10W-30 engine oils from traditional 15W-40 oils. The reason is fuel economy. Thinner viscosities mean the engine doesn’t have to work as hard and uses less fuel. Think of it like swimming through honey vs. water. Honey is thicker than water, so more energy is used to move through it. The same goes for an engine’s moving parts. A 15W-40 oil requires more energy to move through it whereas 10W-30 oil produces less drag on your engine.

• International Truck announced the availability of the heavy-duty Fabco FSD-20K right-hand offset axle option on WorkStar 7400 and 7500 models. The offset bowl axle is designed to allow for an increase in load capacity to 20,000 pounds without sacrificing ground clearance or cab height. The front driving axle reduces ride height compared to center bowl drive axles by greater than 4 inches.

But can a 10W-30 protect as well as a 15W- 40? You bet. It comes down to quality additives and composition of base oil. In fact, Shell ROTELLA® T5 10W-30 can protect as well or better than industry-standard 15W-40 oils. Give it a shot in your fleet.

• Volvo Trucks North America debuted its Genuine Painted Parts Program that delivers factory-built replacement parts custom-painted for pre-order or quick turnaround. Customers and dealers can order more than three dozen different parts, including hoods and bumpers, for both the VNL and VNM models. The program also offers full-cab options and bulk part ordering for all models, as well as fully dressed hoods for the VNL that come with the mirrors, headlights and grille.

To learn more go to ROTELLA.com/products

• Volvo Trucks is testing a self-steering truck in a Brazilian sugar-cane operation. Used by the Maringá-based Usina Santa Terezinha Group to transport newly harvested sugar-cane, the truck is steered through the fields to avoid compacting the soil and damaging the young plants. Volvo Trucks’ driver assistance system automates steering, and with the help of GPS receivers, the truck follows a coordinate-based map. Two gyroscopes ensure that not only the front wheels but also the entire vehicle is steered with precision.

Comments, questions or ideas? Email us at RotellaRoundup@JWT.com

commercial carrier journal

1151572_SB01_ROTroundup_2_25x9_5 f.indd 1

• Cummins Inc. announced that its B4.5, B6.7 and L9 medium-duty engine platforms are compatible with paraffinic renewable diesel

| july 2017 6/15/17 1:49 PM

fuels meeting the EN 15940 specification. Both the on-highway and off-highway versions of the B6.7 and L9 platforms and all vintages are approved to use paraffinic diesel fuels in North America. Cummins said the move helps further reduce the carbon footprint of its engines. • Ancra International partnered with CellTech Metals for a new line of bonded truck and trailer wall systems. Track from Ancra’s Lift-A-Deck II and Vers-A-Deck captive beam decking systems now is available preassembled with CellTech’s patented metal sandwich wall panels prior to vehicle assembly to provide cost and installation labor savings. • Ryder System Inc. launched Ryder NaviShare, a cloud-based platform designed to provide real-time shipment visibility, predictive alerts and exception dashboards to enable real-time exception handling, routing and analytics. The technology is accessible through both a customer-facing website and a mobile app. • Ritchie Bros., a heavy equipment auctioneer, completed its acquisition of IronPlanet, an online marketplace for heavy equipment and other durable assets, for about $758.5 million, subject to closing adjustments. • GCR Tires & Service launched a Route Planner tool at GCRTires.com/locations designed to locate GCR stores along long- or short-haul routes and select store locations based on specific service needs. Users can select how far they want to deviate to visit a store and share directions to their mobile device and with other drivers in the field or save the route for later trips. • PacLease unveiled its redesigned easy-to-navigate PacLease.com website optimized for mobile users to find information on the company’s full-service leasing, rental and contract maintenance programs. PacLease offers medium- and heavy-duty Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks through its franchise network that consists of more than 450 U.S. and Canadian locations. • Fumoto announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved its trademark applications for the visual appearance of its Fumoto Engine Oil Drain Valve. The Santa Rosa, Calif.-based company said the trademarks prove that the valve’s design is recognized as distinctive by consumers and as a source of identifying the product. • PurePower Technologies and Alliant Power entered into a joint distribution agreement in which Alliant will distribute PurePower’s new and remanufactured diesel fuel injectors to the Association of Diesel Specialists market.

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Mack expects truck sales to flourish for rest of 2017

ack remains focused and bullish about 2017 despite its concerns over what it calls “bureaucratic mismanagement” on behalf of the Trump administration. Mack executives, led by company president Dennis Slagle, pointed out to reporters solid performances in critical areas such as inventory reduction, service with improved uptime and mDrive’s take rate. Business may get even better if President Trump does his part to improve key U.S. policies, according to Slagle, who’s also an executive vice president at Volvo Group, Mack’s parent company. “We’re hoping to get back on the agenda that we think can be helpful to the market — things like infrastructure, deregulation and overall business-friendly policies,” Slagle told reporters last month in Charleston, S.C., during Mack’s “Born to Haul” press event. Slagle said Mack has been enjoying momentum in the first quarter during what he calls a more organized market keyed by inventory reduction. “We, like everyone else, were caught with too-high inventories,” he said. “The peak in the industry was October 2015. I think everybody in the industry, including Mack, has been successful in reducing that inventory down to — let’s call it — a healthy level. We can now look forward to the factories building toward the demand rather than the factories building less because people are trying to reduce inventory. That part is evening out. I think all manufacturers are looking at some sort of rampup to adjust to true market conditions.” Slagle, whose prior job was chief executive officer of Volvo Construction Equipment North America, said he was surprised to learn that vehicle uptime was not a priority when he joined Mack in 2008. “We have taken steps to become a market leader in the way we approach the management of uptime and helping customers through minimized downtime,” he said. Jonathan Randall, Mack’s senior vice president of North American sales, confirmed that increased truck and service performance monitoring through geofencing and Mack’s proprietary telematics program, GuardDog Connect, has been reducing truck downtime. “We have north of 55,000 trucks connected right now,” Randall said. “They’ve done good work with our 91 certified Uptime Centers. The average repair is only several hours long. The average downtime for a truck had been about four days because of the way shops would run their business. We’ve taken that downtime and cut it in half to about two days downtime for that average repair.” Randall said he was pleased with Mack’s ongoing dominance in the construction segment and that the company would later reveal its plans to gain a stronger foothold in the long-haul segment. “I think last year we had what we would consider to be a 22

commercial carrier journal

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Mack will later reveal its plans to gain a stronger foothold in the long-haul segment with its Pinnacle tractor.

While Mack’s mDrive transmissions were spec’d last year in 20 percent of its trucks, that number this year is already at 37 percent penetration.

very strong first quarter 2016 and probably the best quarter we had in 10 years,” Randall said. “We were actually able to top that this year with our first quarter. We had a U.S. market share of 10.4 percent in Q1 and a U.S.-Canadian share of 10.1, and that’s probably the highest market share that we’ve seen in over a decade for Mack.” Randall said that Mack’s success was owed to several factors, including its strength in the vocational market, improved uptime and product enhancement, namely through its mDrive automated manual transmissions that continue to claim additional market share. While Mack’s new mDrive was spec’d last year in 20 percent of its trucks, Randall said that number this year “is already at 37 percent penetration and is continuing to grow.” Mack dealers also have contributed to the company’s current momentum, said John Walsh, Mack’s vice president of global marketing and brand management. “There’s been more than half a billion dollars invested by the dealers into the network since 2010 — new facilities, upgraded facilities, more service bays, more technicians — all supportive of this commitment to uptime and keeping customer vehicles where they need to be, which is out on the road generating revenue,” Walsh said. Mack itself continues to make investments. “If you go back to 2010, there’s been more than $220 million invested between our Lehigh Valley operations and Macungie, where we make all of our trucks for North American export,” Walsh said. “Investments in our engine plant in Hagerstown. Investments in PDCs on the parts side. It’s a lot of investments that we’re making to make sure this momentum we have now sustains itself moving forward.” – Tom Quimby

INBRIEF • Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co.’s dry van manufacturing plant in Paragould, Arkansas, received Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Silver Safety Award based on the days away, restricted and transferred (DART) rate, which is calculated from the number of hours worked relative to the number of accidents at the plant. In 2015, Utility’s Paragould plant had a DART rate of 1.66 with over 1.3 million worked hours. Liberty Mutual’s Silver Safety Award is presented for DART rates of 40 percent or lower of the industry rate. • Stemco, a manufacturer of heavy-duty components and solutions for commercial vehicles, announced the opening of its first friction production plant. The Longview, Texas-based company’s 43,000-square-foot “Friction Factory” will manufacture brake shoes and friction components for medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus applications. • International Truck made Bendix ADB22X air disc brakes standard on all axles of its 6×4, 6×2 and 4×2 LT Series trucks. The ADB22X from Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake features a patented lightweight design engineered to reduce stopping distance and extend brake system life. • Truck-Lite Co., a provider of heavy-duty lighting, wire harness and visibility systems, achieved standard position on both Freightliner’s Cascadia Evolution and Navistar’s International LT Series, each with three components. Both truck makers will specify Truck-Lite’s main mirror on the doors and the fender mirror on the hood. Cascadia tractors will feature the company’s LED side lamp mounted on the front fender, while LT Series tractors will feature its halogen headlights. • Accuride agreed to acquire Solingen, Germany-based Mefro Wheels, its second major acquisition under the ownership of Crestview Partners, which acquired Accuride in November 2016. In May, the company bought KIC, a global supplier of commercial vehicle wheels and wheelend components based in Vancouver, Wash. Rick Dauch, Accuride president and chief executive officer, said the Mefro acquisition will extend the company’s geographic reach. • SmartTruck, a provider of fuel-saving trailer aerodynamic solutions, announced that Chattanooga, Tenn.-based U.S. Xpress (CCJ Top 250, No. 11) is including its TopKit Aero System on all trailer builds this year to gain incremental fuel-efficiency benefits in tandem with previously installed side skirts.

Michelin debuts airless, connected concept tire

ichelin last month debuted its airless, connected, “rechargeable” customizable and all-organic concept tire. A wheel integrated with a tire, Vision – which the company rolled out at its “Movin’ On” global summit for sustainable mobility in Montreal – was produced through a design process with end users and co-constructed from biosourced and biodegradable materials. “It’s inspired by nature with a very light, efficient struc- Michelin’s airless Vision concept tire can neither explode nor blow out, instead relying on its interior architecture to support the vehicle. ture,” said Terry Gettys, Michelin’s executive vice president of research and development. Among the materials used in Vision’s construction are bamboo, paper, molasses, tin cans, wood, electronic waste, plastic waste, hay, tire chips, used metals, cloth, cardboard, orange zest and natural rubber. Three-dimensional printers allow designers to apply a precise amount of rubber on the tire, thus extending its life depending on needs. Tread design is optimized and depth reduced in order to reduce its thickness and make the tire more efficient in terms of materials. An airless tire, Vision can neither explode nor blow out. It relies on its interior architecture capable of supporting the vehicle while also ensuring the wheel’s solidity. The tire’s architecture is based on an alveolar structure developed through advanced modeling: solid in the center and flexible on the outside. The connected tire is equipped with sensors that provide real-time information about its condition. Through Michelin’s mobile app, it’s possible to make an appointment to change the tire’s destination depending on the user’s needs. A change in usage – for example, to snowy conditions – is done via 3D printing. – Jason Cannon commercial carrier journal

july 2017

TEST DRIVE: VOLVO VNR REGIONAL TRACTOR

Best of both worlds Volvo puts some long-haul qualities in improved regional truck BY JASON CANNON

olvo’s regional workhorse tractor, the VNM, having been on the market for more than two decades, was overdue for a refresh. But Volvo designers did much more than modernize its body lines in producing the VNM’s successor, the VNR, introduced in April. Since regional trucks rarely get the same attention regarding fuel economy and driver comfort as long-haul trucks, many fleets suited for VNM trucks were opting to spec VNL long-haul tractors just to get their improved look and driver amenities, said Chris Stadler, Volvo Trucks North America product marketing manager for regional haul. Recognizing that lengths of haul are shrinking and drivers’ demand for home time is increasing, Volvo gave major consideration to amenities and aerodynamics with the VNR, pronouncing it “the future of regional haul.” It’s available in three models: daycab (VNR 300), 42-inch flat roof sleeper (VNR 400) and 61-inch midroof sleeper (VNR 640). A holdover from the VNM, all three VNR models measure 51.1 bumper-tofront-axle inches and feature a 50-degree wheel cut, but having an extra 4 inches of corner visibility makes the VNR shine in tight spaces. At 113 inches, the VNR’s bumper-to-back-of-cab is about 9 inches shorter than the VNL, making tight turns more uneventful. I put the VNR 300’s maneuverability to the test during a white-knuckle drive hauling a 28-foot pup trailer through crowded urban roads around Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Fighting traffic on the narrow streets was sur24

commercial carrier journal

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The VNR’s biggest exterior change concerns the hood, which offers improved sightlines. The truck will succeed the VNM as Volvo’s regional flagship truck later this year.

prisingly effortless. The VNR comes standard with a 12-speed I-Shift transmission and Volvo’s D11 engine that can provide up to 425 horsepower and 1,550 lb.-ft. of torque. Compared to a VNM spec’d with a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2014-compliant engine, it improves fuel efficiency by about 2.5 percent. Equipped with a 425-hp engine, my VNR 300 was a little over-spec’d for its 43,680 GVW, but Stadler said Volvo intentionally added flexibility – including options for a large sleeper and D13 engine – so that VNRs could adapt as a fleet’s load type and length of haul change. The extra horses came in handy when I jumped into a VNR 400 tasked with hauling a concrete block load of nearly 76,000 pounds. The rig effortlessly dragged the blocks to and from the skirts of Mount Airy, North Carolina.

Both the D11 and the optional D13, which offers up to 500 hp and 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque, can be matched to the standard 12-speed I-Shift, a 12-speed Severe Duty I-Shift, a 13- or 14-speed I-Shift with Crawler Gears or a 10-, 13or 18-speed Eaton Fuller manual. Outside of a few niche operations, why you would opt to shift gears is beyond me, especially in a downtown start-and-stop application. The I-Shift is flawlessly smooth and precise. Also, my VNR 300 was equipped with Volvo’s Hill Start Assist, which prevents rollback when the driver’s foot comes off the brake on a steep grade. The VNR’s biggest exterior change concerns the hood, which improves sightlines by adding 4 extra inches of corner visibility. It’s also 70 pounds lighter than the VNM hood. Aerodynamically designed LED headlights rated for 10,000 hours were pulled into the front of the truck rather

A three-motion adjustable steering wheel has a 4.5-inch telescoping range and a 30-degree head tilt, which allows drivers better comfort and an optimal view of the dash displays and switches that are within easy reach.

ELD and a GPS. With the debut of its 2017 engine lineup, Volvo was able to reduce engine noise, and the VNR’s dense floor covering and insulation dampen road noise even further. Acoustics from

the sound system have been improved by relocating the speaker lower on the door, and the door also features deeper storage pockets. Each VNR has three interior trim level options and seven seat options.

than mounted along the side, lessening the likelihood of damage. A redesigned grille features a honeycomb style that helps optimize airflow under the hood, and its matte chrome bezel looks pretty cool while also boosting serviceability. The steel bumper is shaped around the truck, contributing to a more than 1 percent fuel economy boost from aerodynamics alone. Inside, the VNR adds 2 inches of seat travel. Movable modular cupholders are rail-mounted and slide via a toggle switch release. An insert is available for a rail-mounted electronic logging device. An optional infotainment system features a 7-inch color touchscreen and an integrated premium audio system. Drivers also can install navigation tools and other third-party apps. Volvo added enough USB and 12-volt power sources that you can charge a phone and/or tablet while also powering an

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Call 877-867-6704 or visit prepass.com/CCJ to learn how to provide your fleet’s drivers with the bypass solution they prefer.

commercial carrier journal

july 2017

technology

MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET BY AARON HUFF

A trucker-centric future Does the ‘Uberization’ of trucking start with the driver?

he trucking and logistics industry has been inundated by well-funded startup brokerage firms. Many of these have developed software to make freight and capacity available to carriers and shippers on demand. Ironically, these on-demand freight models seek to limit the role of an intermediary in freight transactions. Some refer to this “de-intermediation” movement as the “Uberization of trucking.” In theory, technology should make it as easy to ship freight across the country as it is to buy an item from Amazon or hail a ride across town with Uber’s app. Automating truckload and less-than-truckload freight transactions may not be that easy, but startups believe the prospect is within reach. By connecting all parties in the cloud and applying powerful algorithms, these on-demand freight models can match shipments with capacity. They also can eliminate faxing, emails, phone calls and other touch points in the lifecycle of shipments. While high-tech brokers want to make freight transactions more efficient for humans, their challenge is to create freight marketplaces that balance both sides of WELL-FUNDED: The trucking and the supply-and-delogistics industry has been inunmand equation. dated by startup brokerage firms. California-based SMARTER MATCHING: Some startup Next Truckbelieve the prospect of automated ing opened an freight transactions is within reach. on-demand freight THE RIGHT EQUATION: shipping business in The challenge is to create freight December 2015. The marketplaces that balance supply and demand. company planned to offer coverage in all contiguous 48 states, but soon realized that motor carriers quickly lost interest in freight that didn’t meet their specific lane preferences. Next Trucking refocused and made its technology and business model more trucker-centric, says Lidia Yan, chief executive officer and co-founder. Owner-operators and small carriers can use a mobile app and online platform to enter their route and rate preferences. Next Trucking uses this trucker-specific

commercial carrier journal

july 2017

information to propose quotes to shippers with freight in drivers’ lanes of interest. Yan comes from a family business, iDC Logistics, which distributes TVs and consumer electronics from major U.S. ports to inland retailers. Next Trucking leverages iDC’s contacts in the electronics industry to focus on building Next Trucking’s mobile app allows preapproved truckers its business one lane at a time. to book freight instantly. To haul freight for Next Trucking, drivers are required to use its mobile app that automatically captures real-time shipment location using the GPS in smartphones. The app also has a document capture feature to upload proof-of-delivery receipts to expedite freight payment. By using the online platform, carriers gain a free fleet management system to track their shipments and monitor other areas of their business performance. Some truckers who work with Next Trucking put 100 percent of their capacity into the platform, Yan says. Looking ahead, Yan sees Next Trucking expanding its area of focus from California to New Jersey and Texas, two other states with large ports. Both markets have high volumes of inbound and outbound shipments for the company to continue building round trips for drivers who are based in those areas. “We focus on drivers,” she says. “Our goal is to build a huge trucking fleet.” AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call 385-225-9472.

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technology

TMW’s Reveal Series available to Appian users

MW Systems’ Reveal Series cloudbased business intelligence and data analytics platform now is available as an add-on for users of the company’s Appian FinalMile solutions, which includes DirectRoute routing and scheduling

optimization software and DRTrack fleet tracking and reporting. The optional Reveal Series is designed to enable users to leverage data within their businesses through advanced transportation-specific data models and

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visualization tools. By using these tools in conjunction with Appian FinalMile solutions, users can analyze a broad range of metrics – including route profitability, route-planning efficiency and driver performance – and assess a variety of “what-if” scenarios. “TMW Reveal Series brings the power of big-data analytics to fleets looking for ways to dramatically increase the efficiency and competitiveness of their final-mile operations,” said Brian Larwig, vice president and general manager of TMW Systems. “These new tools enable users to generate actionable intelligence that is critical not only to how they operate their businesses today but also to enhance their competitive position in the years ahead.” TMW Reveal Series is designed to provide a single comprehensive business intelligence resource for fleets of virtually all sizes, supporting data from transportation management software systems, mobile communications platforms, asset maintenance solutions and other sources. Reveal Series also enables users to enhance their predictive capabilities by unlocking answers embedded within operational data and historical trends. Fleet professionals can analyze a variety of “what-if” scenarios to determine financial, service level and other likely implications of new operational practices and competitive strategies. Results to all queries are just a few clicks away and can be presented in user-friendly data visualizations, dashboards, scorecards and multilayer thematic maps. “Reveal Series was developed by and for transportation industry professionals to serve as a single ‘source of truth’ for fleets and other businesses active within the final-mile market,” Larwig said. “Users can reduce multiple, often outdated and contradictory reports and sources that add unnecessary time, complexity and uncertainty to the planning process.” – Aaron Huff

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technology

INBRIEF • Trimble acquired privately-held Innovative Software Engineering, a provider of Internet of Things and telematics solutions, enterprise mobility applications and tailored software solutions, including electronic logging devices. Trimble said the acquisition expands its fleet safety and compliance solutions and allows it to offer e-logs. • Orbcomm, a provider of machine-to-machine and Internet of Things systems, acquired the assets of inthinc, a provider of fleet management, telematics and driver safety systems through an integration of in-vehicle devices, smart mobile devices, web applications and data management services. A customer of Orbcomm’s wireless data services, inthinc has more than 100 customers that operate commercial fleets. • Drivewyze was awarded the contract to operate its PreClear weigh station bypass service in California at 37 weigh stations and inspection sites, joining the company’s 650 service sites in 42 states and provinces. Also, the Alberta Motor Transport Association’s Partners in Compliance carriers now can receive PreClear service at 23 vehicle inspection locations throughout the Canadian province, which now has a total of 48 Drivewyze-affiliated bypass sites. • Noregon, a provider of vehicle repair information and data, announced a new scalable Data Analytics service to help businesses transform their raw data into pertinent, actionable information. The service is designed to allow companies to supplement their existing information to identify opportunities related to fuel efficiency, maintenance programs, driver behavior and vehicle purchases or leases. • FourKites, a provider of multimodal supply chain visibility solutions, launched its real-time temperature and location tracking solution for shippers to monitor Food Safety Modernization Act compliance. Load temperatures are relayed in tandem with location data every 15 minutes, and customizable notifications alert users if temperatures fall outside a specified range. Visualization and analysis tools help shippers review individual and aggregated load temperatures to spot trends and compare against industry benchmarks to improve operations. • CarriersEdge, a provider of training courses for the trucking industry, added a module on accident reporting that takes drivers through the legal and safety procedures and responsibilities following an accident to protect themselves, the carrier and other involved motorists and passengers. The training combines text, audio, pictures and graphics in an interactive format to help enhance retention.

commercial carrier journal

july 2017

PrePass available on Bestpass devices

elp Inc.’s PrePass, a provider of truck weigh station bypass services, and The agreement between PrePass Bestpass, a provider of toll management serand Bestpass is possible because both services use similar transponvices for commercial trucking, have teamed ders that feature RFID technology. up to offer an integrated solution to provide Bestpass customers a single transponder for bypassing and toll payments. Bestpass customers now can enroll their Bestpass transponders into PrePass’ weigh station bypass system, reducing the need for multiple devices by combining toll payment and weigh station bypass capabilities in one transponder. The goal is to help Bestpass customers of all sizes, including owner-operators, save time and money, said John Andrews, Bestpass president and chief executive officer. “This exclusive agreement between PrePass and Bestpass is about fulfilling part of the mission set out by Bestpass’ parent, the Trucking Association of New York, to make tolling the most manageable it can be, in this case by limiting the number of transponders in a vehicle,” Andrews said. Both services use similar transponders that feature radio frequency identification technology that can facilitate electronic toll payments. “Fleets selecting Bestpass for their toll payment solution can add the PrePass weigh station bypass service, therefore extending the value of the Bestpass transponder,” said Mark Doughty, vice president and chief operating officer of Help Inc. – Aaron Huff

U.S. Bank adds ChargePoint to fleet card

.S. Bank’s Voyager Network Fleet Card has expanded its offering to electric vehicles. Starting this summer, fleets can use the card program for EVs at tens of thousands of ChargePoint’s U.S. charging ports. U.S. Bank already has customers in the public sector that operate electric passenger vehicles, said John Hardin, U.S. Bank’s global transportation general manager. Currently, most ChargePoint locations are free to use or subsidized by local utility companies. At most, it costs $2 to $5 for a full charge, Hardin said. Fleets with EVs can use the Voyager card to collect data at the point of sale, such as driver ID, odometer reading, location and more. The card does not need to be swiped to initiate a transaction with ChargePoint. Instead, a fleet would register an EV with ChargePoint and obtain a key fob. As part of this process, the user would enter a Voyager card number, and the key fob would activate the charging station and capture transaction data in the Voyager network. Fleets with electric vehicles “Making expense management easy while can use U.S. Bank’s Voyager giving fleet drivers the flexibility to charge at Network Fleet Card to collect multiple locations on the ChargePoint network is data at the point of sale. yet another innovation that makes our solution even more compelling,” said Michael Jones, ChargePoint’s vice president of sales. The Voyager Fleet Card is accepted at more than 320,000 fueling, maintenance and service locations and used by millions of drivers. – Aaron Huff

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technology

INBRIEF • Logistical Labs, a cloud-based supply chain software company, partnered with DAT Solutions, a spot freight marketplace operator, to provide users of its LoadDex solution with truckload rating data. DAT RateView is an online database of real-time spot market and current contract freight rates. Shippers and logistics providers can use LoadDex to simplify DAT’s rating complexity, improve carrier selection and leverage data to make smarter decisions. • Verisk Insurance Solutions, a provider of property and casualty insurance risk data, announced an alliance with TomTom Telematics to allow fleet owners to flow driving data collected by the TomTom telematics service platform into the Verisk Data Exchange, providing TomTom subscribers with access to Verisk’s fleet insurance benefits and operational safety feedback. • ARI, a fleet services provider, now offers the SiriusXM Fleet Driver Program to its clients. ARI clients with SiriusXM-equipped vehicles now can provide qualified drivers with a two-month introductory subscription to the satellite radio provider’s“All Access”programming package and discounted subscription rates. • Tailwind Transportation Software, a provider of online trucking and freight brokerage software for small and mid-size companies, announced an integration with QuickBooks Online. Details of all transactions associated with each order and dispatch in Tailwind now can be synchronized easily with QuickBooks Online. • SmartDrive Systems announced that Cookeville, Tenn.-based less-than-truckload hauler Averitt Express (CCJ Top 250, No. 21) deployed its video-based SmartDrive Shield safety program that uses a road-facing camera combined with 200 hours of on-demand video offload and easy-to-use review workflow to capture collisions, exonerate drivers when not at fault and provide them with the ability to record delivery verifications and security incidents. • MiX Telematics announced that C&J Energy Services selected MiX Fleet Manager to provide fleet management, safety and compliance solutions across its fleet of 3,500 light- and heavy-duty vehicles. C&J Energy Services is a provider of well construction, well completion, well support and other oilfield services to oil and gas companies. • MacroPoint announced that its smartphone-based freight visibility platform was selected by Kenneth Clark Co., an Ellicott City, Md.-based logistics provider; Integrity Express Logistics, a Blue Ash, Ohio-based third-party freight brokerage; and Des Moines Truck Brokers, an Iowa-based third-party logistics provider.

commercial carrier journal

july 2017

Paragon rolls out multi-skilled driver update

aragon Software Systems, a provider The Paragon software now will allow of vehicle routing and scheduling a prioritized skillset to be defined for each driver group, including primary optimization solutions, has enhanced and additional capabilities. its route optimization software to help transport planners simplify the process of managing multi-skilled driver teams. The new functionality is designed to allow accredited drivers to be considered for standard deliveries if spare capacity exists toward the end of the planning process to use all available resources to increase drops per day and reduce mileage. The company said it introduced the feature in response to growing demand from delivery operations looking to differentiate their offering with a wider range of value-added services, as well as field service companies looking to maximize use of their multi-skilled teams. The Paragon software now will allow a prioritized skillset to be defined for each driver group, including primary and additional capabilities. The system initially will match work based on core skills to ensure the appropriate resources are available for all skilled jobs, such as product setup, installation and disposal. Once completed, a refined plan can be created that considers secondary skills or makes underutilized drivers available for unskilled deliveries. – Aaron Huff

Honeywell launches Connected Freight IoT

oneywell announced its Connected Freight solution designed to give shippers and logistics companies additional capability to moniHoneywell’s Connected Freight tor shipments of high-value and perishable goods solution consists of sensor tags while in transit, helping prevent damage and loss. designed to sense environmental conditions such as Honeywell developed the technology with Intel temperature or vibration. and three third-party logistics companies: DHL, Expeditors and Kuehne + Nagel. “For shippers, logistics providers, retailers and others faced with a host of costly freight challenges such as theft, damage, spoilage and delays, this convenient cloud-based solution provides customers with detailed analytics in order to plan, anticipate and react immediately to incidents that occur during shipment,” said Taylor Smith, president of Honeywell’s Workflow Solutions business. Honeywell’s Connected Freight is an Internet of Things solution that consists of sensor tags designed to sense a range of environmental conditions such as temperature or vibration. The tags can be affixed to pallets or individual packages. The sensor data is captured by a mobile gateway placed inside a truck or shipping container and then transmitted via cellular networks to a cloudbased command-and-control platform. The cloud can store data for compliance and audit needs and provide predictive and reactive analysis, such as which routes to avoid. – Aaron Huff

technology

Omnitracs updates Roadnet Anywhere

mnitracs, a provider of fleet management solutions for transportation and logistics companies, announced the availability of Roadnet Anywhere v4.5. The latest software update incorporates advanced vehicle overview features designed to allow managers to view the status of their entire fleet while also enhancing workflow configurations on the ground. “Our continuing development of this software provides fleet owners, operators and drivers ever-evolving resources to further advance their business,” said David Palle, vice president of product management for Omnitracs. Roadnet Anywhere v4.5 delivers Fleet Overview, a new feature designed to allow managers to track the status and performance of their entire fleet in real time more easily. Fleet Overview provides a singular management area for vehicles that have a route plan or do not have a plan at all, allowing managers to ensure that their team stays on schedule to facilitate timely deliveries and that the best route options are used, increasing revenue and customer service levels. The new software update also offers advanced compliance tools that encompass electronic logging devices, driver vehicle inspection reports and International Fuel Tax Agreement records to further enhance Omnitracs Routing, Dispatching and Compliance (RDC) solutions. Drivers and office personnel can manage their entire day from a single user-friendly interface. Additionally, Roadnet Mobile, the Roadnet Anywhere mobile application, now allows users to access all fleet data from a smartphone, tablet, heavy-duty handheld or basic phone. With v4.5, the update allows users to further tailor the flow of the application by adding or removing fields or creating on-demand forms with customized questions. The configurable proof-of-delivery application allows fleet managers to guide driv-

ers throughout their day by simplifying tasks related to tracking and navigation. “The high level of configuration from Roadnet Anywhere allows fleet owners to cultivate a software platform that best fits their needs and drives their objectives,” Palle said. – Aaron Huff

Omnitracs’ Roadnet Anywhere v4.5 delivers Fleet Overview, a new feature that allows managers to track the real-time status and performance of their entire fleet more easily.

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commercial carrier journal

CO4396 CCJ_RoadLog_MandateCalendar_HalfIsland_7-17_v1.indd 1 Untitled-2 1

july 2017

5/25/17 4:49 PM 5/31/17 1:46 PM

SPECIAL REPORT: ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICES

Cyberspace protection Data security, privacy add to list of ELD considerations BY AARON HUFF

onsidering the abundance of industry news involving electronic logging devices, cybersecurity seldom gets mentioned. As of Dec. 18, most drivers who currently maintain records-of-duty status — about 3 million, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — will be using electronic logs or risk out-of-service violations. Most fleets will be using devices that come with a monthly service plan, most often associated with a connection to the cellular data network. That connectivity means ELDs are Internet of Things devices — which raises cybersecurity concerns. In 2016, AT&T reported a 3,198 percent increase over the previous three years in the number of attackers scanning for vulnerabilities in IoT devices. AT&T also conducted a survey last year of businesses to gauge their potential security threats; 58 percent of respondents were not confident in the security of their IoT devices. 36

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017

Cybersecurity was hardly a concern for fleets that started using mobile communications systems more than 25 years ago to connect to their drivers and vehicles through satellite networks. With millions of ELD devices coming online, could this become a gateway for hackers or even computer novices to access sensitive vehicle controls and information? Tapping into trucks The University of Michigan made news in 2016 when researchers presented at an August conference results from their experiments involving the vulnerability of big rigs’ electronic systems. Researchers plugged into a 2006 tractor’s diagnostics port, and this was the result: By sending digital signals within the internal network of a big rig truck, the researchers were able to do everything from change the readout of the truck’s instrument panel, trigger unintended acceleration or to even disable one form of the semi-trailer’s brakes.

Since the late 1990s, fleets have been using various telematics devices to remotely plug into the controller area network of trucks to capture data from engines and other electrical-mechanical systems. Incidents of hacking into the electronic control modules of engine and braking systems through telematics units haven’t happened or been publicized. Some telematics providers have “black box” units installed in hundreds of thousands of trucks. The companies regularly send updates to the software on these platforms over the air. In a worst-case scenario, a cyberattack could be coordinated around a scheduled software update to an ELD or other application on the devices. However, spokespeople from ELD suppliers say the probability of hacking into electronic logs — either the current automatic onboard recording device standard (395.15) or the new ELD standard (395.16) — to access the CAN bus of vehicles is virtually impossible. That’s because ELDs are provisioned only to read data. “We don’t give (our application) rights to be able to write or make requests — all we do is read,” said Marco Encinas, a marketing and product manager of global platforms for Teletrac Navman, which offers the Director ELD. “There is no protocol in the system that allows us to engage, change code for or manipulate the ECM computer on the vehicle.” As an extra layer of precaution, PeopleNet has embedded chips in its ELD devices to authenticate the connection between the device in the vehicle and its cloud management system. “Our latest devices will all ship with an encryption chip built in to authenticate the device to the cloud in addition to standard authentication of the driver’s credentials upon login,” said Eric Witty, vice president of product for PeopleNet. “That way, we have assurance that both the device and the

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person are authenticated in our system.” Through PeopleNet’s partnerships with truck OEMs, “we continue to undergo security audits and improvements to our software and hardware solutions to ensure we minimize any risk of these telemetry devices being exploited to access the vehicle,” Witty said. Restricting access to data Besides preventing ELDs from talking to vehicles, suppliers restrict their ELD applications from sharing data with other applications on the device. “We follow secure code development practices that isolate the ELD application code from other applications on the devices,” said Andrew Dondlinger, Navistar’s vice president for Connected Services. “The ELD application also requires positive user credentials before allowing for the collection of the vehicle’s ELD data by any user or by any other application.” Navistar’s ELD app connects the driver’s mobile device to the OnCommand Connection Telematics device. The app is available through the company’s OnCommand Connection Marketplace. PeopleNet traditionally has favored using company-owned personally enabled (COPE) communications devices to give fleets the ability to deploy proprietary company apps and approved third-party programs on the same device that runs their PeopleNet software, Witty said. PeopleNet envisions fleets wanting 38

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017

to use “companion apps” that will allow drivers to access their own log data through a secure driver portal, Witty said. “The security concerns are much the same as the ELD device itself,” he said. “We will address them by ensuring we are using the same standards, such as secure HTTP (SSL/TLS), similar to how banks secure communication for their mobile applications.” Teletrac provides a Garmin GPS tablet to run its ELD application, and the only other app on the device is Garmin navigation. “We don’t allow third-party apps to be downloaded,” Encinas said. The tablets communicate through Bluetooth wireless to a black box with cellular connectivity. The display tablets do not have their own cellular connection, which prevents software from being loaded onto the devices. “For us, it’s about being able to control the types of data communicated to the hardware and to us to limit possibilities for distraction,” Encinas said. Reporting malfunctions No ELD product on the market is foolproof. If any hardware, software or connection malfunction — or possibly a hacker — impedes the ELD’s operation, FMCSA’s 395.16 rule requires that the device report the error to the driver and fleet management to trigger support activities. Navistar’s OnCommand Connection

telematics device continuously monitors the truck’s health status, which includes electronics, Dondlinger said. “In the event of a detected malfunction on the truck, OnCommand Connection will provide the customer – and Navistar as well – with a health report highlighting the faults on the truck, along with a fault code action plan, which is a recommended sequence of actions to address each fault.” Similarly, if a malfunction is detected by Teletrac’s Director ELD application, the device continues to record any data that it can from the vehicle and the driver’s duty status. The driver is alerted by a fault message indicator, and fleet management is alerted through the web portal to notify dispatchers. Teletrac’s support team can do an overthe-air reset if needed, Encinas said. Drawing the line on privacy Regarding data privacy, independent owner-operators may not want carriers or freight brokers to have 24/7 real-time visibility of their logbook data. On the other hand, companies benefit from having visibility to identify drivers with time remaining on their clocks to possibly make an extra pickup or delivery. “The whole question about data gets typically framed in data privacy or data security,” said Dirk Schlimm, executive vice president for Geotab, a telematics and ELD provider. “As a consumer, you don’t want anybody to know where you’ve been, but in a business context, the area of privacy is much less prevalent.” Some ELD providers see an opportunity to capitalize on the hours-of-service and telematics data they collect from their customers. With their customers’ permission, they could use that data for matching capacity with loads or offering usage-based insurance. “It will be very hard in the future for any business of any size to compete without data,” Schlimm said. “You just have to give everybody secure and safe access to that data.”

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P&S TRANSPORTATION Birmingham, Ala.

P&S Transportation connects staff, business intelligence to deliver results BY AARON HUFF

igh-tech companies such as Google, Tesla, Uber and Amazon have billions in cash, the brightest engineers in the world — and big data. They and a number of well-funded startups are pursuing opportunities in the transportation and logistics industry on a large scale. Motor carriers may not be competing for freight against these titans yet — except for perhaps Uber and its brokerage business — but that will change, especially when autonomous trucks hit the road and are linked to their big data and supply chain intelligence. Mauricio Paredes, vice president of technology for P&S Transportation, tells employees at the Birmingham, Ala.-based company that they also will be able to solve big problems with data and technology. Everyone at P&S has been empowered to make strategic decisions regardless of industry experience or job tenure. A load planner may have a gut feeling that a particular make or model of one of the fleet’s trucks is the one that’s best suited for flatbed loads of steel pipe. By dragging and dropping some data fields into a report palette, he or she will be able to prove that instinct — or disprove it, as the case may be — at the speed of thought. Employees also might send an update to a truck to optimize its engine and transmission for a specific type of load. Such possibilities are within reach, Paredes says, but everyone has to do their part and use the technology the company already has to get there. “We want the entire company to be more data-driven, see the value of data and understand how every little thing they enter into the system matters,” he says. The path to big data P&S Transportation was founded in 2004 by Robbie Pike, chief executive officer, and

Scott Smith, executive vice president. The company first appeared in the CCJ Top 250 in 2010 at No. 222 with 405 trucks and drivers. By 2016, it had climbed to No. 104. Today, the flatbed carrier operates more than 2,400 trucks and serves customers primarily in the oil and natural gas, building materials and steel industries. The rapid growth of its data since 2010 has been far more substantial than its equipment count. The data at P&S has expanded from 10 gigabytes to 240, but Paredes says the data’s quality is more important than the volume and has become a major focus. The company’s fast growth impacted data quality as new technologies such as vehicle telematics and customer relationship management systems were added. Seven years ago, no one could have predicted what technologies P&S would need for the growing company to begin mapping out a strategy for how it would all fit together. The technology department has tried to train people to enter data properly into its various systems, but “people just wanted to get things done,” Paredes says. “We weren’t able to get people to care enough to change their ways fast enough for it to matter.” About three months ago, P&S imple-

The flatbed hauler empowers employees of all departments and levels of seniority to use big data to make strategic decisions on the company’s behalf. commercial carrier journal | july 2017

INNOVATORS Mauricio Paredes, right, vice president of technology for P&S Transportation, and Tiffany Geikes, director of business process, are leading an ongoing business intelligence project amid the company’s rapid growth.

mented a new strategy to simultaneously improve its reporting, data quality and business processes. Business intelligence P&S found a reporting solution in a new business intelligence platform from the supplier of its transportation management software system, McLeod Software. The reporting tool, McLeod IQ, is a SQL Server database service packaged into multidimensional data cubes for various user roles at transportation companies. The BI platform has various options for a user interface with interactive data visualization tools. P&S chose Microsoft’s Power BI to improve data quality and business processes by getting the tool in the hands of users at all levels in the company. “We didn’t take a product, install it and make it available for analysts,” Paredes says. “We made it available for anyone that wanted to connect to it,” adding that this strategy makes it possible for everyone to see how their mistakes in data entry or workflow impact the quality of the reporting and downstream business processes. When a new technology is introduced, “everybody wants to know ‘What is the benefit for me?’ ” says Paredes. When using the BI tool to create a report for their specific needs, anyone can see the impact of poor data quality. If an incorrect code is used for a freight commodity, a person cannot analyze revenue per commodity. With the visibility the BI platform gives to this 42

commercial carrier journal | july 2017

cause-and-effect relationship for poor data quality, “people are more willing to change,” he says. P&S also created a new business process department that works hand-inhand with the technology department to assist with new technology implementation. The technology department trains employees to use the BI tool, and the business process department studies how people use it, gathers feedback and makes changes to improve results.

By working together, people come up with solutions for data entry and business processes. Once those solutions have gone through some trial and error, the people involved come to the business process department with specific recommendations for what to change and how to do it so that the data in the system matches and improves. “We’ve been able to have people manage data and to help identify a process that was not secure before,” says Tiffany Geikes, director of business process. “We want it to spread. We want more users and functional groups doing this across the business.”

Championing early adopters The BI platform makes it easy for anyone to find answers quickly, Paredes says. Users drag and drop selected data fields into a blank report canvas to discover relationships. If a user wanted to analyze the costs of doing business with a particular customer, he or she could drag and drop a customer data field into the canvas and then bring in fields for cost by fleet, department and location. When a location field is added, the user might see multiple customer codes for the location. The data would suggest that multiple customers are shipping out of the same place, when in fact it is a single customer; the bad data came from entering the same customer code in multiple ways. During the last month, the people who have developed skill at using the BI platform are who Paredes calls “data stewards” and the early adopters. They are assigned to sit next to those who are entering data to be a self-policing force for data quality. “Everyone has different skill sets,” Paredes says. “Some people connect to the data cube the first time and then abandon it. We are focused on giving the early adopters enough support to build momentum and change the culture of the company.”

Building momentum The brokerage and logistics side of P&S has adopted the BI technology the earliest and are acting on information faster, Paredes says. The logistics business has been able to identify customers who are the most profitable but have the lowest volume of loads. By conducting further analysis, the reasons why the customers are low volume — or have become that way — are made known to highlight new sales targets and opportunities more quickly. In the asset side of the business, cubes have been implemented in sales and operations by top-level management, load planners and customer service representatives. Today, everyone in the company has an equal opportunity to be an analyst and play a vital role in helping the company stay competitive and advance their careers. Bigger and better things are coming if employees do their part, Parades says. “If you help us with keeping data in a neat usable format, we will implement more technology as it becomes available,” he says. 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.

Your go-to guide for understanding, selecting and using technology in your trucking business.

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PART 7: Choosing the right tech

Making the right tech choices BY LUCAS DEAL WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF

new technologies available in the trucking industry, finding the right product at the right time can be a difficult endeavor. From the tractor’s front bumper to the trailer’s back door, there’s almost no surface on a truck that cannot be improved or optimized with new technology. The story’s no different inside the cab, or even at a fleet terminal, where new and more advanced asset monitoring, maintenance and efficiency programs are being released seemingly weekly and promising to provide the ultimate solution for uptime. It’s almost overwhelming, said Tom Boyer, vice president of maintenance for St. Louis-based Hogan Truck

Leasing. “There are so many great technologies on the market right now,” Boyer said. “It can be hard to stay on top of them all.” But as difficult a task as it may seem, Boyer and other fleet managers say there are methods to managing trucking’s technology boom. By mixing driver and supplier insight with predictive financial metrics and inhouse data, carriers can develop repeatable strategies for evaluating and selecting new technologies. At Southeastern Freight Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 27), Woody Lovelace, senior vice president of corporate planning and development, said his team starts every investigation into a new technology by trying to answer how

Omnitracs says it works hard upfront to develop applications with strong customer demand and a good return on investment. “Customers are pushing us to be better,” says Christopher Platt, vice president of strategic accounts and sales.

the tool in question can fit into the less-than-truckload fleet’s operation. While fit can mean many things, at SEFL it equates to finding what Lovelace described as the balance between whatever “weakness a product is addressing” compared to the Lexington, S.C.-based company’s overall objectives. Spec’ing scores of new features and products into SEFL’s tractors each year isn’t feasible, so Lovelace’s team tries to find solutions that check the most boxes — addressing key performance indicators and moving the fleet closest to its performance and financial goals. Though Taylor Brown operates a lease fleet, he tries to do the same for his clients. “We’re always open to trying new things,” said Brown, executive vice president for Urbandale, Iowa-based Brown NationaLease. “We just want to make sure what we’re considering provides a benefit to [our customers].” Most suppliers are aware of that expectation and have made it a priority to fulfill it. “We work hard upfront to develop applications with strong customer demand and a good return on investment,” said Christopher Platt, vice president of

New and more advanced asset monitoring, maintenance and efficiency programs are being released seemingly weekly and promising to provide the ultimate solution for uptime. strategic accounts and sales for Omnitracs. “Customers are pushing us to be better.” Product determinations also require the ability to predict implementation, usage and long-term profitability. “There are some technologies that have nice formulas you can look at where you can see quantifiable data, but others aren’t like that,” Boyer said. “You have to be able to see what a product can give you.” In this seventh edition of CCJ’s Tech Toolbox, we look at how fleets can evaluate technologies available on the market today and determine which ones are the best fits for their business to maximize efficiency and profitability. Also be sure to visit CCJTechToolbox.com for other installments and multimedia content and to sign up for special Tech Toolbox webinars and newsletters.

PART 7: Choosing the right tech

DRIVERS BEHIND MANY DECISIONS ARGUABLY THE BEST IDENTIFIERS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY for a fleet are its drivers. Between their time behind the wheel and interacting with their contemporaries and customers, drivers have the most opportunities to see and hear about trucking’s latest needs and the technological developments to meet them. For fleets undecided on what product to onboard next, driver input can be a steadying influence. “We get a lot of driver feedback — in fact, we encourage it,” said Tom Benusa, chief information officer for Transport America. “We always want to know how we can make them safer and more efficient.” Transport America has operated a driver council for many years for this reason. Benusa said the council allows the Eagan, Minn.-based truckload company to hear directly from its front-line employees about their daily pain points and possible solutions, as well as to receive updates on how other newly implemented technologies are working out. Brown NationaLease’s Taylor Brown said his company is equally inquisitive with its customers and their drivers. “That has always been a huge benefit for us — customers coming to us and asking if we’d be willing to try something or consider something because they think it could help them,” Brown said. “We’ll try just about anything if a customer is asking for it.” Hogan Truck Leasing’s Tom Boyer said his company is equally appreciative of driver-based customer feedback. Customer input is used not only to determine the best technologies to onboard for its leased units but also as valuable data for its sister company, Hogan Transportation. Boyer said that in his 26 years with Hogan, he’s seen many technologies accepted in one of the company’s fleets make their way to the other — and vice versa. The key, he said, is duty cycle; a technology thriving in one fleet is likely to be pitched to another, but only if the usage variables are similar. “We have varied operations out there, and certain equipment works better in specific applications,” Boyer said.

At Hogan Truck Leasing, customer input is used not only to determine the best technologies to onboard for its leased units but also as valuable data for its sister company, Hogan Transportation.

Geotab says that when coupled with its device’s plugand-play installation and minimal unit cost, information on how the product can reduce downtime gives potential customers a clear understanding of the company’s value proposition.

HOW SUPPLIERS CATCH YOUR EYE DRIVEN BY CUSTOMER

demand and an increasingly competitive marketplace, OEMs and technology providers are turning to advanced data and analytics as tools to earn market share. Today’s sales pitches are more than just product demonstrations; they also feature return-on-investment calculators, detailed lifecycle/functionality projections and field-testing reports. “We try to offer a significant amount of information on each product we offer,” said Shane Groner, director of field business development for Eaton. “When we launch a product, we want our customers to know how it works in the field.” Ray West, TMW Systems’ senior vice president and general manager of transportation management software products, said his company uses a similar strategy. By leveraging its strong presence in the fleet community to develop duty cycle-specific investment calculators, TMW can take

an excerpt of a potential customer’s data “and run it against our product and show them what their savings could have been” had they used one of the company’s solutions. Savings earned through seamless integration and functionality have won customers for Navistar, said Jim Nachtman, the company’s product marketing manager of on-highway trucks. “When a fleet looks at a powertrain, they look at the overall package, not just performance,” Nachtman said. “We work to focus on that total cost of ownership and their savings over the long term.” Other technology providers such as Geotab focus their message on the costs associated with not implementing technology. Scott Sutarik, the company’s business development and OEM sales manager, said the remote diagnostics provider builds its ROI calculations around downtime and the potential expenses a fleet can avoid by iden-

PART 7: Choosing the right tech tifying maintenance issues before a breakdown. When coupled with the Geotab device’s plug-andplay installation and minimal unit cost, this information gives potential customers a clear understanding of the company’s value proposition, Sutarik said. That’s the goal, the suppliers say. Not every customer is right for every technology, and the more information a supplier provides up front, the easier it is for prospective customers to sort through all available technologies and find the best fits for their specific needs. NOW ACCEPTING IDEAS

Vehicle and software technology providers also are showing an increased acceptance of customer input regarding new technologies. At Eaton, “we rarely design products anymore without direct customer input,” Groner said, explaining that the company’s goal with upfront customer interaction is to ensure it dedicates its research and development to products

its customers desire. A fleet choosing between several technologies will lean toward the best problem solver nearly every time, he said. Bringing a customer’s idea to fruition also helps with traditional selling. “When you get to the production phase, you already have a built-in customer base,” Groner said. “They’re invested in the product.” Some technology providers also have found their own innovations to be valuable for discovering other customer needs. Using data acquired through its nationwide dealer network, GCR Tires & Service has built performance metrics and alerts into its fleet management solutions to better inform customers of tire maintenance issues in real time. “This is a value-add we can provide our customers — diving into their operations and understanding what is going on with their vehicles,” said Ron Greenleaf, regional sales manager for GCR’s Mountain District.

WHICH TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY ARE YOU USING IN YOUR FLEET? Safety technology (collision mitigation, lane departure warnings, stability control, etc.)

30.5%

Fuel-efficiency technology (aerodynamic devices, 6x2 axles, tire monitoring/inflation, etc.)

40.1%

Asset management technology (vehicle routing, mapping, geofencing, etc.)

49.4%

Driver management technology (ELDs, etc.)

46.2%

Maintenance and service technology (Telematics, predictive analytics, service event management software, etc.)

38.5%

None of the above

28.0%

Other

1.4% Source: CCJ survey of fleet professionals, 429 respondents

Fleets deciding on an investment in trailer side skirts also may need to consider market adoption. An accepted technology such as side skirts can have later resale value in addition to upfront fuel economy savings.

PERFORMING A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

is a valuable resource for a fleet to evaluate potential technologies and identify products and/or services best suited for integration. These comprehensive analyses consider every financial implication of a specific program or investment to determine if it is financially sound, building a baseline for comparing a potential investment against both an existing or an additional future investment. A CBA starts with cost determination. In the case of trailer skirts, a carrier would need to identify exactly how much a fleetwide rollout would cost. Itemized by step — asset cost, installation, maintenance and repair, driver training — these costs should be estimated using supplier rates and industry research to best determine the likely realistic final cost. Failing to consider time and employee commitment as costs can derail a CBA before it gets off the ground. A technician

pulled from a bay for skirt installations lowers shop productivity. And don’t neglect a technician’s efficiency: Tasking a new or slow employee to perform installations can be costlier over the long haul than giving the job to the best, fastest worker. “The quicker any installation is done, the quicker a fleet can start working toward their [return on investment],” said Deryk Powell, president of Velociti, a transportation technology deployment consultant. Calculating that ROI and the technology’s overall benefit comes next. For trailer skirts, this would include an itemized list showing fuel savings per unit per year, reduced undercarriage maintenance and more. Also consider market adoption, Powell said. An accepted technology such as side skirts can have later resale value in addition to upfront fuel economy savings. After the cost and ROI lists are developed, do the math. Costs should be evaluated

PART 7: Choosing the right tech

WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS PROVEN TO BE MOST BENEFICIAL TO YOUR OPERATION?

Respondents who selected more than one type of technology when asked what they had implemented

Transport America worked backward to build a plan that would uncover, evaluate and select a software provider that appeared best suited to cut down on time-consuming trailer-hunting experiences for its drivers.

n Driver management technology n Safety technology n Asset management technology n Fuel-efficiency technology n Maintenance and service technology n None of the above n Other Source: CCJ survey of fleet professionals, 429 respondents

against benefits to determine if or when the skirts will become a net-positive ROI. An accurate ROI date is essential for carriers with shorter asset turnover cycles. “For us, it always comes down to that ROI,” said Woody Lovelace of Southeastern Freight Lines. “How quickly can we get to that payback?” Transport America’s Tom Benusa aims for 12- to 24-month paybacks for most new technologies in his fleet. “We keep our trailers 10 years, but we’re not going to take on something with a 10-year break-even point,” Benusa said.

TURNING OPPORTUNITY INTO TECH REALITY WHEN DRIVER FEEDBACK AND CORPORATE RESEARCH UNCOVERED TRAILER TRACKING AS

a worthwhile technology to onboard at Transport America, Tom Benusa said his team’s first step toward adoption came internally with the development of a comprehensive selection and implementation strategy. “Once we knew drivers were having trouble finding empty trailers and were driving around looking for empty trailers, we knew that was a problem we had to solve,” said Benusa, the company’s chief information officer. From there, Transport America worked backward to build a plan that would uncover, evaluate and select a software provider that appeared best suited to cut down on time-consuming trailer-hunting experiences for its drivers. The first step was researching all potential providers. Benusa said Transport America worked quickly, first by compiling a full list of trailer-tracking vendors, then evaluating each company’s suite of services against the fleet’s specific needs. This initial stage was followed by outreach to the providers, where Transport America requested more information — and from the contenders, brief demonstrations — on how the monitoring software in question would meet its asset management goals. After presentations from “most of them” and “discussions with all of them,” Benusa said Transport America brought the top two candidates to its corporate office for detailed conversations and to discuss implementation. Transport America used these meetings to answer all its remaining questions regarding both systems — including system functionality, driver reporting and pricing models — while also giving the suppliers a platform to answer the question of “Why should we select you?” Benusa said. Using the selection criteria developed months prior, Transport America then chose the provider it believed most likely would help it meet its goals. This brought the company to its final step before fleetwide implementation: field testing. Benusa said Transport America retrofitted nearly 50 trailers with the selected software and began a two-month-plus trial. The company tracked more than two dozen data points during this period — against both the software provider’s claims and the fleet’s internal goals and expectations. It was only when “it met all of those expectations that [Transport America] finally moved forward and signed the contract,” he said.

PART 7: Choosing the right tech

WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS PROVEN TO BE LEAST BENEFICIAL TO YOUR OPERATION? Respondents who selected more than one type of technology when asked what they had implemented

CCJ ’s survey shows — this December’s ELD mandate notwithstanding — that most technology found in trucks today is purchased proactively, not required.

ASSET MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENT TOPS POLL A RECENT CCJ SURVEY OF

429 fleet professionals shows asset and driver management equipment as the most commonly used technologies in today’s North American fleet marketplace. With the electronic logging device mandate still months from implementation, no single technology garnered more than 50 percent of industrywide acceptance in CCJ’s survey, though asset management tools such as vehicle routing, mapping and geofenc-

ing software were closest, netting a 49.4 percent industry-wide usage rate. Driver management technology (i.e. ELDs) followed at 46.2 percent, and fuel-efficiency technologies (aerodynamic devices, tire inflation/ monitoring tools, etc.) came in third with a 40.1 percent overall usage rate. On a fleet-by-fleet basis, more than 55 percent of for-hire carriers and leasing and rental fleets professed to using asset management technology, compared to just

18.9 percent of owner-operators. For-hire carriers also lead in industry acceptance of ELDs, with an adoption rate of 61.6 percent. Conversely, leasing and rental fleets are the industry’s biggest adopters of telematics, remote diagnostics and other maintenance-based technologies, posting a 66.7 percent usage rate. Municipality respondents clocked in second in that category with a 57.1 percent acceptance rate. For-hire and private carriers

WHICH DESCRIPTION BEST DESCRIBES YOUR FLEET?

Source: CCJ survey of fleet professionals, 429 respondents

Safety technology

8.7%

Fuel-efficiency technology

8.7%

Asset management technology

7.4%

Driver management technology

13.9%

Maintenance and service technology

13.5%

None of the above

46.5%

Other

1.3%

Source: CCJ survey of fleet professionals, 429 respondents

had 40.6 and 38 percent acceptance rates, respectively, of the same products and services. Larger fleets also have higher technology acceptance totals across the board. Only 15.3 percent of respondents claimed to operate more than 200 trucks, but among those fleets, asset management, driver management, maintenance, fuel-efficiency and safety (collision mitigation, stability control, etc.) technologies all scored acceptance rates

HOW MANY TRACTORS ARE IN YOUR FLEET?

Source: CCJ survey of fleet professionals, 429 respondents

PART 7: Choosing the right tech

WHY HAS YOUR BUSINESS RESISTED TECHNOLOGY?

Respondents who said they have not implemented technologies

Source: CCJ survey of fleet professionals, 429 respondents

of 60 percent or higher. The survey’s largest respondents (1,000-plus trucks) were even more pro-technology, with 91 percent acceptance rates for driver, fuel-efficiency and safety technologies, and mid-80s rates for asset management and maintenance tools. CCJ’s survey also shows — this December’s ELD mandate notwithstanding — that most technology found in trucks today is purchased proactively, not required. Nearly 63 percent of all fleet respondents say their first advanced technology purchase was made with a hope of improving operational efficiency. That total was nearly four times higher

than government-mandated requirements (16.9 percent). Even among the smallest fleet respondents (1 to 15 tractors), a desire for operational efficiency more than doubled government requirements (50.5 to 22.4 percent) in the acceptance of a new technology. Despite these numbers, more than a quarter of all respondents (28 percent) continue to resist all advanced technology. Among operations of 200 trucks or less, these fleets attributed cost (34.2 percent), a lack of belief in the technology (31.6 percent) or unfulfilled ROI numbers (20 percent) as the main reasons for staying out of the technology arena.

WHICH FACTOR IS MOST LIKELY TO DRIVE YOUR BUSINESS TO IMPLEMENT NEW TECHNOLOGY?

DOING IT YOURSELF DEVELOPING ONE’S OWN

technology can be helpful in instances when options on the market may not be suitable — or even available. Woody Lovelace said that was the case with the development of Southeastern Freight Lines’ driver app. Lovelace said that when the carrier first provided its Rather than adopt a driver app that drivers with handheld wasn’t quite right, Southeastern computers in 1991, there Freight Lines’ internal software were no complete applidevelopers built their own. cations available. So rather than adopt a solution that wasn’t quite right, SEFL’s internal software developers built their own. Lovelace said it wasn’t the first time the company looked internally to solve a technology problem. “Most of our core systems, we developed in-house,” he said. “When we’re looking at something new, we make sure to consider what kind of investment it would be for us to build it in-house as opposed to acquiring it.” Likewise, Transport America followed a similar path when developing its own driver app. Looking to implement an app that would allow drivers to “stay connected with our operations even when they were not in the cab,” Tom Benusa said his team accepted ideas for three months from its drivers on what they wanted the app to do; that time was followed by five months of design and development. Transport America worked with a local software company to build the tool. The result was a “one-of-a-kind” app that Benusa said allows drivers “to know exactly what information is coming to their truck.”

WHAT LED TO THE PURCHASE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY? Respondents who said they use some type of technology

Respondents who said they have not implemented technologies

Source: CCJ survey of fleet professionals, 429 respondents

n PA R T N E R S O L U T I O N S / N A V I S TA R

One simple portal for managing multiple technology solutions

The expanding suite of OnCommand® Connection products integrates information into an easy-to-use dashboard, improving efficiency for trucking fleets of all sizes.

echnology is offering more and more options to help trucking businesses with the challenging tasks of managing vehicle health and safety, staying compliant with regulations and coordinating loads with truck locations and driver availability. While each tool can simplify and speed a process, juggling products from multiple providers can be a challenge itself. Navistar’s growing OnCommand® Connection suite of products, which are compatible with all makes and models of Class 6 through 8 vehicles and integrate with technology from other service providers, addresses this problem. The result is a single, simple dashboard that can display information about one truck or thousands. “OnCommand Connection was conceived with one goal in mind: to decrease downtime for our customers and drivers and provide industry-leading remote-diagnostics information that is useful for the driver as well as the fleet manager, technicians and dealer personel,” says John Wernecke, marketing director for Navistar Connected Services. We asked Wernecke to tell us more about the open-architecture solutions.

How easy is it for fleets to start using OnCommand Connection? What hardware is needed and is this hardware compatible with all truck makes and models?

It is as simple as can be. Our core OnCommand® Connection product is the remote diagnostics software system, which can be set up

one of two ways. Those using an existing telematics provider can integrate OnCommand Connection

with their current system – we integrate with more than 20 telematics service providers – to get immediate access to

For the past 16 years, John Wernecke has built expertise, relationships and a keen sense of the consumer wireless and cloud technology space. With more than 100 global product launches under his belt, Wernecke’s role as marketing director for Navistar’s OnCommand® Connection is to drive the go-to-market strategy and enable OCC to launch products bringing connectivity to all commercial vehicles. Prior to joining the OCC team, Wernecke held various global product, marketing and communication roles at Seagate Technology, HTC, HERE® and Motorola.

vehicle health reports that will help them monitor the overall health of a fleet. Customers who don’t currently use telematics have the option to purchase an OnCommand Link device, which in addition to providing access to our remote diagnostics system also allows for remote ECM reflashing of International and Cummins engines. Either way, trucking companies will get the benefit of unprecedented cost savings and increased uptime. When we set out to make OnCommand Connection, our goal was to create a product that would enable all truck and bus customers to use our product, regardless of make or model. That’s a promise we are very proud to have kept. OnCommand Connection is the only offering on the market that works with virtually any telematics service provider.

Q A

How dœs the system work?

The way OnCommand Connection works is simple: data is collected from the vehicles using our open-architecture system either through the OnCommand Link device or through a telematics system (our own telematics offering or through our many telematics partners). That data is tied to the VIN of the vehicle and we monitor all communication between the ECU via the J1939 CAN bus or Deutch connector/diagnostic port. Once set-up is complete, truck fleet managers and fleet personnel can access the OnCommand Connection dashboard via any Internet-connected device. The dashboard contains VIN-level vehicle health reports and vital fleet information.

What size business is OnCommand Connection designed for?

OnCommand Connection is really built to help all companies that run trucks or busses, regardless of

Fleet managers can access their online dashboard through multiple devices, including phones, tablets and computers.

size. The benefits of our system are universal. What fleet dœsn’t want higher uptime, reduced maintenance costs and real-time information to improve overall operating margins? OnCommand Connection is scalable from one truck to thousands of trucks. From our dashboard, you can easily monitor the health of any size fleet, see vehicle locations, create geo-fences, observe harsh braking and acceleration, note idle time, manage driver vehicle, view drivers’ available work and drive times (with alerts) and much, much more.

What new products are on the horizon from OnCommand Connection?

Beginning in July, we are dramatically expanding our OnCommand Connection product line-up to include OnCommand Connection Telematics, our proprietary telematics system, and will also be concurrently launching the OnCommand Connection Marketplace, where customers can download Web and mobile software that enables advanced features with our products. The initial product offered on the marketplace will be an FMCSAcompliant Electronic Driver Log app, the ﬁrst of many new mobile applications from OnCommand Connection. The app, which allows customers to meet the U.S. DOT’s electronic-logging-device

mandate, also lets drivers and their managers know at a glance how much time they have before a required break period and their hours available to work. Drivers can also perform daily vehicle inspections by using the app on their mobile device.

Tell us more about the OnCommand Connection Marketplace. How do drivers and ﬂeet managers use it?

The OnCommand Connection Marketplace will deliver the highest quality apps for mobile and Web from not only OnCommand Connection, but third parties as well. Customers will access the marketplace at OnCommandConnection.com and will be able to choose the applications that best serve their needs. A key philosophy behind OnCommand Connection is open architecture; we want to integrate a broad number of solutions into our system. Much like what we have seen in the mobile phone space, the value of an online marketplace is to encourage app developers and innovators to bring new ideas and new functionalities to market. This is the reason we anticipate rapid growth in the number of offerings once our marketplace launches.

MORE DRIVE TIME.

LESS PAPERWORK. Introducing OnCommand Connection Electronic Driver Log from Navistar. COMING MID-SUMMER 2017 ®

TIME MANAGEMENT

Automatic auditing tells you how much time you have left.

UNIVERSAL

All makes. All models from 2007 and newer.

DRIVER ALERTS

Alerts of upcoming violations.

SET UP IN A SNAP

Simple interface that walks you through set up.

POWERFUL BACK-OFFICE

Keep track of driver availability, logs and DVIRs.

Drivers must do their part to keep trucks rolling, not out of service BY JASON CANNON

The following story is Part 1 of a three-part series on “Preventing CSA Vehicle Maintenance Violations.” Subsequent stories will highlight violations involving lighting and tires.

uring the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual 72-hour International Roadcheck campaign in June 2016, law enforcement agents placed 9,080 trucks – 21.5 percent of those inspected – out of service. Brake violations accounted for nearly half of those vehicle OOS orders. “Brake- and air leak-related road calls are our number-two problem – about 13 percent of all road calls,” said Taki Darakos, vice president of maintenance for Transervice, a provider of full-service fleet leasing and dedicated contract maintenance services. While brakes can fail or fall out of compliance at any given time, a proper and thorough pre-trip inspection is a fleet’s first line of defense in catching the problem before an inspector finds it. “I have always trained our drivers to

document however long [an inspection] takes,” said Michael Frolick, director of safety and compliance for Toronto-based Transpro Freight Systems. “Some may do it in 30 minutes – 15 minutes for the tractor and 15 for the trailer, which is a standard benchmark for a tractor-trailer. But different configurations such as LCVs, heavy equipment, floats and flatbeds may need more time.” Regardless of how long the inspection takes, drivers should know what they are looking at and what they are looking for. “Get [drivers] out there, and observe them doing a pre- and posttrip [inspection],” said Tom Fallon, a regional safety director for Ryder, noting that younger drivers tend to be better at the 147-point inspection because they are fresh out of school. “If you can teach your folks

to pre-trip and post-trip that truck right and get it fixed, that’s going to improve your [Compliance Safety Accountability] scores.” Getting problems fixed When a brake issue is flagged by the driver, the problem must be addressed by the maintenance staff. Open communication between drivers and the shop is key. “It’s a symbiotic relationship,” Darakos said. “Maintenance and operations depend on each other. If we’re not doing good maintenance on our end, we’re going to get into a vicious cycle where the driver says, ‘Every time I bring something up to the shop, no one listens to me.’ And then maintenance says, ‘Every time this guy comes in, he’s got a problem. He just needs to drive.’ ” It’s also up to operations to note commercial carrier journal

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EQUIPMENT: BRAKE VIOLATIONS

Disc brakes are about a $1,200-per-axle premium over drums but offer reduced maintenance costs if they are maintained correctly.

repeat violations and determine at what point the issue could have been avoided altogether. Brake woes at Transpro led the company to make a friction change. “We had the mechanics do an analysis of why the shoes were being removed,” Frolick said. “We were using reman brakes at the time, and the techs noted they were cracking prematurely and causing drum wear.” The company transitioned away from reman brakes and saw an immediate improvement, he said. Transervice transitioned from drum brakes to disc brakes in 2012, with many of the trucks going through their service life – 750,000 miles – never needing a brake job. “Techs love the idea of not having to do as much maintenance,” Darakos said. “The negative is that it can lull you to sleep. If disc brakes are worn down and no one catches it, it can become a pretty expensive repair by wearing down to the point that the rotor is damaged.” Disc brakes are about a $1,200-per56

commercial carrier journal

axle premium over drums but offer reduced maintenance costs if they are maintained adequately. “They’re not indestructible,” he said. “They wear down like everything else. If you let things wear down and you get rotor damage, that can be a $2,000 to $3,000 [repair] bill, and you lost all the things you tried to do.”

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Post-trip inspections If a pre-trip inspection is the first line of defense, a post-trip inspection is the last, Frolick said. “[Post-trip inspections] help the next driver ensure he not only isn’t wasting time getting needless repairs that could have been done earlier when he should have been departing, but also to avoid needless violations that could have been easily fixed had they been reported to the company at first notice to allow them to get it repaired,” he said. “Instilling this procedure into protocol with your drivers is a key component to help reduce, if not eliminate, roadside violations and citations in your fleet.” If having a first and last line of defense isn’t finding your brake problems before the scale house does, in-house inspections are a good middle ground. “We have to see every piece of equipment every three months, including owner-operators’ trucks,” Frolick said. Trucks are brought in for inspection an additional three times per year beyond quarterly checks. “Every time a guy comes in for an oil change, we’re going over their truck,” he said.

For trucks not equipped with brake stroke indicators, brake inspections consist of measuring from the back of the brake chamber to the middle of the center of the clevis pin, applying the brake and remeasuring.

EQUIPMENT: BRAKE VIOLATIONS If you’re looking for a fast, easy inspection, be warned that the wheel area of trucks and trailers is a dark place, Darakos said. “Lighting is important,” he said. “If lighting is poor, you are going to miss things at PM time like chaffing. Also, yard lighting is important. Having a well-lit area where drivers can inspect a unit helps. We have handed out flashlights to drivers at safety meetings. You can’t inspect what you can’t see during a pre- and post-trip. Many times, the majority of runs are going out early in the morning.” Staying on the same page Transervice maintenance personnel regularly participate in driver safety meetings, detailing any truck spec changes and setting up equipment to guide drivers through pre- and posttrip inspections. “Sometimes you change something on the spec side, and people don’t understand the technology in terms of how it works and what the benefit is,” Darakos said. “Then you are not really getting the full benefit. We probably have folks that don’t understand the visual indicator and what it is telling them.” Often, Darakos will set a fault in the truck and walk the driver through the process of finding it, which yields a good idea of who is and who is not performing high-quality checks. “If there are folks that it’s not part of their routine, maybe they’re just looking around ad hoc, you can usually pick it up pretty quick,” he said. Driver training is one of the biggest keys to dropping CSA violations, said Fallon, who advises fleets to get copies of CVSA’s Out-Of-Service Criteria and use the commercial driver’s license training manual as a minimum standard for inspections. “A lot of drivers don’t know the required minimum tread depths,” he said. “They still want to pull the coin 58

commercial carrier journal

Transpro uses Carriers Edge’s online training program that features interactive modules, which also includes pre-trip inspection training and education coupled with the carrier’s own safety program.

out of their pocket. That’s not the way. They should be measuring it, because that’s what the [U.S. Department of Transportation] does.” For trucks not equipped with brake stroke indicators, Transpro’s brake inspections consist of measuring from the back of the brake chamber to the middle of the center of the clevis pin, applying the brake and remeasuring. When conducting a road test with a driver, Frolick includes the “mark and measure” method to determine if the brakes are in proper working order and not out of adjustment. “Regardless if [the drivers] pass or fail, it also allows me to not only get an idea of what kind of training they have had previously, but also to ensure the vehicle is safe since I will be a passenger,” Frolick said. Part of training, Darakos said, also is making sure drivers and technicians understand how otherwise little things can add up to cause major brake problems. “It’s also important for drivers and technicians to take care and hang gladhands up, and not just toss them on the back of the catwalk,” he said. “This leads to problems, [and] it can also lead to contamination. A good

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habit is to have some extra gladhand seals that you can pop in. They’re not that much from a cost standpoint, but they can cause a significant delay.” Training drivers and dispatch When a truck fails a brake inspection at the scale, drivers take the brunt of the blame, but Frolick said fleets bear a responsibility to support the truck and driver to ensure each operates safely. “I believe drivers want to do a good job and are proud of their profession,” he said. “I do have sound knowledge after interviewing someone that they have either had some training or very little. I do believe, sadly, that there are still some carriers out there that are more concerned about the dollar than the driver’s or public’s safety.” Transpro uses Carriers Edge’s online training program that features interactive modules, which also includes pretrip inspection training and education coupled with the carrier’s own safety program. “Our road test is two-and-a-half hours long, with a review afterward and a consistent mentor program to help new drivers over a four-week average program to share their knowledge and nurture a new driver coming

EQUIPMENT: BRAKE VIOLATIONS

PERMITTED

NOT PERMITTED

Inspectors look over brake system components to identify loose or missing parts, air or hydraulic fluid leaks and cracked, damaged or worn linings, pads, drums or rotors.

out of school,” Frolick said. “Our drivers also go through two mandatory safety meetings a year.” At Transpro, a driver’s education and training is tested in unannounced safety blitz inspections in the yard. Coordination with dispatch also is important to prevent equipment in need of service from being sent with another load only because of its proximity to the customer. “It’s one thing for the computer to tell us maintenance is due, but it’s another thing for us to actually be able to get it into the shop,” Frolick said. “Dispatch doesn’t operate the same way maintenance does. They may dispatch trucks and trailers closest to a load when the shop may be looking at them for maintenance.” Incentivizing drivers When a driver performs poorly, fleets don’t have an issue meting out punishment. But Frolick said it’s just as critical to offer rewards for drivers who consistently have clean inspections. “I think there’s a disconnect in what [drivers] are trained to do and what 60

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they’re motivated to do,” he said. A clean Level II scale inspection is worth $25 for Transpro company drivers and $50 for owner-operators. A clean Level I inspection is worth double to each group. Offering financial buy-in to the drivers saves far more than it costs in the long run, Frolick said. A total of 62,796 inspections were conducted during the 2016 Roadcheck, of which 42,236 were Level I, the most comprehensive vehicle inspection level. Of vehicles placed OOS, brake adjustment and brake system violations combined to represent 45.7 percent of those OOS vehicle violations – about 4,111 trucks. While inspection bonuses are independent of the company’s safety awards, Frolick said it stands to reason that drivers who routinely earn inspection bonuses are hitting their safety marks. “That could be $2,000 to $3,000 more a year,” he said of the driver’s earning potential. “There’s no better feeling than being at that scale and knowing that you know everything about that truck.”

| july 2017

With fleets fighting over drivers, Frolick said adding incentives for clean inspections allows Transpro to further compensate its best performers. When driver pay rises, turnover generally recedes. “Gone are the days of the dinosaur where you tell them to do it or else,” he said. “We want our drivers to buy into it and show them why it is required, not just because it’s the law. And they are rewarded handsomely for it, as it’s part of their performance safety bonus. Training is where it’s at, and we deliver that as well.” This year, CVSA will conduct a single intensive brake-safety enforcement day on Sept. 7 following years of a full-week Brake Safety Week program. During last year’s brake blitz, nearly 2,400 trucks were placed OOS for brake violations. CVSA inspectors checked 18,057 trucks during the week to identify out-of-adjustment brakes and other brake system violations. Inspectors looked over brake system components to identify loose or missing parts, air or hydraulic fluid leaks, cracked, damaged or worn linings, pads, drums or rotors and other faulty brake system components. Anti-lock braking system malfunction indicator lamps also were checked. Of the trucks inspected during Brake Safety Week, 8.8 percent (1,481) of ABS-required air-braked trucks were found to have ABS violations, and 8.8 percent (1,436) of ABS-required hydraulic-braked trucks were found with ABS violations. Fallon said ABS lights on the trailer often are cracked, and shops sometimes are quick to replace them with whatever lens that’s lying around. “We see people replacing broken ABS lights with a plain amber light, and that’s illegal,” he said. “The lens has to be embossed and labeled as the ABS light.”

Sponsored Information

Kinedyne Kaptive Beam Regional Supermarket Chain Cuts Reefer Run Schedule by One Third, Saves Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars with Kinedyne’s Kaptive Beam Decking System A large East Coast supermarket concern used to distribute its seafood much the same way as others still do – inefficiently and at great cost. As a cargo, seafood presents a number of challenges. The containers come in odd shapes, and because the goods are often still alive, can be easily damaged, so loads can’t be stacked. Additionally, seafood is a value-dense cargo and even minor product losses can be extremely expensive. Like most others engaged in moving refrigerated seafood, the supermarket chain was forced to floor-load everything and was unable to fit more than 24 pallets in any load. In order to satisfy demand, the supermarket chain was making two to three runs a day from its central Pennsylvania shipping location to its distribution hub in central New York State. Enter Kinedyne and its unique Kaptive Beam Decking System. With the Kap-

tive Beam System, a fleet can immediately reduce its run schedules and overhead costs. Fleets can minimize the number of tractors, trailers and drivers required to move their freight, because they’re maximizing the capacity of every load their fleet moves. The system easily handles mixed cargo and it can also help reduce damage to freight due to double stacking and load shifting. The supermarket chain worked with its dealer, Southside Trailer in Buffalo, NY, to order a new Vanguard reefer outfitted with the Kaptive Beam System. When the new Vanguard reefer arrived, a Kinedyne representative trained six of the supermarket’s staff members on best practices and overall use of the Kaptive Beam System. The results were astonishing right from the start. The supermarket chain was able to double the load capacity of its new 53-foot reefer, moving from 24 palletized containers to 48, essentially taking the original loadable floor space from 450.5 square feet to 901 square feet of loadable area. Kinedyne usually tells customers to expect a Kaptive Beam System to pay for itself within three months. The supermarket chain has reported that it calculates the savings associated with this single Kaptive Beam System to be about $400,000 annually.

One Double-Decked Reefer Saves Carrier Up to $400,000

Facts about the Kaptive Beam System:

1. The system can almost double the load capacity of a refrigerated trailer, while reducing damage by up to 50% 2. Increased load capacity improves the profit on every load carried (on average between 25% to 50%) 3. The system immediately reduces run schedules and cost 4. Insurance, fuel, maintenance and dock labor costs are lessened 5. Driver HOS are reduced 6. Fewer tractors and trailers are needed to move the same amount of cargo — so capital equipment utility increases with capacity 7. The system reduces cargo damage by reducing double stacking and load shifting, and the system easily handles mixed cargo 8. The system reduces a fleet’s exposure to cargo-related CSA infractions 9. The system stores out of the way at the ceiling level when not in use 10. The system can be retrofitted on most dry van trailers and can be specked on new refrigerated trailer builds by all major OEMs

YouTube video link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM7csC-bl3s

Kaptive Beam Decking System Boosts Trailer Load Capacity by Up To % ®

Before

After

Increase Profits While: • Reducing freight claims • Reducing run schedules • Reducing vehicles and drivers

Second Deck Provides Total Asset Utilization

Standard palletized cargo loaded in traditional fashion

Same palletized cargo loaded with Kaptive Beam Call (800) 848-6057 or visit www.kinedyne.com

Technology helps fleets ensure they have money on hand BY AARON HUFF

n the anatomy of a trucking business, if profitability is the central nervous system, then cash flow is the lifeblood. Declining profits may cause motor carriers or freight brokers to develop an abnormal heartbeat, but when forces constrict cash flow, survival is at risk. A variety of technologies can help keep cash flow healthy. Some are designed to maintain tighter controls on the outflow, or expenses, to slow the bleeding. Other technologies can help accelerate the conversion of receivables to cash.

The check’s not in the mail As the logistics and operations manager of Evans Delivery Co., Sue Schoenthaler is in charge of a process that impacts cash flow. She manages payables for the Schuylkill Haven, Pa.based company’s brokerage operations. Evans Delivery operates more than 1,300 tractors across multiple companies in the intermodal, truckload and

Evans Delivery uses Comdata’s Comchek Mobile peer-to-peer electronic payments system to save the company money and offer cash-flow benefits to its carriers.

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| july 2017

flatbed markets. One of its companies, West Motor Freight, provides full-service truckload and brokerage for customers in the Eastern United States. More than 12,000 carriers are in the brokerage database used by West Motor Freight and other companies under the Evans umbrella, Schoenthaler said. Evans Delivery recently began using Comdata’s Comchek Mobile peerto-peer electronic payments system. Schoenthaler expects Comchek Mobile will save the company money and offer cash-flow benefits to carriers that haul for Evans Delivery. “They will not have to deal with checks in the mail,” she said. Evans Delivery currently pays carriers with paper checks 30 days after invoice. It also offers a weekly quick-pay program for a 2 percent fee on invoices. Schoenthaler plans to require carriers on Evans’ weekly pay program to use Comchek Mobile to receive funds. The payment platform soon will be rolled out to carriers on the 30-day pay cycle. “I think once carriers hear about Comchek Mobile and the word starts spreading, it will be a good incentive for carriers to haul for us,” she said. “I think we will have thousands of carriers using it by the end of the year.” Evans’ corporate office started using Comchek Mobile to transfer

funds to a company-owned factoring firm in Fargo, N.D. The factoring company receives the funds electronically from the corporate office and then pays the carriers for their invoices. Evans Delivery is building a new transportation management software system and plans to integrate Comchek Mobile into its payables process. Until then, Schoenthaler will use Comdata’s portal to send funds.

Peer payments Comchek Mobile’s peer-to-peer payment platform expands on the capabilities of Comdata’s Comchek Express money transfer system that has been used by the trucking industry for 40 years, said Terrence McCrossan, senior vice president for Comdata North

TECHNOLOGY: CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT American Trucking. Shippers, brokers and carriers use Comchek Express to send unique codes to drivers who can exchange them for cash at locations in Comdata’s proprietary merchant network. Comchek Mobile’s app can be downloaded to personal devices used by fleet managers, drivers, lumpers, merchants and other parties. Once drivers or other parties sign up and are registered to use the app, they receive a unique Comchek Mobile ID number and a Comdata debit card. Fleets can transfer funds to drivers electronically using their ID numbers. They also can use Comchek Mobile to transfer funds directly to other parties such as lumpers or merchants by using their IDs instead of having drivers pay with cash and turn in receipts. Another option is to transfer funds to drivers and other Comdata Mobile users via Comchek Express; the recipients simply would enter the Comchek Express code into the mobile app to receive a funds transfer. There is no fee to transfer funds between Comchek Mobile users with IDs. “To pay funds directly is a very big win,” McCrossan said. Drivers can transfer funds from Comchek Mobile to their personal bank account or to their Comdata debit card to make purchases at fuel stations, hotels and other over-the-road locations. Carriers can pay drivers using the system that also provides brokers with “a very quick ability to get carriers set up and establish a pay practice without collecting bank information and other details,” McCrossan said. Small carriers and owner-operators that use Comchek Mobile will be able to receive funds directly from shippers and brokers and transfer

those funds to other Comdata Mobile users such as drivers, who then can move funds to their Comdata debit card or to their bank accounts as needed, McCrossan said. Unlike the Comchek Express system, all transactions sent and received through the mobile app are recorded digitally. Users have access to their transaction history through the app and online portal to reconcile their personal and business expenses.

Comchek Mobile customer Evans Delivery operates more than 1,300 tractors across multiple companies in the intermodal, truckload and flatbed markets.

Workflow automation Doing business only with shippers and brokers that use electronic freight payment systems may not be an option. A more common strategy to speed cash flow is to present invoices to customers faster to reduce the number of days sales outstanding. Business process automation systems can do this by increasing the speed and accuracy of information and documents through the office. Flexibility is an important attribute for systems of this kind, says Mike Kelley, chief information officer of Mesilla Valley Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 75). About four years ago, the Las Cruces, N.M.-based company was looking to replace a “really rigid” document imaging system for the drivers of its 1,300 trucks. “When we wanted to

make a modification, we had to start from the ground up,” Kelley says. MVT needed a system that could be modified by its own staff as needed to keep up with its growing and changing business needs. The company’s billing department organizes its workflow alphabetically by customer “bill-to” codes. The previous system presented images of signed bills of lading to billing clerks who then compared data on the images to the orders in MVT’s transportation management software system. Clerks had to do this manual comparison to ensure that customers’ specific billing requirements had been met, but it was time-consuming. “The lack of integration between the two systems meant touching every document multiple times,” Kelley says. After researching document imaging commercial carrier journal

july 2017

TECHNOLOGY: CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT

Mesilla Valley Transportation uses EBE Technologies’ Ships platform that allows the fleet to make billing workflow adjustments and automatically detect any type of exception.

and business process automation systems, MVT chose EBE Technologies’ Ships platform. The fleet is able to make adjustments to its workflow by using the software’s drag-and-drop visual tools. MVT configured Ships to automatically detect any type of exception in its billing workflow. The system presents information to billing clerks only when orders are ready to bill. Orders that have exceptions are routed to the right person or department to correct. “Billers no longer have to touch every document every day,” Kelley says. “The amount of work evaporated.” MVT was able to decrease its DSO from an average of four days to 2.5, and the 1.5-day decrease freed up more than $1 million in cash flow, Kelley says.

Shipper web portals More shippers and third-party logistics providers – such as Walmart and Transplace, respectively – are requiring carriers to submit invoices through their custom web portals. Many freight payment companies such as Cass also require this, says Brian Lavelle, a regional sales manager for software developer TMW Systems. For carriers and 3PLs, the manual work of entering data and images to a website can negate the efficiencies and DSO reduction they gained by using TMS systems and document manage-

ment technologies. TMW, in partnership with Amalto Technologies, developed TMW CashLink for carriers and 3PLs to automate web communications with shipper portals and notify them if any information is missing on an invoice before it is finalized. TMW CashLink users can submit the invoices to shipper portals and receive instant notifications when they are approved. As for a return on investment, that comes from reducing the manpower to enter data and eliminating errors that otherwise would delay payment, Lavelle says. The product is offered as a monthly subscription based on the user’s number of customer portals.

Removing delays Shippers and 3PLs also are becoming stricter in enforcing invoice requirements from carriers and brokers. A customer may require that an internal reference number be included on an invoice for payment. TMS systems can flag such requirements in the order entry process. To set up an automated billing process in McLeod Software’s LoadMaster TMS system, motor carriers can use its FlowLogix visual workflow module. FlowLogix comes with templates and a custom flow chart design tool to configure business processes for each customer, says Matt Davis, McLeod’s senior FlowLogix developer.

The automated process typically starts with the electronic capture of a proof-of-delivery receipt and other required documents such as paperwork for loading, unloading and detention events that may be subject to accessorial charges. FlowLogix compares the document and data captured from each driver to the configuration of the billing process for each shipper or “bill-to” customer in the system. Tailwind Transportation Software’s TMS system is used by brokers and smaller carriers – 10 to 50 trucks – through an online Software-as-a-Service subscription and can be configured to require entry of specific data before an order can proceed to the next stage. Once an order is completed, all of the required information captured in the order entry and subsequent processes flows to the invoice. Other invoice requirements may include a signed POD document, and the Tailwind system can be configured so as to not allow an invoice to be printed or emailed without a POD. To simplify the capture of POD images, Tailwind plans to release a free app that can be used by drivers to capture a photo and signature of POD documents to expedite billing. To resolve any billing discrepancies, Tailwind software users can allow their customers access to a portal to view the status of their existing orders, including when they were invoiced and the supporting details, to “reduce the back-and-forth that happens,” says Jessie Wright, Tailwind operations manager. Drivers can use Tailwind’s app to mark their arrivals and departures to capture load information for possible detention billing, Wright says. Improving any business process pays dividends, but perhaps none are more critical to survival than quickly converting orders into cash. commercial carrier journal

july 2017

ATA Management Conference & Exhibition (MCE) October 21-24, 2017

Orange County Convention Center ATA Management Conference & Exhibition and Hyatt Regency Orlando, FL

BUILDING TRUCKING’S FUTURE Visit mce.trucking.org for more information. October 21-25, 2017 Orange County Convention Center and Hyatt Regency, Orlando, FL

For information on exhibiting and sponsorship Gain unparalleled access to the latest industry information opportunities, contact Dan Duggan at that directly impacts your company’s success. ATAor MCE brings together trucking dduggan@trucking.org 703-838-1756. executives, top suppliers and experts to build trucking’s future.

BUILDING TRUCKING’S FUTURE

EAST

www.eastmfg.com

BST

BST II

BST/BST II ALUMINUM FLATBED Length: BST, up to 53 ft., 21-in. beam; BST II, up to 53 ft., 24-in. beam Width: 96 and 102 in. Floor: Knurled, 2-nailers, integrated outside rail Landing gear: 2-speed Jost AX150 AlumiLight, d/s crank, maintenancefree Crossmember: 22 in. with CLP deck reinforcement Distributed load capacity: BST, up to 90,000lb. GVW; BST II, up to 100,000-lb. GVW Concentrated load capacity: BST, up to 52,000 lbs. in 4 ft., 60,000 lbs. in 10 ft.; BST II, up to 65,000 lbs. in 4 ft., 72,000 lbs. in 10 ft. Suspension: AAT25K, twoaxle spread Brakes: 16½-by-7 in., automatic brake adjusters, 4S-2M ABS Tiedowns: Adjustable optional and integrated winch track on both sides; optional double-L winch side rail Axles: TP spindles Electrical: Truck-Lite PlugN-Go sealed system with LED lights

MMX ALUMINUM FLATBED Length: Up to 53 ft., 28-in. beam Width: 96 and 102 in. Floor: Knurled, 2-nailers, integrated side rail Landing gear: 2-speed Jost AX150 AlumiLight, d/s crank, maintenancefree Crossmember: 22 in. with CLP deck reinforcement, 16 in. optional Distributed load capacity: Up to 145,000-lb. GVW, additional axles required Concentrated load capacity: Up to 80,000 lbs. in 4 ft., 89,000 lbs. in 10 ft. Suspension: AAT30K, twoaxle spread Brakes: 16½-by-7 in., automatic brake adjusters, 4S-2M ABS Tiedowns: Adjustable optional and integrated winch track on both sides Axles: TP spindles Electrical: Truck-Lite PlugN-Go sealed system with LED lights

BST II ALUMINUM NARROW NECK FLATBED Length: 48 ft., 21-in. beam, 8-in. neck; up to 53 ft. Width: 102 in. Floor: Knurled, 2-nailers,

integrated outside rail Landing gear: 2-speed Jost AX150 AlumiLight, d/s crank, maintenancefree Crossmember: 22 in. with CLP deck reinforcement Distributed load capacity: Up to 80,000-lb. GVW Concentrated load capacity: Up to 50,000 lbs. in 4 ft. Suspension: AAL25K, two-axle spread Brakes: 16½-by-7 in., automatic brake adjusters, 4S-2M ABS Tiedowns: Adjustable optional and integrated winch track on both sides; optional double-L winch side rail; adaptable to rolling tarp and curtainside systems Axles: TP spindles Electrical: Truck-Lite PlugN-Go sealed system with LED lights

BST/BST II ALUMINUM DROP DECK Length: Up to 53 ft. Width: BST, 102 in., 26-in. drop deck; BST II, 102 in., 28-in. drop deck Floor: Knurled, 3-nailers, integrated side rail Landing gear: 2-speed Jost AX150 AlumiLight, d/s crank, maintenancefree Crossmember: 16 in. with CLP deck reinforcement Distributed load capac-

ity: Up to 80,000-lb. GVW Suspension: AAL25K, two-axle spread Brakes: 16½-by-7 in., automatic brake adjusters, 4S-2M ABS Tiedowns: Adjustable optional and integrated winch track on both sides; optional double-L winch side rail Axles: TP spindles Electrical: Truck-Lite PlugN-Go sealed system with LED lights

BST/BST II EXTREME LOW DECK Length: BST, 53 ft., 28-in. drop; BST II, 53 ft., 30½-in. drop Width: 96 and 102 in.; low-slung, 36-in. deck-toground measurement at highest point loaded; 46-in. fifth-wheel height; 32-in. rear deck height Floor: Knurled, 3-nailers, integrated outside rail Landing gear: 2-speed Jost AX150 AlumiLight, d/s crank, maintenance-free Crossmember: 16 in. with CLP deck reinforcement Distributed load capacity: Up to 80,000-lb. GVW Suspension: HT250US Brakes: 12¼-by-7½ in., automatic brake adjusters, 4S-2M ABS Tiedowns: Adjustable optional and integrated winch track on both sides; optional double-L winch side rail Axles: TP spindles

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NORTH AMERICAN

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW

Where the

leaders of today,

share their ideas for tomorrow. Join the industry’s most influential executives at the first truck show of its kind. Leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles and parts will announce and showcase their newest technologies and innovations. This is a show you’ll want to be at.

September 26th - 28th Atlanta, GA

at www.nacvshow.com * The show opens on Monday Sept. 25 for exhibitor guests.

Show Organizers: Confirmed 2017 Exhibitors: Bendix, Cummins, Detroit, Eaton, Freightliner, Hendrickson, Mack, Meritor, Navistar, SAF Holland, Volvo, Western Star and more…

TRAILER FOCUS FLATBEDS Electrical: Truck-Lite Plug-NGo sealed system with LED lights

FONTAINE

www.fontainetrailer.com

REVOLUTION ALUMINUM DROP DECK Length: 48 ft. Floor: Friction-stir welded aluminum with coil support Main beams: Aluminum Weight: 8,720 lbs. Crossmember: Unitized construction, box beam design Rub rail/side rail: Aluminum, single routed extrusion, single-piece design Concentrated load capacity: 50,000 lbs. in 4 ft. Suspension: Hendrickson Intraax AANL23K with 122in. spread Brakes: 16½-by-7 in. fast change, cast drums, spring brakes, automatic slack adjusters, Meritor Wabco 4S/2M ABS Tiedowns: 15 pairs recessed in side rails, optional aluminum removable deck chain and chock supports available with unlimited position capability; 12 sliding winches without straps, sliding rope hook/strap hook keepers Axles: Hendrickson Intraax

REVOLUTION ALLALUMINUM 52/60 TANDEM/TRIDEM FLATBED Length: 48 ft. Floor: Friction-stir welded

aluminum with coil support Main beams: Aluminum Weight: 8,608-10,464 lbs. Crossmember: Unitized construction, box beam design Rub rail/side rail: Aluminum, single routed extrusion, single-piece design Concentrated load capacity: 52,000-60,000 lbs. in 4 ft. Suspension: Hendrickson Intraax AANT23K with 122-in. spread from front to rear axle Brakes: 16½-by-7 in. fast change, cast drums, spring, automatic slack adjusters, Meritor Wabco 4S/2M ABS Tiedowns: 15 pairs recessed in side rails, optional aluminum removable deck, chain and chock supports available with unlimited position capability; 12 sliding winches without straps, sliding rope hook/strap hook keepers Axles: Hendrickson Intraax

VELOCITY STEEL DROP DECK Length: 48 ft. Floor: 11⁄8-in. wood, continuous Crossmember: 18-in. centers front deck, 12-in. centers rear deck, 4-in. junior I-steel Rub rails: 3⁄8-by-2½-in. steel, double pipe spools Side rails: 6-in. structural channel at 6½ lbs. per ft., full length on rear deck Distributed load capac-

ity: 80,000 lbs. Suspension: Hendrickson Intraax AANL23K with 122-in. spread Brakes: 16½-by-7-in. fast change, cast drums, spring, automatic slack adjusters, Meritor Wabco 4S/2M ABS Tiedowns: 12 sliding winches without straps Axles: Hendrickson Intraax

INFINITY COMPOSITE FLATBED Length: 48 ft. Floor: 11⁄8-in. aluminum with four wood nailer strips Crossmember: 12-in. centers, 4-in. junior I-steel, single coil-hauling package Rub rail/side rail: Aluminum, single routed extrusion, single-piece design Distributed load capacity: 80,000 lbs. Concentrated load capacity: 55,000 lbs. in 4 ft. Suspension: Hendrickson Intraax AANT23K with 122-in. spread Brakes: 16½-by-7 in. fast change, cast drums, spring, automatic slack adjusters, Meritor Wabco 4S/2M ABS Tiedowns: 15 pairs recessed in side rails, full-length winch track, integrated aluminum on both sides, 12 sliding winches without straps, sliding rope hook/strap hook keepers Axles: Hendrickson Intraax

GREAT DANE

www.greatdanetrailers.com

FREEDOM SE Overall length: 48 ft. for WSAR 121 axle centers Undercarriage design: Tandem axle, fixed air ride Main beam flanges: 3⁄8by-5 in. top Overall width: 102 in. Upper coupler height: 48 in. Kingpin location: 30 in. from nose Landing gear location: 112 in. from kingpin Crossmember: 4-in. steel I-beam on 16-in. centers Rub rails: ½-by-2 in. Side rails: 6-in.-deep 6.5 structural channel Floor: Apitong, 11⁄8 in. Landing gear: GD60 (Non Fast Gear) Suspension: Hendrickson AANT 23K Axles: Hendrickson tapered spindle Brakes: Wabco 2S/1M Easy Stop, 16½-by-7 in.

FREEDOM LT Overall length: 48 ft. for WSAR 121 axle centers Undercarriage design: Tandem axle, fixed air ride Main beam flanges: 3⁄8-by-5 in. top and bottom Overall width: 102 in. Upper coupler height: 48 in. Kingpin location: 30 in. from nose Landing gear location: 112 in. from kingpin

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| july 2017 69

All of the Best Fleets Have One Thing in Common

The Value of Membership Starts Here. Check the cost of your annual dues at: www.duescalculator.org

555 E Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA 22314 TRUCKLOAD.org | 703-838-1950

TRAILER FOCUS FLATBEDS Crossmember: 4-in. steel I-beam on 16-in. centers Rub rails: 3-in. aluminum Side rails: Extruded aluminum Floor: Aluminum, 1¼ in. with four apitong nailing strips Landing gear: GD60 (Non Fast Gear) Suspension: Hendrickson AANT 23K Axles: Hendrickson tapered spindle Brakes: Wabco 2S/1M Easy Stop, 16½-by-7 in.

FREEDOM XP Overall length: 48 ft. for WSAR 121 axle centers Undercarriage design: Tandem axle, fixed air ride Main beam flanges: 3⁄8-by-5 in. top and bottom Overall width: 102 in. Kingpin location: 30 in. from nose Landing gear: Jost AX150 Alumilight; static load rating, 160,000 lbs.; rated lift capacity, 55,000 lbs.; allaluminum extruded upper leg; polyester-coated highstrength low-alloy steel lower leg; silicone-sealed steel covers; 112 in. from kingpin Crossmember: 4-in. aluminum on 16-in. centers Rub rails: 3-in. aluminum Side rails: Extruded aluminum Floor: Aluminum, 1¼-in. Safety-Grip with two apitong nailing strips Landing gear: GD60 (Non Fast Gear) Suspension: Hendrickson AANT 23K; optional rearaxle sliding, front-axle fixed suspension that can be moved from the widespread position to close the tandem distance and be California-legal; distance

from kingpin to center line of rear axle can be 480 inches in forward position, 492 inches in middle, 540 inches in rear; axle separation distance can be 61, 73 or 121 inches Axles: Hendrickson tapered spindle Brakes: Wabco 2S/1M Easy Stop, 16½-by-7 in. www.mactrailer.com

spread with Hendrickson axles, TP bearings, oil-bath hubs Brakes and air system: 16½-by-7-in. lining with 30/30 chambers, automatic slack adjusters; 12-in. jumbo aluminum air tank, Sealco air valves; 4S2M ABS Drums and hubs: Centrifuse drums, DuraLite hubs Landing gear: Jost AX150 with drive handle, 55,000lb. lift, no lube

TANDEM FLATBED Models: M-52, M-60, M-72, M-80 Construction: 6061-T6 aluminum mill finish; fully welded, unitized Frame: Two T-sections assembled with center axis weld, 4-ft. concentrated load, 26-29 in. deep, 52,00080,000 lb. Upper coupler: 5⁄16-in. galvanized steel plate, heavyduty aluminum extruded member reinforcement Rear: DOT bumper, center filler plate with two steps, enclosed light pocket to protect rear lights and wiring Dock bumpers: Two 8-in., aligned with main beams Floor: 1¼-in. extruded hollow-core tubular-sectioned, 1¼-in. web section and knurled top surface; two apitong nailers along side rail Crossmembers: 5-in.-tall channel, 2-in. capped top flange, 2-in. bottom flange; spacing, 12-21 in. Side rail: 6¾-in.-tall openbacked extrusion; 7-in.-tall heavy-duty hollow-core extrusion optional Suspension: Hendrickson AANL-230 tandem 122-in.

DROP DECK FLATBED Models: Tandem, Single-Axle Slide, Tri-Axle Slide Construction: 6061-T6 aluminum mill finish; fully welded, unitized Frame: Lower deck, two 72,000-lb. T-sections, 26-in. deep beam, 52,000-lb. concentrated load Upper deck: Built with stress-relieved extrusions, heat-treated after forming, 10 ft. long, square front corner, 16-in. kingpin setting, attached to lower deck with Huck bolts Lower deck: Length determined by upper deck length; 41 in. w/ 255/70R22.5 tires Upper coupler: 5⁄16-in. steel plate, heavy-duty aluminum extruded member reinforcement Rear: DOT bumper, center filler plate with two steps, enclosed light pocket to protect rear lights and wiring Dock bumpers: Two 8-in., aligned with main beams Floor: 1¼-in. extruded hollow-core tubular-sectioned; two apitong nailers along side rail Crossmembers: 5-in.-tall channel, 2-in. capped top flange, 2-in. bottom flange; spacing, 12-21 in.

MAC

Side rail: 6¾-in.-tall openbacked extrusion; 6¾-in.tall heavy-duty hollow-core extrusion optional Suspension: Hendrickson AANL-230 tandem 122-in. spread with Hendrickson axles, TP bearings, oil-bath hubs Brakes and air system: 16½-by-7-in. lining with 30/30 chambers, automatic slack adjusters; 12-in. jumbo aluminum air tank, Sealco air valves; 4S2M ABS Drums and hubs: Centrifuse drums, DuraLite hubs Landing gear: Jost AX150 with drive handle, 55,000lb. lift, no lube

ROGERS BROTHERS CORP. www.rogerstrailers.com

COBRANECK PLATFORM DECK Deck height: 18 in. standard fully loaded Deck length: 25 ft. Capacity: 55 tons Concentrated load: 13 ft. Gooseneck: CobraNeck Detachable Neck support: Universal, twin leg jack system to eliminate manual blocking Storage: Bucket pocket, full depth, rear center of deck; boom trough, rear frame

TALBERT MANUFACTURING www.talbertmfg.com

4050TA HEAVY HAUL Deck height: 36 in. Length: 50 ft., California Legal

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TRAILER FOCUS FLATBEDS Capacity: 80,000 lbs. evenly distributed, 50,000 lbs. in 10 ft. Load angle: 7 degrees E-chain: Metal Planetary winch: 15,000 lbs., 20,000 lbs. optional Bulkhead: 48 in., aluminum/ steel

50CC-BH BUS HAULER Deck height: 21 in. Lower deck length: 22½ ft. Rear bridge: 20½ ft. Load base: 43 ft. Capacity: 50 tons Planetary winch: 20,000 lbs. with remote control Swing radius: 84 in., can be extended to 108 in. using 24-in. flip-up gooseneck equipped with heavy-duty 10-foot removable aluminum ramps Frame: Heavy-duty T-1 100,000-psi minimum yield steel with Valspar R-Cure 800 paint

55SATELE HEAVY HAUL Length: 53 ft. minimum Weight: 55 tons Swing radius: 90 in., can be extended to 114 inches using gooseneck extension Configurations: Four-axle close-coupled, 2-2 spread axle, 3-1 spread axle Deck: 32 ft. 6 ins.; wood deck, 29 ft. in front with 3-foot apitong platform in rear; height, 20 in. Suspension: Air-ride, can be equipped with optional Dura-Bright aluminum wheels, strobe lights at each axle and battery backup that powers lighting package when discon72

commercial carrier journal

nected from truck power Construction: High-strength 100,000-psi minimum-yield steel

UTILITY

www.utilitytrailer.com

4000AE Floor: 11⁄8-in. extruded aluminum with two hardwood nail strips Crossmembers: 3- and 4-in. aluminum suspended and supported to work as a total structural system on 16-in. centerline; three aluminum tube-shaped outriggers on each side, connected to crossmembers for even load distribution; 47,000-lb. coil-haul package included Rub rails: 3⁄8-by-3-in. extruded aluminum with recess for conspicuity tape Side rails: 53⁄8-in. deep extruded aluminum with integral sliding winch track on each side Distributed load capacity: 80,000 lbs. evenly distributed Suspension: Hendrickson AANT 23K Intraax air ride Brakes: Outboard-mounted cast-iron drums, 16½-by7-in. with Bendix 2S/1M TABS-6 Tiedowns: Extruded aluminum pipe spools on 24-in. centers Axles: Hendrickson LDA

4000A Floor: 11⁄8-in. extruded aluminum with two hardwood nail strips

| july 2017

Crossmember: 3-in. steel I-beam on 16-in. centerline Rub rails: 3⁄8-by-3-in. extruded aluminum with recess for conspicuity tape Side rails: 53⁄8-in. deep extruded aluminum with integral sliding winch track on each side Distributed load capacity: 80,000 lbs. evenly distributed Suspension: Hendrickson AANT 23K Intraax air ride Brakes: Outboard-mounted cast-iron drums, 16½-by7-in. with Bendix 2S/1M TABS-6 Tiedowns: Extruded aluminum pipe spools on 24-in. centers Axles: Hendrickson LDA

4000S Floor: 11⁄8-in. dimensional shiplap hardwood Crossmember: 3-in. steel I-beam on 12-in. centerline Rub rails: 1/4-by-3-in. highstrength steel Side rails: 47⁄16-in. formed high-strength steel Distributed load capacity: 80,000 lbs. evenly distributed Suspension: SAF Holland SP9000 Series DuraLite spring Brakes: Outboard-mounted cast-iron drums, 16½-by7-in. with Bendix 2S/1M TABS-6 Tiedowns: Steel pipe spools on 24-in. centers Axles: Hendrickson LDA, 121in. spacing

DROP DECK Floor: 11-ft. front deck with

21-in. drop and 401/4-in. rear deck height, 11⁄8in. extruded aluminum with two hardwood nail strips Crossmember: 3-in. steel I-beam on 12-in. centerline Rub rails: 3⁄8-by-3-in. extruded aluminum at sides with recess for conspicuity tape, 3⁄8-by3-in. high-strength steel at rear with recess for conspicuity tape Side rails: 53⁄8-in.-deep extruded aluminum with integral sliding winch track on each side Distributed load capacity: 80,000 lbs. evenly distributed Suspension: Hendrickson AANL 23K Intraax air ride Brakes: Outboardmounted cast-iron drums, 16½-by-7-in. with Bendix 2S/1M TABS-6 Tiedowns: Extruded aluminum pipe spools on 24-in. centers Axles: Hendrickson LDA, 121-in. spacing

WABASH NATIONAL CORP.

www.wabash-trailers.com

BENSON PLATFORMS www.bensonflats.com Length: 28-53 ft. Width: 96-102 in. Floor: 3-nailer, extruded aluminum Landing gear: Jost A-400 Crossmembers: Aluminum C-channel crossmembers on 16-in. centers, flatbeds include

TRAILER FOCUS FLATBEDS coil package with five additional crossmembers on 8 in. Main beam: Mechanically welded two-piece 6061 T6 extruded aluminum T cross-sections, welded along neutral axis Distributed load capacity: Flatbeds up to 140,000 lbs.; drop decks up to 105,000 lbs. over lower deck Concentrated load capacity: Flatbeds up to 72,000 lbs. in 4 ft., up to 78,000 lbs. in 10 ft.; drop decks up to 52,000 lbs. in 4 ft., 55,000 lbs. in 10 ft. Suspension/axles: Hendrickson Intraax, tandem widespread with QuikAlign, parallel P spindle wheel ends Brakes: Meritor 4S/2M anti-lock Tiedowns: Patented Lock-Rite multiposition tiedown system, stake pockets on 24-in. centers, double pipe spools Electrical: LED lights with enhanced visibility lighting system Finishes: Galvanized available

crossmembers on 12-in. centers; 5-in. aluminum available Main beam: Fully welded at all flange-web joints Distributed load capacity: Flatbeds up to 125,000 lbs. evenly distributed; drop decks up to 94,000 lbs. over lower deck Concentrated load capacity: Flatbeds up to 73,000 lbs. in 4 ft., up to 80,000 lbs. in 10 ft.; drop decks up to 80,000 lb. in 4 ft., up to 85,000 lbs. in 10 ft. Suspension/axles: Hendrickson Intraax, tandem widespread with Quik-Align, parallel P spindle wheel ends Brakes: Meritor 4S/2M anti-lock Tiedowns: Stake pockets on 24-in. centers, double pipe spools Electrical: LED lights with enhanced visibility lighting system Finishes: Shot-blasted prior to primer, Valspar automotive-grade acrylic urethane paint system; corrosion-resistant packages available

TRANSCRAFT PLATFORMS www.transcraft.com

COMBO PLATFORMS Length: 28-53 ft. Width: 96-102 in. Floor: Interlocking, 4-nailer, apitong and aluminum Landing gear: Jost A-400 Crossmembers: 80K hightensile 4-in. steel I beam

STEEL PLATFORMS Length: 28-53 ft. Width: 96-102 in. Floor: Apitong Landing gear: Jost A-400 Crossmembers: 80K hightensile 4-in. steel I beam crossmembers on 12-in. centers Main beam: Fully welded at all flange-web joints Distributed load capacity: Flatbeds up to 125,000 lbs. evenly dis-

tributed; drop decks up to 94,000 lbs. over lower deck Concentrated load capacity: Flatbeds up to 73,000 lbs. in 4 ft., up to 80,000 lbs. in 10 ft.; drop decks up to 80,000 lbs. in 4 ft., up to 85,000 lbs. in 10 ft. Suspension/axles: Hendrickson Intraax, tandem widespread with Quik-Align, parallel P spindle wheel ends Brakes: Meritor 4S/2M anti-lock Tiedowns: Stake pockets on 24-in. centers, double pipe spools Electrical: LED lights with enhanced visibility lighting system Finishes: Shot-blasted prior to primer, Valspar automotive-grade acrylic urethane paint system; corrosion-resistant packages available

unloading; filamentwound composite rollers slide without grease Tiedowns: Chain drops down center deck and side beams; energy chain protects air and electrical lines from damage; two toolboxes in upper deck provide storage space Hydraulic winch: 20,000lb. capability with manual kick-out and 100 ft. of 9⁄16-in. cable; seven-function wireless remote; recessed roller at top of gooseneck rolls with winch to pull cable Digital scale: Air-Weigh

XL SPECIALIZED

XL GALVANIZED LOWBOY Models: Mechanical Detachable Extendable, Mechanical Full-width Gooseneck Mini-Deck Length: 48 and 53 ft.; 29 or 34 ft. in well Capacity: 60,000-80,000 lbs. Flange: T-1 Web: 80K Frame: Hot-dip galvanizing process creates barrier between elements and steel Deck: MDE, apitong decking on front, main and rear deck for added durability on loading area; MFG Mini-Deck, 12-inch loaded deck height with four inches of ground clearance

www.xlspecializedtrailer.com

XL 80 SLIDER/ CALIFORNIA LEGAL/ R-TAC LEGAL Crossmember: Four beams comprised of 4-in. junior I-beams and 3-in. I-beams on 8-in. centers Length: 48-53 ft. Dump angle: 15-17 degrees Load angle: 6½ degrees Capacity: 80,000 lbs. overall, 50,000 lbs. in 10 ft. concentrated Axles: Sliding assembly tilts for loading and

– Dean Smallwood

commercial carrier journal

| july 2017 73

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Sleep monitoring wearable

Avantechs’ Sleepman wearable for drivers is designed to optimize and enhance sleep, wake users during the correct sleep phase and prevent dozing while driving. The device is engineered to monitor electromagnetic biosignals from a user’s wrist and analyze sleep and activity patterns using electrodermal activity-tracking algorithms. A Doze-Off Alert helps warn drivers at the earliest signs of concentration loss to stop and rest, while the Power Nap function is designed to wake users before they begin a deep sleep. A Bio-Smart Alarm is designed to monitor biosignals and wake users at the optimum sleep stage, and the device’s Sleep and Activity Tracking records sleep and activity data and presents it in easy-to-read graphs for review. Avantechs, www.sleepman.com

Mudflap system

Betts HD’s Trailer Mud Flap Retention System is designed for trailers with sliders for retrofit or replacement. A proprietary spring-steel mounting bracket is engineered for installation using hand tools to eliminate welding and to be compatible with the company’s hangers. The bracket is heat-treated and reinforced for added flexibility. Betts HD, www.betts1868.com/BettsHD, 800-227-2192

Truck locks

Bolt Locks are designed to secure tools, gear, trailers and other equipment on a variety of tractor models. An ignition key can be programmed to open any number of locks, reducing the need for multiple keys. The locks are manufactured with an electroless nickel-plated carbon steel pin or shaft assembly/shield for added strength and durability and feature an automotive-grade stainless-steel lock shutter, a durable protective rubber shell and a six-plate tumbler sidebar that helps prevent picking. Bolt Locks, www.boltlock.com, 844-972-7547

Air filters for Paccar trucks

Freedom’s pre-filters for Kenworth T880 and Peterbilt 386 and 579 trucks are engineered to offer added protection and extended air filter life without drilling, gluing or removing the intake grilles. The reusable pre-filters are designed to help maintain performance and fuel economy by preventing larger particles of debris such as grain chaff, dirt and sand from getting into and clogging the air filter element. They are treated with a hydrophobic water-repellant process that helps keep out rain, ice and snow and can be cleaned easily with soap and water. Both kits are designed to fit over the factory plastic air intake grilles and come with retainer clips to help facilitate a quick and simple installation. Freedom Air Filters, www.freedomairfilters.com, 877-454-6565 commercial carrier journal | july 2017

PRODUCTS

Solar-powered auxiliary A/C Dometic’s Blizzard Turbo auxiliary air conditioner for Class 8 sleepers now is available with eNow’s Solar Photovoltaic Panel system, a solar-powered auxiliary A/C that captures and stores energy in the onboard battery system and distributes it to various truck and trailer functions. Using solar power helps increase the life of the truck’s alternator and auxiliary battery system by reducing the alternator load at idle and over the road while also charging the battery more efficiently at its optimal voltage and extending its run time. Dometic, www.dometic.com/en-us/us/ products/applications/trucks, 954-973-2477

Brake pads Raybestos’ Truck & Medium Duty Brake Pads for air disc brakes are designed for low-fade braking for added safety, heavy-duty performance with low dust, quiet operation in extreme situations and all-weather stopping performance. The pads are made with specially formulated semi-metallic friction materials that are attached mechanically to the backing plate to facilitate improved shear strength, helping to reduce pad end lift and noise while increasing safety and pad life. Raybestos, www.raybestos.com, 800-323-0354

commercial carrier journal | july 2017

Light bars Optronics’ Light Bars with Combination Spot and Flood Beams come in 13-, 22and 33-inch lengths. The lamps deliver from 3,700 to 7,500 lumens depending on size and feature tough water- and dust-resistant polycarbonate lenses and a durable die-cast aluminum housing and mounting bracket; each also comes with stainless-steel hardware. The lamps are hardwired with 16-inch leads and are designed to accommodate both 12- and 24-volt electrical systems. Optronics Inc., www.optronicsinc.com, 800-364-5483

Wall-mounted storage system Kinedyne’s E-Hook is a wall-mounted freight-loading storage device designed to allow haulers to safely and securely stow long and unwieldy items such as tubes, pipes, beams, cables and hoses and keep them off the floor. The E-Hook can be mounted to any vertically installed track or logistics post system by inserting the brackets into the track slots and sliding them down until they are seated securely. It has a working load limit of 300 pounds, and multiple hooks can be mounted at different heights to accommodate longer cargo with contoured shapes. The device has an eye-loop at its outer end engineered to allow more cargo securement products to be attached. It is made of clear zinc-plated steel with a slip-resistant orange vinyl coating in its cradle area. Kinedyne, www.kinedyne.com, 800-848-6057

Trailer retread Marangoni’s XP Extreme Performance line of spliceless retreads now includes the Ringtread RTL SA for spread- or multi-axle trailer applications. RTL SA combines the company’s proprietary Ringtread technology with a compound that helps add mileage and reduce premature wear when cornering. Marangoni Tread North America Inc., www.na.marangoni.com, 615-868-4050

PRODUCTS

Bluetooth-ready safety earbud

Maven’s Co-Pilot SE Smart Earbud is a slim Bluetooth-ready in-ear driver safety headset designed to provide real-time distraction monitoring. The device weighs 0.5 ounces and pairs with a phone or tablet to offer clear audio through echo- and noise-cancellation algorithms. The smart headset is built to measure a driver’s real-time head position, and its motion sensors are engineered to communicate with GPS sensors on the driver’s mobile phone to provide active verbal coaching for key safety metrics such as speeding and harsh braking. Maven Machines, www.mavenmachines.com, 412-499-3877

Solar-powered battery packs ToughTested’s waterproof solar-powered battery packs are available in a variety of models ranging from 6,000 to 16,000 mAh to charge most personal devices. The solar panel is engineered to facilitate emergency charging power, and dual ports are available to charge two devices at once. Select models feature the company’s proprietary InstaSense technology designed to ensure that each device gets the power that it needs. A lightweight compact form factor and clip allow for added portability, and a rugged rain-, shock- and dustproof design helps resist everyday wear and tear. ToughTested, www.toughtested.com, 718-492-0220 commercial carrier journal | july 2017

AD INDEX American Truckers Legal Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-525-4285 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 American Trucking Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trucking .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Ancra International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AncraCargo .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ATA-Technology and Maintenance Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TMC .Trucking .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Bridgestone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bandag .com/Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 CCJ Innovators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 CCJ Symposium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CCJSymposium .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Direct Equipment Supply Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-992-1478 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Federal-Mogul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FMHeavyDutyParts .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fleetmatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fleetmatics .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Freightliner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Freightliner .com/Comfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Fumoto Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707-545-7020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 GoNMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844-763-7250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Great American Trucking Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GATSOnline .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27 Great Dane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreatDaneTrailers .com/FXP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Help Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prepass .com/CCJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Howes Lubricator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-438-4693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . InternationalTrucks .com/A26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC-1 International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OnCommandConnection .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-45, 54 J .J . Keller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JJKeller .com/ELDQuote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Kinedyne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kinedyne .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Minimizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minimizer .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC NACVS Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NACVShow .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FirstCallOnline .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Ocean Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OceanTrailer .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 PCS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281-419-9500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-473-8372 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC Petro-Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DuronTheTougherTheBetter .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ProMiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-324-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Rig Dig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RigDig .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Ryder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryder .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rotella .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21 TA-Petro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TA-Petro .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Total Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TotalSpecialties .com/Heavy-Duty .html . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 TruckFridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TruckFridge .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Truckload Carriers Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DuesCalculator .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Utility Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UtilityTrailer .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 VDO RoadLog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VDORoadLog .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Vipar Heavy Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vipar .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Zamzow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zamzow-Tarp .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 78

commercial carrier journal | july 2017

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PREVENTABLE or NOT?

Corvette cuts off Doe’s pizza daydream

aving delivered a pallet of Mrs. Frisky’s Rock-Throwing Kits to Toys Galore – off Pudd Pike, in the Smurdley Shopping Center – trucker John Doe was heading eastward on Route 409 with an empty dry van in tow. A drizzling rain was starting to fall, making the roadway slick. It also was approaching lunchtime. “A hot pizza with extra veggies and low-calorie cheese sure would hit the spot,” Doe mused. After passing some turtle-paced traffic, Doe continued to run in the left lane at the posted speed limit of 55 mph, salivating over his upcoming order at Paul’s Pizza Palace. Simultaneously, Hortense P. Pocallia, rolling John Doe’s efforts to avoid along slightly ahead in the right lane, a Corvette that swerved noticed that cars ahead were stopping, into his path caused him but only in her lane. “There must be to jackknife and slide off the wet road and into a an accident,” Pocallia concluded as she light pole. Was this a hit her brakes and swerved her Corpreventable accident? vette to the left into Doe’s path, hoping to escape the traffic jam. Suddenly faced with the Corvette’s posterior, Doe also braked hard, figured that he couldn’t stop in time, steered into the right lane, started to jackknife and slid entirely off the road into a hefty light pole. He wasn’t hurt, but his long-nose conventional now resembled a COE, inspiring his safety director to charge him with a preventable accident, which Doe contested. Asked to render a final decision, the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee upheld the preventable ruling. Despite worsening road conditions, Doe had passed more-cautious drivers instead of slowing down, even when traffic in the next lane was braking. Under those conditions, he should have anticipated lane-hopping by Pocallia and others, NSC said.

commercial carrier journal | july 2017

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3/21/13 9:56 AM