OCTOBER 2017
CCJ's TECH TOOLBOX
Managing logistics isn't rocket science
page 61
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR TRUCKING PROFESSIONALS
SPECIAL REPORT: ELDS Staying compliant outside the truck page 54
REEFER TRAILERS
Latest specs for popular models page 84
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OCTOBER 2017 | VOL 174 | NO. 10
COVER STORY TRUCKING’S FUTURE NOW:
CONNECTED TRUCKS
JOURNAL LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Autonomy is a big word when discussing the future of trucking, but a bigger word looms over the industry as the shift toward driverless vehicles continues: connectivity. Drivers and fleets of the future will be only a small part of the truck’s communication loop. Such a leap in communications would be a shift from what currently is being shared. Cover design by David Watson
FEATURES
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9
Special Report: ELDs outside the cab
News House rejects ELD delay provision …
What are the options for giving drivers hours-of-service visibility and functionality when they are not driving? If they are attending a safety meeting and logging it as on-duty, how do ELDs record that time?
Hours, brake violations top Roadcheck out-of-service orders … OOIDA petitions FMCSA to withhold
61
federal funding from
CCJ ’s Tech Toolbox: Technology’s role in logistics
20 states … Celadon shuttering CDL schools,
Transportation management software integrations with mobile communications platforms and electronic logging devices in trucks are leading to better planning efficiency and less friction in freight moves. Technology is making it possible to do more with less investment in complicated systems and people to manage interactions.
sells flatbed division … NTSB: Trucker partially to blame in fatal 2016 autonomous Tesla crash … Trucker involved in
84
human smuggling op
Trailer Focus: Refrigerated
pleads not guilty …
Trailer manufacturers are offering improved insulation and heat isolation on their refrigerated products, resulting in lower TRU operating costs and greater savings for carriers.
59
Three finalists named for top rookie military veteran driver
16 InBrief Innovators: Heniff Transportation
The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company develops a custom driver scorecard and incentive plan that helps improve fuel economy, cut maintenance expenses and reduce turnover rates.
commercial carrier journal
| october 2017 3
DEPARTMENTS
ccjdigital.com
technology
facebook.com/CCJMagazine @CCJnow linkedin.com/ccjmagazine
Editorial
41 44 23 26
Do the math before filling up your electric truck Cummins unveils electric tractor concept
26 InBrief 28 30
International updating LoneStar tractor ZF’s hydraulic steering gets electric assist
32 Test Drive: Volvo VNL
46
McLeod users see opportunities from ‘Amazon Effect’ Digi Data Logger solves carrier-shipper temperature disputes
Corporate
48 50
52
TMW launches add-on modules for dedicated and logistics billing Manhattan’s updated TMS helps shippers obtain capacity Stay Metrics releases driver onboarding platform EBE adds speech-to-text to online driver application Volvo Group CTO: The future is closer than ever
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
4
6
Upfront
96
Preventable or Not?
95
Ad Index
Products
Brake kits, solar charger, Bluetooth headset, more.
commercial carrier journal
| october 2017
Art Director: David Watson Graphic Designer: Kenneth Stubbs Quality Assurance: Timothy Smith Advertising Production Manager: Leah Boyd
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36 InFocus:
90
Design & Production
production@ccjdigital.com
50
One-box aftertreatment
editorial@ccjdigital.com
46 InBrief
33 Test Drive: Mack Anthem
Fleets use tech to work around Harvey, Irma
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
When "what if" becomes "what's next"
John Doe was towing a loaded dry van on a divided interstate when a pizza supply truck headed in the opposite direction crossed the median without warning and struck his truck. Was this a preventable accident?
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
Hours, brake violations top Roadcheck outof-service orders
N
orth American truck and bus inspectors placed more than
12,000 vehicles out of service during their 72-hour Roadcheck enforcement blitz held June 6-8. Nearly 3,000 drivers also were placed out of Lawmakers last month had only 12 working days to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded past Sept. 30.
House rejects ELD delay provision
A
n amendment brought to a 2018 appropriations package to stall the electronic logging device mandate’s enforcement date for at least 10 months was defeated in a Sept. 7 vote on the House floor, meaning the amendment was not added to the bill. The amendment, spearheaded by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), would have restricted funding for enforcement of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ELD mandate through the 2018 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2018. Lawmakers voted 246-173 against the amendment. Babin also filed a separate standalone bill this summer in the House to delay the mandate’s enforcement date two years to December 2019. That bill has seen no action, but it did have 45 co-sponsors as of last month. However, the defeat of Babin’s amendment to the appropriations package could be a sign lawmakers are unwilling to change the mandate at this point. At the least, they were unwilling to tack the ELD rider onto the larger spending bill. Lawmakers last month had only 12 working days to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded past Sept. 30, the date at which current appropriations expire. In addition to the ongoing ELD discussion, a few other prominent trucking policy reforms were on tap in Congress for the coming weeks and months as lawmakers returned to Washington last month from their annual August recess. Here’s a look at the other trucking-related bills and provisions potentially upcoming this congressional session: ELD delay for livestock haulers: Included in the House’s 2018 appropriations bill is a more limited ELD exemption that specifically would give livestock haulers an extra year to switch from paper logs to ELDs. The Senate’s DOT appropriations bill, however, includes no such exemption for livestockers. Trucker breaks, pay: The House’s 2018 appropriations bill would prohibit states Continued on page 10
service during the event. Enforcers conducted 62,013 inspections, with 19.4 percent (12,030) resulting in a vehicle outof-service order and 4.7 percent (2,940) resulting in a driver out-ofservice order. The top three out-of-service vehicle violations were for brake systems (26.9 percent), cargo securement (15.7 percent) and tires/wheels (15.1 percent). The top three driver-related violations were for hours of service (32.3 percent), wrong class license (14.9 percent) and false logbook (11.3 percent). In last year’s Roadcheck sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, inspectors performed more inspections but placed fewer trucks and drivers out of service. – James Jaillet
Nearly 3,000 drivers were placed out of service during CVSA’s 72-hour Roadcheck enforcement blitz held June 6-8.
commercial carrier journal
| october 2017 9
JOURNAL NEWS
ROTELLA ROUNDUP
The 411on10W-30 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. 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. To learn more go to ROTELLA.com/products
Continued from page 9 from requiring carriers to give drivers paid meal and rest breaks. The provisions are part of an effort by several trucking groups — and many carriers — to rein in states’ authority in regulating drivers’ work schedules. The language, if passed, blocks states from enacting or enforcing laws that require carriers, as employers, to provide paid meal and rest breaks. The provision also intends to protect carriers from being required to pay drivers for nondriving tasks following several costly court rulings in recent years. Speed limiters: An amendment to the House’s appropriations bill, brought by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), would block DOT from pursuing and finalizing a rule through the 2018 fiscal year to mandate speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks. It specifically targets the speed limiter mandate proposed rule issued last year by FMCSA, which drew rebuke by most industry trade groups and highway safety advocacy groups. However, the amendment may be a moot item given that FMCSA said in July that it has moved the speed limiter mandate rule to a long-term agenda item. More CSA reforms: The House’s appropriations bill bars the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from finalizing and enacting its Safety Fitness Determination rulemaking until it enacts Compliance Safety Accountability reforms prescribed earlier this year by the National Academies of Science. FMCSA pulled an SFD rule proposal, issued last January, prior to the introduction of the House bill. Human trafficking crackdown: A bill introduced in the Senate in July would institute a lifetime trucking ban for those convicted of a human trafficking crime. The No Human Trafficking on our Roads Act would permanently disqualify human trafficking convicts from holding a commercial driver’s license. Another human trafficking bill introduced in the Senate alongside the CDL ban would bolster campaigns that would train drivers how to recognize, report and prevent human trafficking. Autonomous technology: The House last month stamped its approval on a legislative package intended to provide a framework for manufacturers to develop and test self-driving cars, highlighted by provisions to prevent states from enacting bans on autonomous vehicles while also establishing a protocol for addressing the privacy and safety concerns of self-driving cars. However, Senate lawmakers say the bill doesn’t go far enough because it fails to address self-driving truck technology. Congress’ upper chamber plans to alter the House legislation to extend the potential regulatory framework to cover autonomous trucks. “Self-driving technology for trucks and other large vehicles has emerged as a pivotal issue in Congress’ attempt to help usher in a new era of transportation,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who chairs the chamber’s Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, which held a hearing Sept. 13 on autonomous truck technology. – James Jaillet Scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit ccjdigital.com/news/subscribe-to-newsletters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, a daily e-mail newsletter filled with news, analysis, blogs and market condition articles.
Comments, questions or ideas? Email us at RotellaRoundup@JWT.com
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| october 2017 6/15/17 1:49 PM
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JOURNAL NEWS
OOIDA petitions FMCSA to withhold federal funding from 20 states
T
he Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to take action against states that haven’t updated their state legal code to reflect current safety regulations. The association contends that a state’s failure to incorporate federal safety regulations makes state personnel enforcing such regulations problematic given their perceived lack of authority. “OOIDA contends that when FMCSA amends its regulations, the states must incorporate those amendments into state law before they can enforce them,” the association said in a press release. Put another way by OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer in the same release: “We are concerned about numerous states issuing citations for the violation of nonexistent state laws.” The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the partnership of industry and enforcement that is responsible for establishing the out-of-service criteria and serving as a forum to mitigate roadside issues, declined to comment. The petition was put forward within the context of FMCSA’s electronic logging device mandate final rule, which reaches the enforcement stage on Dec. 18 when truckers subject to the rule’s requirement must transition away from paper logbooks for hours-of-service recording. OOIDA’s petition singles out 26 states that haven’t adopted the ELD mandate final rule, with 20 of those out of compliance with the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance
Program and its requirement that participating states adopt new regulations within three years of their effective dates to receive federal grant monies within the program. According to regulation, FMCSA retains the option to withdraw MCSAP participation or withhold funding for states that are not compliant with stipulations laid out in 49 CFR 350.335. In OOIDA’s petition contends these fiscal year 2016, the MCSAP states are more than three years program granted more than behind in adopting updated federal safety regulations, even $65 million in funding to though the MCSAP program the 20 states OOIDA singles granted them more than $65 million in funding in fiscal 2016. out in its petition, which asks that FMCSA withhold funding until the states come into compliance. Oregon hasn’t applied for or received any MCSAP dollars at least two out of the last three years, said David McKane, program manager for the state’s Department of Transportation. “OOIDA makes an interesting argument, in my opinion,” McKane said. – Todd Dills
Celadon shuttering CDL schools, sells flatbed division
C
eladon Group (CCJ Top 250, mined that using a third-party Celadon Group will close its three CDL training No. 31) last month announced provider is a more effective way to schools later this year and has sold its flatbed division to a subsidiary of P&S Logistics. two corporate decisions that the hire them. company said will allow it to focus Also last month, Celadon sold on its core business. its flatbed division to a subsidiary Celadon Trucking said it will of Birmingham, Ala.-based P&S stop operating its three driver Logistics (No. 48); terms were not training schools in Indianapolis; disclosed. Assets included in the Laredo, Texas; and Richmond, transaction consist mostly of leased Va., later this year to focus on and owned trailers, which were its core business as a truckload sold in exchange for satisfaction of and logistics provider. The fleet the lease and cash, respectively. said one of its third-party driving P&S Logistics will contract school partners plans to establish accredited driving schools with up to 100 independent contractor flatbed drivat the three locations. ers, hire certain flatbed company drivers and operations The Indianapolis-based company, which has some 3,000 employees and assume certain customer contracts associdrivers, said it will continue to need new drivers but has deter- ated with the division. – CCJ Staff
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commercial carrier journal
| october 2017
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JOURNAL NEWS
NTSB: Trucker partially to blame in fatal 2016 autonomous Tesla crash
T
hough the driver of a Tesla sedan, which was speeding and operating in a fledgling version of an autonomous mode, was mostly to blame for a fatal May 2016 crash in Williston, Fla., the truck driver also involved in the crash shares some of the blame, according to the final crash report released last month by the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB in preliminary reports said the Tesla driver’s reliance on the autonomous system was mostly to blame for the high-profile crash. However, in its final report, NTSB concluded the driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the crash failed to yield the right of way to the oncoming Tesla Model S sedan. A post-crash drug test also revealed the truck operator had used marijuana before the crash, according to NTSB’s report. The driver of the Tesla died in the crash. The truck operator survived. Tesla, in a statement after the crash, said its autonomous system was still in beta form and failed to detect the
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commercial carrier journal
| october 2017
The truck involved in the May 2016 crash with an autonomous Tesla was towing a 53foot dry van trailer.
NTSB’s preliminary report included this photo of the Tesla Model S involved in the crash.
tractor-trailer crossing the road in front of it, as it blended with the bright sky behind it. NTSB’s final report confirmed Tesla’s conclusion. Tesla also said after the crash its Autopilot mode isn’t meant to replace drivers’ control of the vehicle, but only to assist the driver and prevent a crash if possible. Tesla says it warns drivers via a visual message to maintain awareness and be ready to steer and brake if necessary. NTSB last month said the driver had a “pattern of use of the Autopilot system … and a lack of understanding of the system limitations.” – James Jaillet
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JOURNAL NEWS
INBRIEF 10/17
facilitate the hiring of over 100,000 apprentices over the next four years.
• A new partnership between the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools, which represents 117 schools, and Fastport Inc., which helps veterans find meaningful employment, launched a National Standard Registered Apprenticeship Program for Professional Truck Drivers. Its goal is to
• The Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge are seeking nominations for the 10th annual “Best Fleets to Drive For” contest. To be eligible, a for-hire fleet must have 10 or more trucks, operate in the United States or Canada and be nominated by a trucker. The nomination period runs through
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commercial carrier journal
| october 2017
CO4396 OVERDRIVE_RoadLog_ELD Mandate_AAPEX_HalfIsl_10-17_v2.indd 1
• Shareholders for Swift Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 3) and Knight Transportation (No. 256) last month approved a merger between the two Phoenix-based companies that was announced April 8. Swift shareholders will retain 54 percent ownership, and Knight shareholders will have 46 percent. The new company, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, will operate about 30,000 tractors. • Wilson Logistics (CCJ Top 250, No. 176) purchased select assets of Haney Truck Lines (No. 199), a Yakima, Wash.-based fleet with 400 power units and more than 1,200 trailers. Haney specializes in heavy-haul and truckload transportation in the western United States, as well as British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. Wilson, based in Springfield, Mo., acquired Jim Palmer Trucking in 2014, O&S Trucking in 2016 and RJ’s Transportation earlier this year.
VDO RoadLog™ offers simple, affordable solutions for FMCSA ELD mandate compliance.
You’ve got the driving covered. Leave the mandate to us.
• YRC Worldwide (CCJ Top 250, No. 5) last month followed in the footsteps of UPS (No. 1) by requesting a temporary exemption from certain provisions in the Dec. 18 electronic logging device mandate. Comments can be made at Regulations.gov by searching FMCSA-2017-0248. • Two utility organizations requested hoursof-service exemptions last month on behalf of their member companies. The National Asphalt Pavement Association and the Power and Communication Contractors Association both are asking to use the short-haul record of duty status exemption because their drivers perform a multitude of tasks, with driving a truck being incidental to their jobs and holdups at worksites a common occurrence.
The Mandate is coming up fast.
• Backed by Continental, a leader in compliance systems, with over five million ELDs in use worldwide.
Oct. 31, and the two winners of the small and large fleet categories will be announced during the TCA Annual Convention, set for March 25-28, 2018, in Kissimmee, Fla. Go to BestFleetsToDriveFor.com.
FMCSA RTIFIED VDO CE NIC ELECTRO G LOGGIN DEVICE
• Daseke Inc. (CCJ Top 250, No. 37), a consolidator of North American flatbed and specialized transportation companies, announced a merger with R&R Trucking, a specialized transporter of military defense and commercial arms, ammunitions and explosives cargo. R&R is Daseke’s fourth company addition since May. • A new Illinois law allows certain military veterans to waive the commercial driver’s license knowledge written test. Veterans must be a state resident; have been regularly employed in a military position that required the operation of large trucks within one year of applying; and have received formal military training to operate a vehicle similar to one the applicant expects to operate.
9/21/17 4:58 PM
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JOURNAL NEWS
Trucker involved in human smuggling op pleads not guilty
A
Florida-licensed truck driver involved in the smuggling of dozens of illegal immigrants that resulted in 10 deaths in San Antonio in July was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 16 and later pleaded not guilty. James Matthew Bradley Jr. faces a five-count indictment, which includes one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented aliens for financial gain resulting in death; one count of transportation of undocumented aliens resulting in death; one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented aliens for financial gain resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy; one count of transportation of undocumented aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy; and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Bradley entered a not guilty plea to the charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said if Bradley is convicted of the charges for conspiracy and transportation resulting in death, he faces up to life in prison or death. The conspiracy and transportation resulting in serious bodily injury charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, and the James Matthew Bradley firearm charge carries a sentence of Jr., who had his Florida up to 10 years in federal prison. CDL revoked in April, Bradley’s truck was discovered faces up to life in prison or death. shortly after midnight on July 23 with 39 undocumented aliens trapped inside its trailer in a San Antonio Walmart parking lot. Ten of the people inside the sweltering trailer either were dead when police arrived or died later in a hospital. Court documents state there were between 70 and 200 people in the trailer during transport. The trailer had a reefer unit, but Bradley told authorities during the investigation he knew it didn’t work. According to court documents, Bradley told police he was taking the trailer to Brownsville, Texas, for Pyle Transportation to deliver the trailer to someone who purchased it, but said he was not given a timeframe to deliver the trailer or a delivery address. He told them that before going to San Antonio, he had been in Laredo, Texas, getting his truck washed and detailed. Bradley had his Florida commercial driver’s license revoked in April. The firearm charges stem from authorities finding a .38 caliber pistol in the truck at the scene. – Matt Cole
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commercial carrier journal
| october 2017
From left, Gregg Softy, Army, Stevens Transport; Wayne Roy, Marine Corps, U.S. Xpress; and Daniel Shonebarger, Navy, Melton Truck Lines.
Three finalists named for top rookie military veteran driver
T
hree rookie truck drivers who are military veterans were named finalists in the “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence” program at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. The winner will receive a Kenworth T680 Advantage with a 76-inch sleeper and a Paccar MX-13 engine. The finalists are Wayne Roy, a Marine Corps veteran driving for U.S. Xpress; Daniel Shonebarger, a Navy veteran driving for Melton Truck Lines; and Gregg Softy, an Army veteran driving for Stevens Transport. Shonebarger also was named the 2017 Trucking’s Top Rookie at GATS by Truckers News. The winner will be announced Dec. 15 in Washington, D.C., during a ceremony at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C. The program is conducted through a partnership between Kenworth, Fastport and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program. “We have a very elite group of drivers who have achieved significant accomplishments in their military careers and as professional truck drivers,” said Brad Bentley, Fastport president. “It is important for organizations across the United States to do what they can to especially reach out to our veterans to help them make a smooth transition back into civilian life. This is one way that the trucking industry is doing its part.” Drivers were nominated by trucking companies that have made a hiring commitment and pledge to hire veterans on TruckingTrack.org, members of the National Association of Publically Funded Truck Driving Schools and any Commercial Vehicle Training Association-member school. – CCJ Staff
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* Two-year assurance coverage provided for International® A26-powered International® RH™ Series and International® LT™ Series vehicles. Customers must be enrolled in OnCommand® Connection during coverage period. Maximum 8 International Advantage® cards per VIN. Navistar reserves the right to cancel or modify this program at any time. For a complete set of terms and conditions, visit InternationalTrucks.com.
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PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS, AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS BY JASON CANNON
Power-ful numbers Do the math before committing to filling up your electric truck
E
lectric trucks have dominated recent headlines with promises of zero emissions, teasing carriers with the idea of reduced cost of ownership. It’s tough to calculate the total cost of ownership because we can’t factor in the cost of purchasing, financing or leasing an electric truck since there’s not many actually yet on the market. Prices of $300,000 to $350,000 are mostly speculative. What we can approximate with what we know is the total cost of operation of a diesel versus an electric truck over a 100,000mile one-year period. Last month I could buy a gallon of diesel at a station not far from my house for $2.29. DEF is about $2.80 per gallon at the pump, so we’ll need to factor that in, too. NO DIESEL NEEDED: Electric If my tractor trucks promise zero emissions and averages 6 mpg, that reduced cost of ownership. means for 100,000 WHAT WE KNOW: We can approxmiles, I’m going to imate the total cost of operation of need 16,667 gallons a diesel versus an electric truck. of fuel: 100,000 BATTERY PRICE: While there’s miles/6 mpg = 16,667 a truckload of savings for going gallons. At 6 mpg, electric, there’s also a big wild card. that’s $38,167 in fuel: 16,667 x $2.29. With a dosing rate of about 3 percent, I should need about 500 gallons of DEF at $2.80 per gallon over 100,000 miles. So, $2.80 x 500 = $1,400 in DEF. Our total annual fuel cost for the purposes of this exercise will be $39,567: Fuel cost + DEF cost = $39,567/100,000 miles. That’s 39.5 cents per mile. Our fuel cost for an electric truck that doesn’t use any is fairly simple to figure out: $0. Ha! That’s where many calculations go off the rails. You get an electric bill every month, and the first time you plug in your Tesla or whatever-other-OEM electric tractor, that bill is going up. According to Alabama Power, commercial electricity rates in that state average about 11 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).
It’s tough to calculate the total cost of ownership because we can’t factor in the cost of purchasing, financing or leasing an electric truck since there’s not many actually yet on the market.
A gallon of diesel – primarily its 146,520,000 joules of energy – converts to about 40.3 kWh. You’ll see some citations of an EPA-estimated 33.7-kWh gallon equivalent, but that is based on a less efficient gasoline engine and doesn’t account for waste energy, which we are about to do. I haven’t seen any comparison that accounts for waste energy, but I think it’s necessary. All fuel fired in a diesel engine doesn’t do work. That’s why you have waste heat. Diesel engines generally convert only about 45 percent of fuel energy into mechanical energy. So if we’re getting 40.3 kWh/gallon, the engine’s actual output will be about only 45 percent of that – 18.13 kWh/gallon at full load. An electric motor is more efficient than a diesel – meaning it uses more of the energy generated by the motor to move the load – so we need to back out any energy that’s wasted by the diesel. What we’re trying to measure is how much of a gallon equivalent is actually doing work. For example, 40.3 kWh of electricity (the equivalent of one gallon of diesel) would do more than twice as much work as a gallon of diesel fuel assuming the electric motor was 100 percent efficient. With electric rates of 11 cents per kWh, JASON CANNON is Equipment Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcannon@randallreilly.com or call (205) 248-1175.
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october 2017
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you would pay about $1.99 for the equivalent energy of one gallon of diesel fuel, which should give us about 20 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe). Here is where the math becomes more black magic than exact science. There is some major back-of-a-napkin math here involving factors, figures and projections that includes everything from the truck’s aerodynamics to battery capacity. If you want to argue any of the math I’ve laid out, this is a good place to start. But so we can move forward, let’s assume we can squeeze out 20 MPGe. At 20 MPGe, fuel costs associated with an electric truck should hit you up for about $10,000 over 100,000 miles – 9.9 cents per mile. That’s a truckload of savings, but here’s the wild card: the battery. The cost of the fuel tank is a financially negligible addon to a tractor’s sticker price, but in the case of an electric semi, it could account for as much as half of the premium asking price. Tesla claims its battery costs are below $190 per kWh, but that figure is otherwise on the low side of the going rate. A 20 MPGe is about half a mile per kWh. If your target range is 600 miles, then you’d need about 1,200 kWh in battery power. Even if Tesla’s technology drops the cost per
kWh by a seemingly unrealistic 50 percent, the battery cost alone will hit you for $114,000. If you consider a five-year trade cycle and spread the battery cost over the five years, then add back the annual electric fuel cost ($114,000/5 + $10,000), you hit $32,800 – or 32.8 cents per mile. At less than 7 cents per mile, you can bank about $6,700 in fuel savings alone in Alabama every 100,000 miles, based on my math. But there are a lot of other variables in play. For example, if you dial back the efficiency of the electric motor, the gap narrows, as it does when you consider energy costs from various electric companies across the United States. Electric trucks make more sense in Alabama than they do in Rhode Island, where electricity rates of about 17 cents/kWh equate to a $3.08 diesel gallon equivalent. I think the potential of electricity in transportation is fascinating, and it’s certainly a precursor to autonomy, but I don’t think there’s enough information yet available to make a clear case that an electric truck offers a significant reduction in cost of ownership.
Does an electric truck offer a significant reduction in cost of ownership over a diesel?
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commercial carrier journal
Untitled-42 1
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INBRIEF • International now offers a Customer Uptime Assurance Program for its A26 engine that provides customers with a $250 International Advantage Card – good for future parts and service purchases at an International dealership – if a customer experiences a warrantable failure on an A26 within its two-year standard warranty period and experiences downtime longer than 48 hours from the time of diagnosis. The program applies to all vehicles in the LT and RH Series powered by an A26 and enrolled in the company’s OnCommand Connection Advanced Remote Diagnostics or Telematics systems. • Wabco signed an agreement to purchase Meritor’s stake in the Meritor Wabco joint venture business for $250 million, taking over its application engineering and supply chain operations, including the distribution center and customer service hub in Hebron, Ky. • International Trucks recalled 224 2018 model-year HX and LT tractors with Cummins ISX15 Performance Series engines because the fuel pump’s drive gear could slip on its driveshaft, resulting in a loss of function and causing the engine to stall. • Daimler Trucks North America recalled about three dozen model-year 2017-18 Western Star 4900 trucks because of a defect that could cause the front axle’s weight to exceed the spring capacity. The recall affects 38 model-year 2017-18 trucks manufactured between Nov. 18, 2016, and July 24, 2017. • Kenworth’s T370 now is available with factory-installed 18,000- and 20,000-pound front drive axles. Fabco’s FSD-18A and FSD-20A are paired with the company’s TC-548 transfer case and require taperleaf front springs. Both are available with air or mechanical rear suspensions and are suited for heavy utility services, construction, municipalities and fire and rescue. • Eaton added features to its IntelliConnect suite of connected solutions designed to help fleets drive uptime and improve preventive maintenance through near-real-time fault code monitoring. The features are available on the Geotab Marketplace as an integrated solution.
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commercial carrier journal
Cummins unveils electric tractor concept
C
ummins debuted its Aeos Electric Commercial Vehicle Demonstrator, an electric powertrain concept tractor. Aeos features a state-of-the-art battery pack that is lighter and more dense, allowing it to hold a longer charge for improved range and faster charging. The Class 7 truck was designed and built in Peak torque from the Cummins Aeos Electric Commercial collaboration with Roush Vehicle Demonstrator is 2,507 lb.-ft. with a constant torque of 1,364 lb.-ft. and peak power of 469 hp. Performance, known for developing high-performance components for street and competitive racing applications. “The charging is a simple plug-in that can return the [140-kilowatt-hour battery pack] to sufficient charge in about an hour,” said Julie Furber, Cummins’ executive director of electrification business development. Furber believes the charging time can be reduced to as little as 20 minutes by the year 2020. The tractor also re-collects free energy from a regenerative brake system and by driving. To conserve energy, the powertrain stops anytime the vehicle stops. The truck also can import energy from solar panels mounted on a trailer roof. Aeos gets the diesel equivalent of more than 30 mpg with a range of 100 miles on a single charge, which can be extended to 300 miles with an additional battery pack. Cummins considers the truck a technology demonstrator for vocational applications, urban delivery operations, port drayage and terminal container handling. It soon will be placed in the hands of partner customers for field trials, Furber said. The truck has a maximum GVWR of 75,000 pounds and a payload capacity of 44,000 pounds. It accelerates up to 35 percent faster than an 11- to 12-liter diesel-powered equivalent vehicle, Furber said. The concept truck design includes an engine-generator option for extended range capabilities, allowing users to benefit from Cummins B4.5 or B6.7 engines, providing an advantage over today’s hybrid systems. These engine options offer 50 percent fuel savings compared to today’s diesel hybrids while yielding zero emissions. Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of Cummins’ engine business, said the range extender could be replaced by a fuel cell in the next 20 years. Furber said that while electric regional-haul trucks will be viable soon, line haul trucks are years away because the additional heavy batteries needed to extend range will sap payload and require a lengthy charge. Padmanabhan estimates that a fill time of five minutes for a tank of diesel fuel could translate to upwards of 400 minutes to charge a long-haul battery. – Jason Cannon
| october 2017
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Results may vary based on vehicle/engine condition, driving and environmental conditions. Consult OEM or ExxonMobil before implementing extended ODI’s. © 2017 Exxon Mobil Corporation. Mobil and Mobil Delvac are trademarks or registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
International’s new LoneStar is ready for order and expected to be available by December.
INBRIEF • Trail King recalled 743 2012-14 model-year gooseneck trailers built between June 17, 2011, and Jan. 31, 2014, because the pivot plate could crack, causing the trailer deck to disconnect from the gooseneck. • Bendix announced that its EverSure Spring Brake with No Touch Power Spring and its Versajust LS Slack Adjuster with WearMax Clutch now can be spec’d as factory-installed options through Peterbilt’s Class 8 databook. • Prestolite Electric, a manufacturer of OE and aftermarket starters and alternators, was awarded standard position by Daimler Trucks North America for its IdlePro family of high-efficiency high-output alternators on new Freightliner severe-duty and Western Star commercial trucks set to launch between late 2019 and early 2020. • Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America partnered with Morgan Corp. and Daimler Truck Financial to offer special lease and purchase programs for its 2017 Fuso FE160 Class 4 medium-duty cabover truck and a 16-foot Morgan aluminum dry van body. The FusoComplete Program offers customers either a 36- or 48-month lease or a direct no-down-payment purchase with 36- or 48-month financing terms. • Vipar Heavy Duty and Meritor completed a new long-term agreement for Vipar to offer Meritor’s steering and suspension product portfolio through its network of parts and service locations and its family of companies. • Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing acquired the U.S. and Canadian operations of Mascot Truck Parts, a provider of remanufactured driveline components for the heavy- and medium-duty truck aftermarket. Mascot will continue all operations and functions and support all customers from its Remanufacturing Centers of Excellence in Plainfield, Ind., and Mississauga, Ontario, and its 28 North American parts logistics and fulfillment centers. • VeriTread, an online transportation marketplace that connects heavy equipment owners with transportation service providers, announced a $2.5 million investment from Sumitomo Corp., a global trading and transportation firm.
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commercial carrier journal
International updating LoneStar tractor
I
nternational Trucks announced several enhancements to its LoneStar, a truck that Dave Majors, Navistar’s vice president of product development, calls “an advanced classic.” For the next model year, the company has planned several interior updates to its flagship tractor designed to maximize driver productivity while improving ergonomics and visibility. Majors pointed out that the truck’s unique grille, D-Series-inspired fender flares and chrome-rich customizable exterior platform will remain. “It’s such a statement coming down the road,” Majors said. “You don’t want to just show up. You want to arrive, and you want to arrive in style.” The new LoneStar will feature the Cummins X15 engine that, when combined with the contoured hood, fenders and aerodynamic pedestal mirrors, makes the truck up to 3 percent more fuel-efficient than its previous generation. Navistar’s own A26 engine is not available. LoneStar also gets Cummins’ new single-canister aftertreatment system that is 60 percent smaller, up to 100 pounds lighter and simplified for quicker servicing. While LoneStar’s original design targeted owner-operators, Majors said many fleets have embraced the truck as a reward for top drivers, making drivability and comfort top priorities. An all-new more robust HVAC system has been tested at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and LoneStar’s Max defrost clears 100 percent of the windshield in under 30 minutes from startup. Air vents also are fully closable. The doors, side glass and cab mirrors all have been redesigned to enhance visibility and help reduce neck strain and fatigue. A door that is twice as stiff as previous models and improved seal compression both make the cab quieter. The door opens wider for easier entry and exit. Pedestal mirrors are pushed forward for better visibility, and a lightweight design shaves 7 pounds, leading to a 0.5 percent fuel economy improvement. Updated cab wiring includes all-new harnessing and an in-cab power distribution module that is inside the truck and away from the elements. All key service points under the hood, inside the cab and around the vehicle are designed ergonomically for easier access and servicing. LoneStar comes standard with Bendix’s Wingman Advanced Collision Mitigation system and is available with the optional Bendix Wingman Fusion and RollTek seats, which are designed for extra rollover protection. Every LoneStar can be equipped with OnCommand Connection and over-the-air programming as an option. OTA enables drivers or fleet managers to use a mobile interface to initiate authorized engine programming at the customer’s facility over a safe and secure Wi-Fi Connection. The LoneStar is available in day cab, 56-inch low- and high-rise sleeper and 73-inch high-rise and sky-rise sleeper. – Jason Cannon
| october 2017
INBRIEF • DTNA broke ground for a new logistics center at its truck manufacturing plant in Cleveland, N.C. The logistics center, expected to be completed in early 2019, represents a $27 million investment in the Cleveland plant, which produces Freightliner and Western Star Class 8 models for North America, along with Freightliner Columbia and Argosy cab-over-engine models for export. • SelecTrucks announced its All-Star LineUp promotion that allows used truck customers the flexibility to select their preferred discount when purchasing an eligible vehicle. Customers can choose a down-payment match, an upgraded warranty or a tire upgrade. • Purkeys updated its online Comparison Tool that helps to determine how much energy is used by a truck’s liftgate batteries during a single day of operation. The tool then determines which Purkeys solar energy products will charge the batteries sufficiently. • SAF-Holland, a manufacturer of trailer suspension and axle systems, truck suspensions, fifth wheels, landing gear and coupling products, is expanding its operations in Dumas, Ark., as part of its restructuring and centralization of its North American plant network. The company will open a new facility in the old Federal-Mogul building to allow closer proximity to its OEM partners and enhance service to its distributors and fleet customers. • Wabash National Corp.’s manufacturing facility in Portland, Ore., where the company manufactures Beall tank trailers, earned its first ISO 14001:2004 registration for environmental management, bringing Wabash’s total ISO 14001 registrations to six. The Portland operation also received a Sustainability at Work certification from the City of Portland. • One20, a free membership-based online community for professional drivers, launched One20 Tire, a direct warehouse-to-consumer tire buying program that offers discounts on purchases, delivery and installation. The program includes participation by more than 200 North American wholesale tire warehouse and 75,000 tire service centers.
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commercial carrier journal
ZF’s hydraulic steering gets electric assist
Z
F’s latest steering system promises significant advances in autonomous technology, ease of driving ReAx precision steering works with lane departure and lane centering technology to help keep the and safety. truck in the middle of the lane. The ReAx platform is a column-mounted electrically assisted hydraulic steering system that can be integrated with lane departure technology. The unit uses sensors to determine driving conditions and then controls an electric motor in the steering column to provide the appropriate torque feedback to the driver. While this makes the truck easier to drive, it isn’t ReAx’s most significant benefit. “The main driver is to offer functionalities that improve safety on the roads,” said Mitja Schulz, ZF’s commercial vehicle general manager. ReAx helps improve safety by reducing the driver’s workload. The steering wheel requires as much as 70 percent less effort to turn in a static state, boosting driver ergonomics and reducing stress and fatigue. It also improves safety by adding a more refined approach to lane departure technology. ZF has earmarked more than $200 million for autonomous driving technologies, including software and sensors. The company currently is working with about 50 customers globally on automated driving projects, including ReAx – “an enabler of autonomous behavior,” Schulz said. But in the near term, ReAx functions more as a plug-and-play add-on for lane departure technology, including lane departure warning and ZF’s lane keep assist and lane centering control. ZF’s Lane Keep Assist technology combines ReAx precision steering with a camera system to determine lane markings and provide steering correction assistance to reduce unintended lane departures and aid in collision mitigation involving lane departures. The lane centering helps keep the truck in the middle of its lane. I took a Peterbilt 579 and Volvo dump truck, both equipped with ReAx, for quick spins at ZF’s facility in LaFayette, Indiana. The ease of steering was staggering. With ReAx, I easily could turn the wheel with one finger while parked. Since the unit self-centers, you never have to guess when the wheels are straight again. A speed-proportional control system, ReAx needs less driver input at low speeds in parking lots and tight spaces. It firms up at highway speed when you would want more rigidity in directional stability. The learning system also compensates for road crowning and crosswinds by recognizing when a driver has to hold the wheel off-center to account for the crown or consistently strong winds. The system will take some strain off the driver. With its ease of steering, ReAx also likely will play a strong role in driver recruitment and retention, said Mark Cartwright, ZF’s global product planning manager. “It increases the size of the applicant pool, because traditional burly truck drivers are going away,” Cartwright said. – Jason Cannon
| october 2017
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TEST DRIVE: VOLVO VNL
Refreshed finesse Venerable long-haul stalwart gets new look, upgrades BY JASON CANNON
F
or more than 20 years, Volvo’s VNL has been the torchbearer of the company’s truck catalog. Not only is it the historical leader in order volume, the long-haul tractor also has served as a rolling proving ground for truck design cues and innovations that ultimately have found their way onto many of Volvo’s trucks. The VNL gets a new look for the coming model year, borrowing several design cues from its VNR regional-haul sister, which was introduced earlier this year as the successor to the VNM, and Volvo’s SuperTruck project. Aerodynamic improvements, which aid in a 1 percent fuel economy gain, include repositioned air intakes that reduce turbulence, an aggressively sloped hood and tapered fenders that keep rearward-moving air attached to the sides of the truck. Chassis fairings are moved closer to the ground, cutting the effects of crosswinds. The hood, now tightly shrunk around the cooling package, has been redesigned for both aerodynamic and visibility improvements. The center section of the truck’s aerodynamic bumper has been pulled out 1.4 inches to give the front a wedge-like design, and the sides have been brought in 4 inches to provide a sweeping effect. All lights are LED, which trims power consumption while providing softer lighting, and the truck’s headlamps can defrost themselves – a function enabled by fans in the back of the lamps that reverse the air flow. While the truck’s exterior design changes are striking, many of the most obvious enhancements are at the driver’s fingertips. The first thing you notice is that the ignition switch has been relocated to the lower left side of the steering wheel. Volvo’s Position Perfect steering wheel, which was introduced on the VNR earlier this year, also will be available in the VNL. The three-way positioning system allows the 18-inch steering wheel to tilt up to 20 degrees in relation to the column and also provides traditional column tilt and telescopic movements to accommodate drivers of various sizes. The new steering wheel features 21 tactile buttons that 32
commercial carrier journal
| october 2017
The Volvo VNL 780 is being replaced by the new 860 long-haul model.
bring many of the functions previously integrated into a stalk onto the wheel itself. The buttons allow the driver to navigate a 5-inch color LCD driver information display, use the phone hands-free and activate the cruise control functions without taking a hand off the wheel. Under the hood Sales of the Volvo powertrain hit record levels in 2016 as Volvo engines made up 94.5 percent of all orders. With greenhouse gas 2017 emissions regulations now in play, a new option was placed into rotation. Volvo’s turbo-compounding D13 engine uses a waste heat recovery system to increase brake thermal efficiency and is the company’s most fuel-efficient offering. The setup puts about 50 extra horsepower back into the engine, allowing for a high degree of downspeeding at a range of 1,000 to 1,200 rpm. Peak torque is available down to 900 rpm, about 200 rpm above idle. The engine is strong, pulling a 77,000-pound gross around a North Carolina interstate for roughly 70 miles with 455 hp and 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque. Volvo’s turbo-compounding setup is unique in that one turbo doesn’t simply feed air into another. The single fixed turbo system sends exhaust to the compressor wheel, which Continued on page 34
TEST DRIVE: MACK ANTHEM
Highway song Truck maker’s new long-haul model mixes efficiency, comfort BY JASON CANNON
A
fter more than a decade on the highway, Mack’s Pinnacle tractor will yield its position as the company’s flagship “Highway Hero” long-haul truck next model year. Anthem – a tractor that will replace the Pinnacle axle-back models that have helped Mack carve out about a 2 percent share of the long-haul segment – is the company’s next-generation on-highway truck, offering a mix of legacy styling and modern engineering. There’s a lot of tradition in this new design – the name Anthem itself is a reflection of the company’s commitment to American manufacturing – but it offers plenty of modern benefit. Mack designers and engineers used advanced computer modeling and coast-down testing at Kennedy Space Center to put together body lines that reduce aerodynamic drag by 6 percent and help improve fuel efficiency by up to 3 percent versus a similarly equipped Pinnacle. Flat fenders help throw air down the side of the trailer, decreasing aerodynamic drag. The slanted hood slopes upward as it approaches the windshield to toss air over the truck, and the hood’s deep slope also improves visibility. The sun visor is designed to cut through the air without creating turbulence, and from there, air passes over a one-piece composite roof that smoothly moves air over and around both the sleeper and trailer. A roof fairing with an adjustable tab helps improve airflow from the cab to the trailer. Hood-mounted mirrors sit up high, decreasing wind resistance by pushing air around the door mirrors, and offer a wide panoramic view on either side. Anthem’s hood and bumper not only improve aerodynamics, they also help cut service time; both feature a three-piece construction. A new central hood-latch release below the grille eliminates the need for drivers to walk from side to side to tilt the hood forward; the hood now requires 50 percent less effort to raise. A close-out flange prevents airflow between the hood and bumper and helps move air around the cab. The bumper and air dam help reduce drag underneath. Keeping air attached to the truck also makes the interior quieter, which made my two-day 850-mile drive from Allen-
Mack’s Anthem takes one of the highway’s best drivelines, wraps it in a chiseled and aerodynamic package and throws in added ergonomics and comfort.
town, Pa., to Atlanta loaded to about 77,000 pounds gross feel less mentally taxing. You could talk in a normal volume and hear CB chatter and the radio clearly. New LED headlamps are 66 percent brighter, almost doubling low-beam lumens while providing a wider, whiter light with lower electrical draw and longer service life. Inside the cab The Anthem, now available for order with production scheduled for January, is available in daycab, all-new 48-inch flat-top sleeper and 70-inch stand-up sleeper that is 8 inches taller than Mack’s previous mid-rise sleeper. Its interior roof height is a foot higher: 6 feet 5 inches at the driver’s seat and 7 feet 1 inch at the rear of the bunk. The 70-inch stand-up sleeper has 35 percent more space than previous models and an additional 27 cubic feet of storage. A panel mounted in the sleeper features power outlets, USB ports and controls to the sleeper stereo, interior lighting and high-performance HVAC system. The bunk features dimmable pipe lighting around the perimeter, bunk task lights and overhead LED lights. Built-in aircraft-style pulldown shades block 100 percent of the light and are screened with the window tilting out to let air in but keep rain out. An updated automotive-inspired interior design keeps everything around the driver and has a wraparound cockpit-type feel. The Mack mDrive automated manual transmission shift pad is pushed higher on the dash and closer to the driver. Laser-etched rocker switches have been repositioned Continued on page 34 commercial carrier journal
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Volvo VNL, continued from page 32 pressurizes intake air through the charger cooler in one direction; in the other direction, it supplies exhaust pressure to the turbo-compounding unit, which uses an extra turbine wheel positioned in the exhaust stream and is connected to a fluid coupling. That airflow turns a network of reduction gears until the energy is returned to the crankshaft. In the early days of waste heat recovery, the extra horsepower was added to the top end of an engine’s power band, which meant drivers had to give the truck full throttle to get maximum horsepower. The Volvo setup adds the 50 extra horsepower to a base of around 400 depending on engine spec and takes work off the engine by turning some of the otherwise wasted exhaust heat into energy. Plainly put: You burn less fuel to do the same amount of work. Integrated with the turbo-compounding D13, the I-Shift transmission will run and hold in 11th gear at lower highway speeds as the load dictates. It doesn’t search for gearing, and shifts are smooth and predictable. With rpms of about 1,130 in direct drive, drivers will experience efficiency even in city conditions, allowing trucks to run in slower speed zones without sacrificing fuel-efficiency benefits. Turbo compounding accounts for a 3 percent fuel-efficiency boost versus the standard D13 engine due partially to the 2.47:1 rear axle ratio that was designed to optimize this engine setup. The new-look VNL also was outfitted with a front sway bar that enables finesse steering and improves handling by mitigating oversteer. The more responsive steering is remarkable in that twitches to the wheel center the truck in its lane more smoothly rather than sloshing it from side to side. Volvo’s Active Driver Assist, integrated with Bendix’s Wingman Fusion collision warning and mitigation platform, is standard on all VNLs and is a feature I was able to test when a four-wheeler in front of me decided to skid to a halt to make a right turn from the center lane. The VNL will be available in five configurations: day cab, 40-inch flat-roof, 70-inch mid-roof and 70- and 77inch high-roof. The VNL 670 61-inch high-roof sleeper will be replaced by the VNL 760 and its 70-inch sleeper. The 780 will be supplanted by the 860. Volvo’s outgoing VNL is still by most accounts a modern design and was well ahead of its time when it debuted in 2002. With the introduction of the company’s refreshed lineup, the venerable VNL leaps from modern to cutting edge with its 14.2 percent share to-date of the U.S. long-haul market in tow. 34
commercial carrier journal
| october 2017
Mack Anthem, continued from page 33 higher on the dash, while some switch functions, including the wipers and engine brake, have been moved to stalks behind the steering wheel. The flat-bottom steering wheel gives the driver more space between their lap and the bottom of the wheel, making swinging in and out of the truck easier, especially when the seat is fully inflated. The steering wheel also contains illuminated controls for cruise control, Bluetooth and the audio system. Behind the steering wheel rests Mack’s updated 5-inch full-color Co-Pilot vehicle information display. A Pre-Trip Assistant guides drivers through inspection points and includes an exterior light inspection mode that will activate the truck’s lights. The grab handle has been moved lower off the A-pillar, making it easier to maintain three points of contact while climbing in and out of the truck. Under the hood, the 12-speed mDrive AMT comes standard. When fully integrated with an MP engine, the mDrive uses sensors to detect speed, load and grade to ensure optimal gear and shift points are selected. Also available is Mack’s reinforced and ruggedized mDrive HD AMT with 13- or 14-speed variants that add one or two low-ratio creeper gears for low-speed maneuverability and lower rear-axle ratios for better fuel economy at highway speed. Mack’s Predictive Cruise learns the topography of a given route and stores up to 4,500 hills in its memory for optimized gear shifts and downspeeding, helping improve fuel efficiency by up to 1 percent. The Anthem is available with Mack’s MP8 13-liter engine with up to 505 hp and 1,860 lb.-ft. of torque, and 11-liter MP7 with up to 425 hp and 1,560 lb.-ft. of torque. Mack’s SuperEconodyne downspeeding packages are available with both engines. Also available is Mack’s turbo-compounding MP8, which captures and converts waste energy from the exhaust into mechanical energy that is fed back to the engine. Anthem also will ring in the Mack Connect platform, which will structure current and future connectivity and uptime services under Connected Support, Connected Business and Connected Driving. Bendix’s Wingman Fusion camera- and radar-based driver assistance system comes standard, providing collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. Mack's Anthem has taken one of the best drivelines on the highway, wrapped it in a chiseled and aerodynamic package and thrown in added ergonomics and comfort.
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in focus: ONE-BOX AFTERTREATMENT
Single canisters mean less weight, more space, easier maintenance BY JASON CANNON
T
he adjustment from pre-selective catalytic reduction engines to the modern clean diesel era has been a painful and somewhat expensive one, but OEMs have worked to ease those woes through the evolution of engineering. “System design isn’t mandated – just the end result,” said Ash Makki, product marketing manager for Volvo Trucks North America. An updated single-canister design has allowed engineers to repackage the aftertreatment components to combine all the features from twin canisters. This has cut almost 100 pounds from Cummins’ system. “You still have the same functionality but packaged much more efficiently in a smaller envelope,” said Jim Nachtman, heavy-duty marketing manager for Navistar, which uses Cummins’ Single Module system that is designed to be up to 60 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter than the previous U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2013-compliant version. The weight savings for Mack’s single-unit ClearTech One and Volvo Trucks’ One Box is about 17 pounds compared to the previous two-unit solution. “The reduction in weight is the result of combining the previously separate diesel particulate filter and selective catalytic reduction system into a single package,” said Scott Barraclough, Mack Trucks’ technology product manager. Detroit’s 1-Box emissions system combines the SCR catalyst, DPF, diesel oxidation catalyst and diesel exhaust fluid into one compact component. 36
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Cummins first announced its single-module aftertreatment concept in 2015 to save both space and weight, and it became production-ready with the company’s X Series engine lineup. The system allows the DPF’s cleaning interval to be extended to between 600,000 and 800,000 miles. Cummins’ new 12-liter X12 engine will get the same single-module aftertreatment system as the X15. Steven Reedy, X12 program leader, said the engine weighs only 2,050 pounds. “It’s similar in size and weight to a pre-EGR [Cummins] ISM11 engine,” Reedy said. “You can have new technology without all the extra weight and baggage that goes with it.” More than just less weight Weight savings aside, moving away from a dual-canister design also comes with other benefits. Barraclough said trucks equipped with Mack ClearTech One get an extra 11 inches of frame rail space. Makki said the extra space allows for auxiliary power units and other add-ons without needing extra wheelbase. “On the vocational side, that is priceless,” he said. The smaller size also comes with service benefits. Nachtman said single-canister units are easier to remove, service and reinstall. “It’s just a tub that has the pieces in it,” he said. “You can disassemble it and replace just the needed components.” Makki estimates service time for the DPF – the top part of the unit – has dropped by at least 50 percent. “We created what you would call a
| october 2017
Cummins’ X12 engine, with a rating of 500 hp and 1,700 lb.-ft., will target vocational, regional and bulk-haul weight-sensitive applications with a high power-to-weight ratio.
side door with clamps,” he said. “All they have to do is remove the shield and slide that canister out.” Volvo’s One Box features a copper-zeolite coating designed to improve the NOx’s flow temperature, improving conversion and making the system more robust. The coating also reduces hydrocarbon slippage from the DPF, minimizing the poisoning of the SCR. “The soot level is reduced drastically,” Makki said. The system’s smaller size also improves fuel economy since there is less surface area to heat. “It needs to be hot to do active regens,” Nachtman said. “It gets hot quicker and stays hotter. When you need to do regen, they occur with less fuel burned.” The compact design also is less restrictive, allowing exhaust gas to flow more freely. As diesel engines continue to be refined by OEMs to drop emissions further, Makki can foresee DPFs and aftertreatment systems continuing to shrink. “You don’t need to filter as much of what is coming out of the engine, because what is coming out of them is much cleaner,” he said.
“We have over 100,000 units on the road and each one represents our company. So I need a tough paint that looks great over the long haul. That’s why PPG is our coatings partner.” ALAN HARRIS, Maintenance Supervisor, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.
Leading fleet companies demand great looking paint and long-lasting coating solutions—backed by an exceptional level of service and support. Visit ppgcommercialcoatings.com to learn more.
©2017 PPG Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. The PPG Logo is a registered trademark and We protect and beautify the world is a trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
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technology
MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET BY AARON HUFF
Eyes on the storm Fleets use technology to work around Harvey, Irma
T
ransportation and logistics firms have contributed significantly to the relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region in response to the destruction caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Some fleets were in a unique position to help mitigate the impact of these storms before and after they hit. Late August is part of the busy season for Poolsure. The Houston-based fleet delivers chlorine and other water treatment chemicals and also provides water treatment services for hotels, waterparks and municipalities in the Gulf Coast region. Poolsure operates 22 delivery trucks in the Houston area and has trucks spread out in other locations in the Southeast. On Wednesday, Aug. 23, the fleet began to deliver advance shipments to water treatment plants in the Houston area to prepare for Harvey, which reached land on Friday, Aug. 25. Once Harvey hit, with the surge in water from storm drainage and sewage systems, the water treatment plants in the Houston area would consume more chemicals than usual. Poolsure installs water monitorUNIQUE POSITION: Fleets ing devices and helped mitigate the impact of the tank-level sensors storms before and after they hit. at these and other REAL-TIME UPDATES: Fleet opcustomer locations. erators and drivers could see live Its telemetry sysroad conditions during the storms. tems send inforESSENTIAL SERVICES: Technology mation directly to became a lifeline for fleets to keep Poolsure’s cloudtheir businesses running. based routing software system. With this integrated technology, Poolsure was able to identify water treatment plants that urgently needed deliveries after the storm hit. The fleet was able to make emergency deliveries and safely navigate drivers to all of these locations, says Alan Falik, president of Poolsure. Poolsure uses RouteCloud, an application from Telogis, to send optimized route plans to drivers within a Telogis mobile app that includes turn-by-turn navigation.
Poolsure and other fleets using applications from Telogis received live updates on road conditions during the recent hurricanes along the Gulf Coast.
Falik says Poolsure used RouteCloud to specify the days the fleet would not be running and to make the water treatment plants of its customers a top priority for routing deliveries Poolsure automatically monitors the tank levels of its customers to once weather conditions allowed. As Harvey flooded schedule deliveries. the streets of Houston, Falik and a skeleton crew used the cloud-based applications to run the entire company from their homes. “That was extremely important,” he says. When CCJ spoke with Falik on Wednesday, Sept. 13, Poolsure was in the process of assessing the impacts of Irma on its business in Florida and other Gulf states. All of its facilities had regained power except for one in Orlando, and about 75 of its 1,400 delivery points were not in service. During both storms, fleet operators and drivers were able to see live road conditions using Telogis applications. Poolsure AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call 385-225-9472.
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technology uses Telogis Navigation, a mobile platform that leverages its user community to get real-time updates from drivers on road conditions. “We tried to keep a minimal number of trucks on the road to get to those customers who needed them the most,” Falik says. “We were able to navigate in real time around closed roads.” Before Irma hit, a crew of Telogis employees were tasked with looking at roads in Florida that had closed during previous storm events. The crew looked at weather projections for the hurricane and began updating road conditions hourly in Telogis Navigation and other applications used by its customers, says Kelly Frey, vice president of product marketing for Verizon Telematics. Telogis was acquired by Verizon in 2016. As Irma impacted areas in Florida, the Telogis crew shut down roads in its cloud-based applications as feeds arrived from the National Weather Service and from drivers and first responders in the area. Verizon has fleet customers that include public utilities and utility contractors that position assets in hurricane areas. Telogis also received updates from its own Verizon fleet in storm-affected areas that were working on communication systems, Frey says. For many fleets, technology became a lifeline to keeping their businesses running to provide essential services amid the chaos. “Everyone at the company and in the area worked together,”
Falik says. “I’ve never had so many happy customers after that week,” he explains, referring to the multiple days Harvey poured rain along the Texas coastline. Keeping fleets rolling Fleet owner Dan Bitton found another type of cloud-based application useful while delivering emergency medical supplies to Florida hospitals in Irma’s wake. Bitton is the owner of 5366 Logistics, based in Chicago. On Friday night, Sept. 8, Bitton picked up a trailer loaded with medical supplies and headed to Florida. On Saturday at 9:03 p.m. in Pensacola, Fla., he received an alert from his TireVigil Cloud Service. The alert said his left-front outer drive tire had dropped by 18 psi. Twenty minutes later, he received another alert that the same tire had dropped by 24 psi. “To be honest, checking tires was the last thing on my mind,” Bitton admits. “This mission was critical, and I had a state police escort.” On Sunday morning at 2:51 a.m., he was taking a break when he received another alert that he couldn’t ignore: The tire was down to 52 psi from its target pressure of 105 psi. “I replaced both drive tires,” Bitton said. “Had TireVigil not alerted me, I would most likely have blown both drive tires given my weight.”
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october 2017 9/22/17 1:27 PM
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technology
McLeod users see opportunities from ‘Amazon Effect’
“W
rite this down,” said Lamar Quinn, general manager of R.E. Garrison, Sept. 18 at the McLeod Software user conference in Atlanta, held Sept. 17-19 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. “Look at who you are on September 18, 2018,” Quinn said. “Looking back, you will not recognize the company you are today. The change will be that dynamic.” R.E. Garrison (CCJ Top 250, No. 186) is experiencing a change due to the “Amazon Effect.” The Vinemont, Ala.based truckload carrier recently began transporting freight for Amazon in double pup trailers. The carrier’s new e-commerce freight contract has a 200mile length of haul. Drivers assigned to the run will be home every night and have an opportunity to increase their pay with a pup certification. “This could be tremendous,” said Quinn, who joined other fleet managers at the McLeod Software conference for a panel discussion on electronic logging devices. “This is opportunity. Thick.” Earlier that morning, Tom McLeod, president of the Birmingham, Ala.-based software developer, advised attendees to choose technology that will position them to take advantage of opportunities. “The future is made up of things that we will decide,” he said. “Whatever we sow, we will reap. There is no more immutable law of the universe than that.” McLeod said a large number of households in the United States are now Amazon Prime members, and more than 10 percent of retail sales have moved to online. McLeod also cited a study that predicted 20 percent of retail stores will close within five to eight years. Parcel and less-than-truckload carriers have gained the most from e-commerce, he said, citing a 5.4 percent compound annual growth rate of parcel freight from 2011 to 2016 and 2.7 percent for LTL freight. Truckload volumes have grown 0.6 percent during the same period. The disruption of e-commerce on freight patterns has been a challenge for carriers, said McLeod, who advised attendees to talk to their customers and “listen to opportunities to understand things you can do differently for an advantage.” At this year’s show, McLeod Software announced new Final Mile software capabilities for truckload carriers to manage multi-stop shipments that can include crossdocking. McLeod also described new freight visibility tools in the 44
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Tom McLeod, president of McLeod Software, gives the keynote at the company’s annual user conference in Atlanta Sept. 18.
market that are giving shippers, carriers and brokers new opportunities as the industry continues to move toward disintermediation of freight transactions. Freight visibility tools are creating a “frictionless movement of information” that gives freight brokers more opportunities to handle freight, he said. McLeod also discussed some new products and features his company is developing around freight planning, business intelligence and business process automation: • New integration with ALK Technologies and other partners that will add more real-time information to the freight planning and routing process. McLeod Software will have new predictive information for weather, traffic and parking availability for drivers. • New partnerships to leverage data science to predict market trends in lanes. Other partnerships will center on making predictive analytics and optimization technology more practical and scalable for widespread adoption by fleets. • New interfaces with equipment sensors and onboard computers that will enable a Smart Tractor-As-A-Client (STAAC) platform to capture more data from vehicles. “We want to be tied into autonomous truck dispatch,” McLeod said. • New blockchain initiatives to exchange information in the supply chain. McLeod Software was a charter member of the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance and plans to develop new blockchain applications to simplify communications for its carrier and brokerage customers. “Our goal is to put you in a position to compete and win,” McLeod said. “We want you to be the most effective companies anywhere.” – Aaron Huff
technology
INBRIEF • Trimble acquired privately held 10-4 Systems, a Boulder, Colo.-based provider of multimodal shipment visibility applications and related technologies designed to provide shippers and carriers with dynamic ETAs and other capabilities. Trimble said the acquisition, terms of which were not disclosed, expands its portfolio of transportation management systems to include an established cloud-based solution for small carriers and a shipper RFP platform. • ITS Compliance, a provider of cloud-based compliance services and solutions for the transportation industry, rebranded as Fleetworthy Solutions. The company said the new brand reflects its evolution over three decades of providing solutions that combine data, technology and its staff of experts to improve compliance visibility. • SambaSafety, a provider of cloud-based driver risk management solutions, announced Samba MVRSync, a service designed to allow companies to use a driver’s pre-hire motor vehicle record for post-hire driver monitoring, saving the time and expense of pulling an MVR twice. MVRSync is a new feature of Samba DriverMonitor, a subscription-based monitoring service that manages driver data and checks automatically for new violations, DUI/DWI convictions, invalid licenses and approaching license or medical certification expiration dates. • Driver iQ, a provider of background screening and driver monitoring services, announced SingleCheck Employment Verification, an online service for processing all direct employment verification requests on current and past drivers. The service is designed to eliminate the time involved in handling verification requests from other employers and creditors and provide a secure way to manage current and former employee information. • Instructional Technologies Inc., a provider of transportation training solutions, announced a series of Urban Driving courses designed for a variety of vehicle configurations that cover handling congested stop/start traffic, managing turns with larger vehicles, navigating prescribed routes and avoiding issues with other motorists, pedestrians and curbside hazards. • Vehicle Tracking Solutions, a provider of fleet management GPS tracking technology, released Silent Passenger Quick View, a realtime module designed to help fleet operators enhance customer loyalty. Fleet customers now are able to track the exact location of the delivery driver or service and view their delivery vehicle’s real-time location. SP QuickView can be configured for each customer to grant or restrict
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Digi Data Logger solves carriershipper temperature disputes
M
otor carriers with temperature-sensitive freight have become acquainted this year with the Food Safety Modernization Act, the law that gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate the supply chain of perishable goods. One of the concerns about the new FSMA regulations is that data interoperability between shippers, carriers and receivers will cause unnecessary cargo claims, said Colin Warkentin, chief technology officer of Digi International. The primary source of data interoperability, Warkentin said, is temperature records from the data loggers that shippers place in loaded products not matching the data carriers pull from their reefer units and trailer-tracking systems. When these mismatches occur, “the finger-pointing starts,” he said. Chain of custody is another point of contention, as the data trail may not show clearly when a shipment officially begins and ends. To solve these supply chain challenges, Digi developed its Digi SafeTemps platform that works with its Digi Data Logger. The patented wireless temperature monitoring and tracking system works by attaching one or more Data Loggers — a small chip-sized sensor — to shipment packaging or pallets, or by placing them in direct contact with product. Digi Data Logger is designed to reduce the The Digi SafeTemps platform includes the Data Logger, risk of machine and a gateway device and available smartphone apps. human error with realtime temperature monitoring and tracking via an always-on sensor and six months of onboard storage. The wireless Digi Data Logger sensors are offered as part of the subscriptionbased Digi SafeTemps system, which includes a wireless Digi gateway device built to mount quickly to a trailer, a warehouse, a dock door or other exchange points in a supply chain. The gateway sends the sensor data to a cloud-based platform. Smartphone apps also can read the sensors and send data to the cloud platform. All of the components work together to allow temperature data to be monitored, logged and retrieved independent of the mode of transport. Data transmission is capable of adjusting to various environments to take advantage of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or LTE/3G cellular networks. Hardware and software are included as part of the subscription. Digi said the technology provides a single source of consistent, accurate realtime temperature monitoring from the warehouse to the trailer and to locations where products are routed. As a Data Logger sensor comes into range of the Digi gateway — or a smart device with an authorized Digi SafeTemps application — real-time visibility is available through the cloud platform, with approval or warnings based on the required temperature parameters of the shipment. Upon arrival, the Digi Data Logger is pulled from the crate or pallet, initiating a motion-sensed trigger to automatically transmit all recorded information to upload, ending the trip record. – Aaron Huff
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technology
INBRIEF access to specific data such as vehicle routes, estimated arrival times and driver information. • Chevin Fleet Solutions, a provider of fleet management software, launched an API tool for its FleetWave product, which is designed to be the central hub for all asset, fleet and driverrelated information. The API capability is designed to allow secure external access to specific areas of the software’s data. Users can build their own APIs to share and update data with other software applications in real time. • J.J. Keller & Associates and FourKites announced an integration that will allow customer GPS information to be communicated between J. J. Keller’s Encompass Fleet Management System with ELogs and FourKites’tracking platform. The integration will provide the premium edition Encompass customer with GPS data on active loads every 15 minutes from pickup to delivery in the FourKites tracking platform, providing improved multimodal load visibility to help reduce costs associated with check calls, detention time and resource allocation. • ERoad, a provider of fleet management, electronic tax reporting and electronic logging devices, announced an integration with FourKites to enable accurate real-time truck and load location visibility and status updates. Using ERoad’s GPS data, FourKites retrieves the realtime location of trucks every 15 minutes and applies predictive analytics to provide accurate arrival times, delay alerts and pickup-and-delivery confirmations. • CX North America, a provider of freight collaboration and communication services for the transportation industry, partnered with Canada-based EM Data Consultants Inc. to incorporate its information technology with EM Data’s UFOS freight management software, providing UFOS users with enhanced real-time customer and carrier freight visibility. • Pegasus TransTech announced that third-party logistics provider C.H. Robinson signed a new Transflo Telematics agreement and will deploy the Transflo ELD T7 electronic logging device throughout its 70,000-plus contract carrier base. • SmartDrive Systems announced that Hub Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 30) adopted its video-based safety platform to improve overall safety for its multimodal operations that includes a fleet of more than 2,600 tractors with both company drivers and owner-operators. SmartDrive also announced that Postal Fleet Services Inc., a mail hauler servicing the U.S. Postal Service, adopted its system.
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TMW launches add-on modules for dedicated and logistics billing
T
MW Systems announced a number of new products and enhancements during the 2017 PeopleNet and TMW in.sight User Conference + Expo, held in August in Nashville, Tenn.: • An IES Dedicated add-on module for users of TMW’s Innovative IES transportation management softDavid Wangler (right), president of TMW ware and the IES Access and Access Systems, and Brian McLaughlin, president of PeopleNet, speak at the 2017 PeopleNet and Plus TMS platforms. TMW said the new module simplifies the billing pro- TMW in.sight User Conference + Expo. cess for fleets with dedicated services. • Billing functionality that addresses the increasingly complex contracts developed and fulfilled by third-party logistics providers. The TMW.Suite TMS now offers several enhancements designed to serve the needs of nonasset-based and multimodal transportation service providers. The new functionality supports the system’s load planning/optimization engine developed by 3GTMS. • Added functionality for the company’s Engage Series bid management platform to help track and analyze shipper commitments more easily. – Aaron Huff
Manhattan’s updated TMS helps shippers obtain capacity
M
anhattan Associates announced new additions to its Transportation Management System to help shippers maximize the growing “sharing economy.” Part of the Manhattan Active Supply Chain Solutions suite, TMS 2017 is designed to help shippers add capacity, improve the flow of information across extended distribution networks and obtain real-time visibility into in-transit inventory. Available as a free download, Manhattan’s new TMS Mobile application leverages smartphones to help reduce the barrier to entry and give small and mediumsized carriers access to constant real-time visibility. Also, Manhattan delivered enhancements to its ready-to-ship functionality to help facilitate inbound transportation flows, expanded support for less-thantruckload shippers with densitybased rating and improved usability in multiple areas, including contract management and invoicing. Manhattan also unveiled an updated Carrier Management suite of decision support tools designed to help truckload carriers reduce overPart of the Manhattan Active Supply Chain head costs while improving utilizaSolutions suite, Manhattan’s Transportation Management System 2017 is designed tion, efficiency and profitability. – Aaron Huff to help shippers easily add capacity.
technology
INBRIEF • Stay Metrics announced that Dubuque, Iowa-based Hirschbach Motor Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 97) selected its Driver Match platform to optimally assign driver managers to the drivers of its 1,000 tractors and 1,800 temperature-controlled trailers. The online application has an intuitive assessment test and model that screens for 13 values to create value profile measurements to facilitate an optimal match. • Infiniti-I, a provider of a learning management system, announced that Roadrunner Transportation Systems implemented its LMS technology to provide employees with an online platform that enables continuous education and development. The Infiniti-I LMS is designed to facilitate training, set goals and track individual progress to increase job precision and confidence, leading to increased job satisfaction and performance. Roadrunner said the LMS will support its renewed focus on improved service internally and externally, including between drivers and customers. • Vnomics Corp., provider of the True Fuel onboard fuel optimization system, announced that Batesville, Ind.-based Crum Trucking is installing the product across its 138-tractor fleet. True Fuel is a standalone OEM-agnostic system that combines machine learning with real-time driver coaching to help improve fuel efficiency and driving performance in the areas of speeding, idling and improper engine speed. • Spireon, a telematics, risk management and location-based business intelligence provider, announced that R.J. & Sons — a family-owned and -operated transportation company providing specialized logistics to customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico — adopted its FleetLocate tracking and asset management system to gain greater visibility of its trailers. • Lytx announced that private fleet customer Kroger, a grocery retailer with 1,200 vehicles, conducted a four-month trial of its DriveCam exception-based video telematics and safety program and saw a 50 percent reduction in collisions, a 71 percent reduction in handheld cell phone use and an 82 percent reduction in seatbelt violations. • TMW Systems, a provider of transportation management software systems, announced that Summit Materials, a supplier of aggregates, cement, ready-mix concrete and asphalt in the United States and Canada, implemented its TMT Fleet Maintenance management technology to centralize and streamline inhouse maintenance and repair operations for its 57 maintenance facilities.
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Stay Metrics releases driver onboarding platform
S
tay Metrics, a provider of evidence-based driver engagement, training and retention products and services, announced a new driver orientation and onboarding platform for motor carriers. The Drive First platform provides digital employment forms, Stay Metrics’ Drive First training collection has driver training modules and online nearly 100 modules that cover a range of topics relevant to driver orientation and onboarding. assessments. The training collection has nearly 100 modules that cover a range of topics relevant to driver orientation and onboarding. All modules break down the essential training content into short, interactive learning experiences designed to get the attention of drivers and keep them engaged. Carriers can assign training to drivers to complete pre-arrival to orientation, in the classroom and at any point during the onboarding process. Carriers can edit the training content in Drive First to match their companyspecific policies and custom-brand the platform with their own logo and colors. – Aaron Huff
EBE adds speech-to-text to online driver application
E
BE Technologies, a provider of enterprise automated decision support applications, has updated the driver employment application within its Driver LifeCycle Solutions suite. With the updates, the user interface offers more functionality with a responsive layout for multidevice capability, speech-totext functionality and more options for customizations based on a company’s recruiting and processing strategies and branding. The application is position-specific and can be used by both drivers and non-drivers with functionality that presents questions based on the applicant’s responses. Applicants can use the applicant dashboard to monitor and track their application progress, status and history; keep them more involved in the application process; and improve communication with recruiters and drivers. Applicants can search and view available position details based on their preferences. Recruiters then can respond to the applicant’s preferences and match applicants to their desired positions more quickly. As an alternative to typing, speech-to-text functionality Ships Driver Recruiting from EBE Technologies makes it easier for drivers to automatically tracks the progress of job applicants. input data. – Aaron Huff
43% 18%
39%
CONTRIBUTION TO FUEL SAVINGS
CONTRIBUTION TO FUEL SAVINGS
710
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CONTRIBUTION TO FUEL SAVINGS
POTENTIAL
TOTAL
SAVINGS
Running Bridgestone Ecopia™ tires in all three positions and potentially saving $710 in fuel annually vs. Michelin X-Line*. That’s the Ecopia Effect.
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*Bridgestone R283A Ecopia (in steer position), M710 Ecopia (in drive position), and R197 Ecopia (in trailer position) in size 295/75R22.5 load range G, compared to the equivalent size and load range of Michelin X-Line Energy Z (in steer position), X-Line Energy D (in drive position), and X-Line Energy T (in trailer position). Rolling resistance results obtained from third-party SAE J1269 testing. Savings calculated assuming $3.00/gallon fuel cost, 5/32nds pull point, 80,000 lbs. total vehicle weight, for a class 8 tandem-drive axle tractor and single trailer combination traveling 100,000 miles/ year. Actual results will vary depending on several factors such as tire size, operating conditions, maintenance, road conditions, and driving style. ©2017 BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS TIRE OPERATIONS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
technology
Volvo Group CTO: The future is closer than ever
Lars Stenqvist, Volvo Group chief technology officer, said this is the most fascinating and challenging era ever for truck design and technology.
W
hile there have been great advancements in recent years in global truck technology, OEMs and industry suppliers must continue to develop new solutions rapidly, said Lars Stenqvist, chief technology officer for Volvo Group and executive vice president for Volvo Group Trucks Technology. “Our customers are waiting for it, legislators are waiting for it, and I would say society is waiting for it,” he said. Stenqvist shared his thoughts on the future of transportation technology with the North American trucking industry press during a media roundtable at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. “The future is more uncertain than ever, and more changes will happen in [truck development] in years to come than has happened ever before,” he said. “This is the most fascinating and most challenging era ever.” Unlike other technology-related industries, Stenqvist believes trucking’s reliance on well-known technologies hinders the development of new systems and approaches to truck designs and transportation systems. He said, however, there is still much to explore with existing technologies. With all the discussion about electric-hybrid and all-electric powertrains, Stenqvist said talk of diesel’s death is premature and that the traditional combustion engine “will be the foundation of long-haul freight for many years to come. We are investing heavily in next-generation combustion engines, and it still has a lot of development potential.” Stenqvist cited Volvo’s new wave piston – a design concept that arose from the SuperTruck program that adds “waves” to the piston crown – that yielded a 2 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and 90 percent reduction in soot. “As our engineers come up with designs that can improve fuel economy by even 0.1 or 0.2 percent, we will introduce that immediately,” he said. As for other existing systems, Stenqvist said the industry must invest in and continue developing transmissions, rolling resistance technology and aerodynamics. Building upon these existing technologies, Stenqvist said Volvo Group also is investing in new technologies such as automation, electromobility and connectivity. “Each of those can impact transport,” he said. “When they converge, then we see radical shifts in transportation and to societies. It will start in city centers. That is where we will see the paradigm shift first.” As more municipal governments across the globe set target dates for zero-emissions zones in large cities, electromobility 52
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will play a more important role in freight transportation, especially for final mile. “It has already been a game-changer when it comes to buses,” said Stenqvist, who believes refuse collection is a natural application for electromobility in medium-duty trucks, while regional and long-haul trucks could use hybrid solutions that recover brake energy and store it. “In most discussions, the biggest interest is to use that energy to go electric the last leg,” said Stenqvist. In a current test with a hybrid Mack Pinnacle at a California drayage operation, Volvo is using GPS to switch from combustion to electric. He said in future systems, the geolocations that determine when to switch between the two propulsion systems could be dynamic and based on real-time pollution conditions in specific areas. Stenqvist said currently there are 600,000 connected vehicles globally, including 200,000 in North America. “This is just the beginning,” he said, adding that “trucks and transportation will be more software-driven and centered around data and knowledge. In a couple years, all goods will be connected in real time to allow better optimization of the logistical supply chain.” The migration toward autonomous vehicles will be slow and steady. Stenqvist believes this will start in confined areas such as mining applications and port operations before “gradually seeing autonomous [trucks] in confined areas of highway operations as a dedicated lane on a highway, perhaps physically separated from [adjacent lanes].” Level 5 fully autonomous and driverless vehicles remain far out into the future, he said. “We are not even aiming for that, because traffic situations are so extreme and there are so many other applications that we can use [autonomous technology] in before that.” – Jeff Crissey
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SPECIAL REPORT: ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICES
Compliance outside the cab Mobile ELD options add convenience for drivers BY AARON HUFF
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hen management of Tradewinds Logistics evaluated electronic logging devices, they decided on a platform that drivers could not remove from trucks easily. “This was just to minimize loss and theft,” says Benjamin Ramsay, vice president of technology for the Indianapolis-based truckload carrier. Ramsay also is co-founder of ELDRatings.com, a website that provides expert guidance and user reviews of ELDs. “Looking back, I’m not sure how much difference it really made on that front, so in hindsight I might have valued the freedom to roam a little more highly,” he says. The benefits of a mobile ELD platform include drivers taking pictures of defects for vehicle inspections and capturing images of proof-of-delivery documents. The same mobile hardware could support signature capture or accident reporting,
among other functions. Drivers would have visibility to their hours-of-service duty status and functions and could log “on duty” to attend a safety meeting. While there are benefits to mobile ELDs, there also are tradeoffs. Increasingly, ELD suppliers are able to give fleets the flexibility to use a combination of tethered and mobile applications to have the best of both worlds. Why leave the truck? When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published the ELD final rule in December 2016, the agency made it clear that certain data fields had to be recorded automatically when a driver changed duty status. This only could be done by having the ELD connected to the vehicle. Since the ELD had to capture odometer readings, engine hours and other data when changing duty status, the rule led to questions about what types of functions driv-
Omnitracs’ helper app for mobile visibility of hours-of-service status will supplement its ELD-compliant products that include the IVG and XRS platforms.
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PeopleNet has a companion app, Connected Driver, designed to give drivers visibility to duty status information.
ers could perform outside the cab. “The FMCSA really didn’t appreciate that there are scenarios where a driver operates away from a vehicle,” says Soona Lee, regulatory compliance manager of ERoad, a provider of fleet management, electronic tax reporting and ELD compliance systems. During a meeting with FMCSA last May, some ELD vendors asked the agency to clarify the technical specifications. Could drivers log on duty from a mobile device while in the office at a training meeting, for example? FMCSA consented to allow drivers to change status from on-duty to off-duty, and vice versa, outside the vehicle. Once this clarification was made, ERoad developed a driver portal that would supplement its in-cab platform, Lee says. The company designed its ELD product to be tethered to the vehicle with a wireless connection to its server in the cloud. The new driver portal will be connected to the same server to update the driver’s logbook duty status and give visibility of the time remaining on their clocks from any device with an Internet connection. A number of ELD providers have taken similar approaches for mobile access to logbook data. PeopleNet has a companion app,
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SPECIAL REPORT: ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICES With J.J. Keller’s Encompass platform, drivers can approve or reject logbook edits, certify and submit their logs and have visibility to duty status and time remaining on their clocks.
Connected Driver, designed to give drivers visibility to duty status information. By installing the app on their personal devices, drivers are connected to the same cloud-based system as PeopleNet’s in-cab and fixed mounted devices. PeopleNet offers mobile devices that can be used outside the vehicle, but the reasons fleets choose its Tablet or certified mobile devices such as the Samsung Tab are primarily to run PeopleNet and third-party workflow apps for scanning freight or capturing signatures, says Eric Witty, vice president of product management. Omnitracs is designing a new helper app for mobile visibility of HOS status. The app will supplement its ELD-compliant products that include the IVG and XRS platforms, says Tom Cuthbertson, vice president of regulatory affairs. When designing a helper app, Cuthbertson says Omnitracs and any vendor that does so has to be careful to not add much functionality to the app beyond visibility. “The ELD requirements are there, and if you add too many functions, the app has to be a certified ELD product,” he says. Managing the connection One area where a mobile ELD platform can be problematic is the connection between a vehicle’s electronic control module and an app. Many systems use a gateway or reader device that connects to the diagnostics port. This device has to share data with a mobile device 56
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through a short-range wireless network — typically Bluetooth. When the mobile app is away from a vehicle for an extended period of time, the driver may need to log back in to re-establish the Bluetooth connection. When evaluating mobile ELDs, Ramsay recommends looking at how the mobile app syncs with vehicle data. There could be issues with maintaining and resuming a Bluetooth connection, he says. “To work as an ELD, a mobile device needs to be connected to the unit that is connected to the vehicle,” Lee says. “Those types of connections can drop from time to time. There is a reason why we ended up going with a tethered device.” These connection failures can cause an ELD to malfunction and report a data diagnostic issue. Because such instances must be recorded on a driver’s log, they will be visible to an inspection officer and potentially could result in an HOS violation, she says. The Omnitracs XRS system uses a Bluetooth connection between its Relay gateway device and its mobile app. If a device is out the range for a few hours, the driver may have to press a few buttons on screen to marry up the device again, but for shorter periods such as walking around the truck or going to lunch, the system “has knowledge you were there,” Cuthbertson says. One way to work around the shortrange connectivity issue is to use a cloud-based ELD platform that has separate cellular connections to its server from the vehicle and the mobile
| october 2017
app. Transflo Telematics does this with its ELD platform. Its small reader device connects to the vehicle’s databus and transmits odometer, mileage and other telematics data to a server through a cellular modem. Meanwhile, the Transflo Mobile app with ELD runs on a mobile phone or tablet and has a separate cellular connection. Both the incab reader and the mobile app are connected to the same server in the cloud, which eliminates the need to establish and maintain a short-range wireless network. Privacy issues The ability to change duty status away from a vehicle is one of several functions that drivers can perform using a mobile ELD. With J.J. Keller’s Encompass platform, drivers can approve or reject logbook edits, certify and submit their logs and have visibility to duty status and time remaining on their clocks, says Tom Ditzler, the company’s director of technology solutions for product management. Another remote function available in mobile ELDs allows drivers to put their device into a roadside inspection mode, which hides functions other than viewing a recap summary of the driver’s last eight days of log activity. That’s because many drivers may not be comfortable handing their personal smartphone or tablet device to an inspection officer. “Those are the kind of tradeoffs we thought about when developing a solution,” Lee says. Most tethered ELD platforms are designed to not use the driver’s personal device as the display, which can eliminate concerns of data privacy issues. Many ELDs also allow drivers to transmit their HOS records to inspection officers wirelessly through email.
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INNOVATORS
HENIFF TRANSPORTATION Oak Brook, Ill. program for driver managers. Holding managers accountable for driver performance and rewarding success “took us to the next level,” he says. “A huge push for us was getting everybody engaged.”
Heniff Transportation uses BI to engage drivers, managers, customers BY AARON HUFF
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n 2010, motor carriers were adapting to the new Compliance Safety Accountability program and its scoring methodology that weighted hours-of-service violations more heavily. Like many fleets, Heniff Transportation began looking at electronic logs. At about the same time, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based company began exploring technology that would give its customers a track-and-trace experience similar to FedEx. In early 2013, when Heniff operated 250 trucks, it completed its fleetwide implementation of e-logs. During the process, drivers voiced concerns about using them. “What’s in it for me?” was a common sentiment, says Joe Neal, director of information technology for the liquid bulk chemical hauler. In response, Heniff rolled out a new driver incentive and scorecard program that “turned that whole [e-log] process into a huge positive for drivers,” says Justin Neal, director of business integration. For the first version of the incentive program, fuel efficiency was the primary focus. The fuel efficiency metrics for the driver scorecard were pulled from the PeopleNet mobility system in Heniff ’s tractors. Drivers who met the company’s performance target received a monthly bonus of up to $400. Heniff later added key performance metrics from multiple data sources using Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. With this business intelligence tool, the company created dashboard-style reports with tabs and drill-down features to view information on each driver at the event level. In 2016, Heniff made further investments in BI technology to obtain real-time analytics and more robust data visualization capabilities through the Tableau platform. “With all the new technology, the data is easier to get to than ever before,” says Justin Neal. “It’s been a long road for us with a lot of evolutions.” As the driver scorecard evolved, Heniff also created a scorecard and incentive
The Freight Portal Heniff recently developed its Freight Portal that gives customers full transparency of orders from initial tender to final delivery. The portal updates the locations of orders and ETAs every five minutes by using data from both tractor- and trailertracking systems. Rather than login to the website to track the status of shipments, the company’s shipper customers can enter an email or mobile number to receive notifications and alerts. Shippers also can give their own customers, the consignees, access to Heniff ’s Freight Portal. “We want our customers to gain business by using this,” Joe Neal says. The company began developing the Freight Portal two years ago by cleansing and scrubbing the data in its customer files, such as locations of shipping and receiving facilities, to ensure accuracy. Once this step was complete, Heniff developed an integration between its transportation management software system from TMW Systems and a custom freight visualization platform from 10-4 Systems; the integration became the Freight Portal. Heniff recently completed a beta test of
The liquid bulk chemical hauler develops a custom driver scorecard and incentive plan that leads to more platforms.
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results,” Joe Neal says. Customers also can view documents for each order, such as bills of lading and scale tickets. The Freight Portal updates these images online immediately after drivers capture scanned docuEvery day, Heniff Transportation drivers see the details ments using an app on of their scores through a message that shows them the bonus they are on track to receive each month. their phones. Heniff is working to the Freight Portal with several customers, include HOS information in the realwho now can see the real-time ETAs and time ETA information it shares with status of their orders on a single screen. customers to account for required rest “With all this data, our thought probreaks, weather and traffic for downcess for the Freight Portal was to make it to-the-minute accuracy. a one-stop shop for our customers,” Joe Neal says. “We want everything to be A predictive scorecard transparent, in real time, and we want Since rolling out its driver scorecard, our customers to utilize it.” Heniff has continued to add new data Heniff can add links to the Freight sources and metrics that are predictive Portal to give customers custom Tableau indicators of driver safety, fleet maintereports. These highly visual and internance and other areas. One metric comes active reports show key performance from the fleet’s SpeedGauge application indicators such as load counts by origin and shows the points drivers earn for and destination, demurrage by location, complying with posted speed limits. freight spend, accessorial charges and The most recent metric shows drivanything else the customer requests. ers the number of points they have Customers can refresh the live inforearned for using the Tire Pass service mation at the click of a button. With at Love’s Travel Stops. This metric was real-time visibility of ETAs, detention added to the scorecard after managetimes and key metrics, Heniff now is able ment discovered that tire failures to engage its customers in “full partnercaused by low air pressure were the ship” to “improve business processes and company’s top cause of breakdowns, Joe Neal says. As drivers pull into fuel lanes at Love’s facilities that offer Tire Pass, a tire technician inflates their tires to the proper pressure, records tread depth and inspects lights and other items. The inspection data is sent to Heniff ’s maintenance software system. By using its BI tools, Heniff validates that Tire Pass lanes were available and Joe Neal (left), IT director for Heniff Transportation, and Justin Neal, director of busiopen for service at the locations where ness integration, oversaw the company’s drivers fueled. This process ensures that driver incentive and scorecard program the scorecard’s Tire Pass metric accuthat led to another scorecard for managers and its Freight Portal that provides shiprately reflects if drivers used the service ment transparency to customers. wherever and whenever it was available. 60
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Every day, drivers see the details of their score through a message sent to the PeopleNet Tablet display in the cab. The message shows drivers the bonus they are on track to receive each month. The bonus is scaled by mileage and starts at $175 per month with a maximum payout of $500. Drivers who obtain a monthly score of 90 or above out of 100 receive the full bonus amount. About 75 percent of Heniff ’s drivers qualify for the full bonus every month, Justin Neal says. Seeing the results Since Heniff started the scorecard and incentive plan, the company has doubled in size to 500 trucks. The biggest savings are from fuel economy, which has increased by 20 percent since starting the program. Justin Neal says the metrics show savings from the scorecard and bonus program are six times the expense of driver bonuses. “It is a program that really pays for itself,” he says. Driver retention has proven to be another benefit. The data show turnover rates of more than 50 percent for drivers who are not getting the bonus. The turnover rate for drivers getting the bonus is less than 20 percent. The company also has seen “huge improvements” on the safety side, and Heniff ’s CSA scores are among the industry’s best, Joe Neal says. The fleet also has seen big increases in revenue and asset utilization. Heniff also has received an increase in business from customers who have betatested its Freight Portal, a trend Joe Neal expects will continue as more of them are introduced to the technology. “Six months from now will be totally different in terms of how many users we have on [the Freight Portal]” he says. “It’s an exciting time for us right now.” 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.
LOAD TRACKING, PLANNING TOOLS PAGE 64
MANAGING CUSTOMER, FLEET EXPECTATIONS PAGE 66
MANAGING LOGISTICS FOR SMALLER FLEETS
HANDLING SHIPPER REQUESTS FOR BIDS
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PART 10: Technology’s role in logistics
A representative at the 2017 TMW and PeopleNet in.sight user conference in Nashville, Tenn., shows the possibilities of combining a multitude of in-vehicle sensors, including video for a window accessible from the back office into the driver’s view of the road.
Managing logistics for everyone BY TODD DILLS WITH THE RISE IN MOBILE
communications technology, transportation management software systems also have grown in utility by leaps and bounds. At the 2017 TMW and PeopleNet in.sight user conference in August in Nashville, Tenn., representatives of both
companies gave carrier attendees a look into the future of dispatch and maintenance management with a peek into a virtual-reality module the companies were exploring. Where the rubber meets the road for carriers using TMS to manage the logistics
of freight movement and improve customer relationships, the story of recent years has been improved affordability of and access to sophisticated software tools for smaller carriers. For the larger entities, that sophistication also has increased. While major TMS players
TMW Systems and McLeod Software continue to support their legacy systems, many carriers are choosing newer cloud-hosted platforms with more intuitive user interfaces that are accessible through multiple points. At the conference, TMW launched a myriad of mobile apps intended to give dispatchers, drivers and others further ways to communicate, receive and plot load assignments. TMS integrations with mobile communications platforms and electronic logging devices in trucks are leading to better planning efficiency and less friction in freight moves. Technology is making it possible to do more with less investment in complicated systems and people to manage interactions. In this 10th edition of CCJ’s Tech Toolbox, we look at the factors fleets should consider and best practices they can use for evaluating and implementing new technologies for their logistical operations. Also be sure to visit CCJTechToolbox.com for other installments and multimedia content and to sign up for special TechToolbox webinars and newsletters.
FREIGHT UBERIZATION
Load tracking and planning tools abound AS UBER FREIGHT and a variety of brokerages with sophisticated technology seek to transform the spot market, carriers in both spot and contract markets are finding new demands placed on their businesses. One aspect of mobile technology gaining traction among brokerages and shippers is the demand for greater
freight visibility. While larger fleets have used trailer-tracking systems for years, more brokers and shippers are relying on mobile technology in the driver’s pocket to do the same. “Shippers are hearing from companies about the ability to see all loads in transit,” said Jim Nicholson, a representative for carrier sales and operations with Schnei-
der’s (CCJ Top 250, No. 8) brokerage wing, speaking at Truckstop.com’s Connected 2016 conference last November. “Customers are expecting that now.” Such technology is available from many sources. Truckstop.com offers load-tracking functionality within its app that relies on GPS and cellular communications capabilities from drivers’ smart-
PART 10: Technology’s role in logistics
Trans-System: Reducing claims, processing detention TMW SYSTEMS NAMED COREY STAHELI, chief information officer of Trans-System, as one of its Innovators of the Year in 2017. Trans-System, based in Cheney, Wash., is the parent company of TWT Refrigerated, flatbed fleet System Transport and regional liquid bulk hauler James J. Williams. The company recently migrated its fleets from two different products – McLeod Software and TMW Innovative – to a central TMS in TMW.Suite. “We started with multiple systems,” Staheli said. The company wanted to consolidate alerts from the road to the back office – “everything we need to tell a fleet manager,” he said, as well as “anything you need to make a decision about that problem.” Staheli gives the example of notifications from a driver about detention time. A manager now can toggle a rate within the notification module, and the TMS then automatically adds it to the customer’s invoicing. “We took deten-
phones to automate check calls and relay load position and status. The function is fully integrated with the company’s smallfleet TMS, ITS Dispatch. That integration is one of several recent updates to ITS Dispatch, increasing versatility for fleet managers and dispatchers. From an active load screen within the TMS, a fleet manager can “search for a new load based on the delivery location for that transaction,” said David Cryer, product manager. “Just in this year alone, we’ve done full integration with [Truckstop.com’s] LoadPay, CargoShield and Load Tracking” functions. Bob Christ, owner of small fleet Cayenne Express, based near St. Louis, said his company solicits a list of brokers in addition to its direct customers, and all of them require the carrier to use Macropoint or Badger tracking. “Tons of people are forcing you to do it,” Christ said. “They won’t give you the freight [if you don’t].” Load visibility has helped Sergio Marin, owner of Custom Carrier, a small fleet outside of Los Angeles with six company trucks and 10 owner-operators. Last year, Marin got a cold call from Convoy, a Seattle-based technology brokerage firm. A year after Convoy debuted its app in late 2015, it was moving loads in local markets and on some longer-haul lanes, said Dan Lewis, chief executive officer. Marin lauds aspects of Convoy’s
tion processing from 12 steps down to two, reducing the friction in the communication process,” he said. That extends to interactions between drivers, fleet managers and customer service representatives about temperature settings for loads hauled by TWT Refrigerated, where the company’s drivers are using Orbcomm for trailer monitoring and Omnitracs for e-logs and mobile communications. “We monitor the temp alerts from the mobile comm tracker and measure against what the order [requires] and what we believe that commodity needs to be set at,” Staheli said. Any exception triggers an alert within the TMS to both customer service and the fleet manager. The new ability has resulted in a 75 percent reduction in cargo claim costs, he said.
mobile system, chief among them the visibility it gives not just the shipper but also himself into drivers’ progress. He’s using it primarily for local loads in and around Los Angeles. Another bonus from using the app: “There is no paperwork,” he said. With GPS functionality, “when we arrive at the shipper, it triggers the GPS to alert both myself and Convoy that my driver has arrived.” When the driver completes the pickup, he hits a button, and tracking begins. Convoy and Marin can watch the load’s progress across the map and deal with issues along the way. When the driver arrives, he photographs the proof of delivery. Marin
describes the communication within the app and over the phone as “the opposite of typical pushy brokers.” Drivers appreciate the app’s built-in bird’s eye view of shipping and receiving locations, which helps in locating entry points to Los Angeles docks. Detention also is simplified because the app documents arrival time, Marin said. A standard hourly rate is paid after two hours. It’s detention management that Mark Cubine, marketing vice president of McLeod Software, singles out as perhaps the most significant development for carriers using the McLeod TMS that’s integrated with mobile communications devices. Cubine’s not talking only about
This view from within ITS Dispatch’s web-based TMS for small carriers shows an active load screen and tracking integration with Truckstop.com Load Tracking.
PART 10: Technology’s role in logistics At the 2017 TMW and PeopleNet in.sight user conference in Nashville, Tenn., TMW’s Ray West introduced a portfolio of 11 mobile apps that empower professionals at every level of a transportation business.
the ability to prove detention to and collect it from shippers and receivers. As carriers have committed to trailer tracking and ELDs, McLeod has delivered the back-office ability to be more predictive about the next load and assist both the driver and the back office with more efficient planning. With insight on historical route patterns and any driver’s hours status, carriers using the TMS can monitor variables that threaten on-time delivery and adjust their estimated time of arrival. Once a carrier large or small employs e-logs, “I can now also look at the future [in the planning process],” said Cubine. Will the next load be in trouble for this particular driver? Dispatchers now
have the ability to calculate a variety of factors instantly, including average dwell time at a shipper/receiver location for likely detention. At the 2017 TMW and PeopleNet in.sight user conference, TMW Systems introduced its TruETA functionality within its Innovative IES, TMW.Suite and TruckMate TMS systems. Ray West, TMW senior vice president and general manager for the company’s TMS products, touted TMW’s partnerships with fellow Trimble companies ALK Technologies and PeopleNet in developing the module, a back-office ETA calculator with a high level of sophistication, accounting for drivers’ hours, traffic levels by time of day and
more to deliver planning accuracy. Without such a tool, “a dispatcher calculates an ETA in their head” when assigning and planning loads, West said. “But that’s just the distance and time based on the speed limits, road conditions and so forth – they use their travel knowledge to add in things they know.” With TruETA, TMW TMS users will get “not only the truck routing but also the historical traffic for the time of day,” West said. “And the driver’s hours of service – putting all of that into the equation, it also gives you good data for planning at the next stop” and what West calls “PTA” – potential time of availability – for planning the next pickup.
SELF-SERVE ACCESS Managing customer, carrier relationships and expectations CUSTOMIZED CUSTOMER
The Loadsmart technology-enabled brokerage provides carriers TMS-like functionality for free. Along with participation in Loadsmart’s applications that deliver partially automated load offers, carriers get what Diego Urrutia, the company’s chief commercial officer, calls “a free fleet management platform” that maps live locations of trucks and more.
self-serve portals can provide not only tracking visibility but also payment status and more to both carriers’ customers and, from brokers, to carriers themselves, said Murray Pratt, CEO of the Tailwind TMS provider for smaller carriers and brokers. This self-serve uberization increasingly will
take away administrative burdens from fleet owners so that “they can do higher-value things,” Pratt said. “I can look at my operation closely and make top-level decisions.” These portals offer a fleet’s customer a place where they can “go in and see information on what you’ve shipped,” he said.
PART 10: Technology’s role in logistics “You don’t have to phone anybody, and it’s secured by a login.” Brokers increasingly are serving carriers in similar fashion with mobile apps and online offerings. C.H. Robinson’s Navisphere apps for its contracted carrier partners offer TMS-like functionality for carrier owners and drivers on their mobile devices. While C.H. Robinson’s had an online portal for its carrier partners since 2001 where they could “find freight, view loads they are booked on and update loads, our mobile apps have replicated a lot of that,” said Pete Borgen, the company’s regional capacity manager. In the Navisphere Carrier app, when a driver is checked in on a load, he “gets the load on the app, and track-and-trace functions allow them to be pinged along their routes” to eliminate what Pratt calls the “check-call rodeo.” Notifications come through when the driver arrives or exceptions happen, Borgen said. Carriers also can access details on the payment status of a load and whether there are issues. With the connected Navisphere Driver app, employees on the freight’s front lines use their cell-phone number to log in and enable tracking with the push of a button. At the end of the load, they can scan paperwork with the phone’s camera function and upload afterward. The app also can work with the driver’s mapping software to provide turnby-turn directions.
Liberty Land Carriers: Scaling up MATT LIMERICK JR., Liberty Land Carriers president, is the grandson of the founder of EFS, which at its high point owned about 150 trucks based near Chattanooga, Tenn. EFS had its own IT department, and years ago the department built its own TMS, which Limerick called “a little ahead of its time.” Nonetheless, it wasn’t fully compatible with every aspect of the business, and after EFS was bought by Mercer Transportation five years ago, Limerick was excited about the technology possibilities with a new business. Liberty Land currently dispatches 22 trucks and about 60 trailers, in addition to brokering. Previously, Liberty Land was happy with the Mystc TMS program from the National Association of Small Trucking Companies, which “worked excellent for what we did” as the company began to grow, he said. Liberty Land’s philosophy around driver pay has been to mimic the larger carriers that offer a choice of mileage, percentage or another pay method, as well as a degree of independence in a power-only wing where independent owner-operators haul for the company under a brokerage division. But as Liberty Land grew, a cumbersome process for separating its asset-based and brokerage sides on particular loads became an issue in Mystc. Dispatch often didn’t know when the load was entered into the system or whether it’d ultimately be hauled by the carrier or an independent. If it turned out to be the latter, sometimes “we’d have to take the load out of the system and re-enter it,” Limerick said. In addition, the complicated nature of the growing company’s settlement process for driver pay – with a variety of compensation methods and different fuel cards in play – increasingly made for cumbersome accounting. With the ability to scale with software customization in mind, after researching different TMS solutions, Liberty Land found the web-based Tailwind TMS. “What we found at Tailwind is the opposite of many others,” Limerick said. With many providers, he said, “there’s a box, and you have to figure out how your system operates within that box. With Tailwind, it seems like the possibilities are endless” for software customization. As a Software-as-a-Service-type system, Tailwind is available for a monthly fee per user. Limerick said it “makes everything way more efficient” for back-office dispatch and settlements management. “We’re on target to do over $3 million in sales this year,” he said. “We have three people in the office and two on our accounting team. If we did not have a TMS, it would be a nightmare.” For Liberty Land dispatchers, reclassifying a load from the asset to brokerage side now happens with a push of a button.
SMALLER-MARKET TMS Options abound for small fleets to manage their own logistics TRUCKSTOP.COM’S ITS DISPATCH web-based
software originally was intended for one-pick one-drop loads but now is functional for multi-drop less-than-truckload and
a variety of other modes. It can be used by small fleets and independent owner-operators from just one other truck to a 30to 40-truck fleet. “About 20 to 25 percent
of carriers today do use some type of TMS software,” said Rafael Moiseev, product marketing manager for ITS Dispatch. “The 75 percent that don’t may be using Excel spread-
PART 10: Technology’s role in logistics
InMotion Global’s AscendTMS web-based software suite is accessible on most internet-connected devices. sheets or white boards” and generally may be an audience averse to change, Moiseev said. ITS built its software to address such aversion. “It doesn’t branch too far off the structure of what a spreadsheet looks like,” he said. “The way the parameters are positioned are somewhat similar to
a white board, to make it as intuitive as possible.” Technology user interfaces also are becoming more intuitive, Moiseev said. Another freight-matching provider, DAT, offers its own small-broker TMS, DAT Keypoint. Steve Blair, DAT general manager, said more carriers that are having trouble retain-
ing drivers for whatever reason are moving to brokered loads. “We’re seeing a growing trend in carriers running brokerages,” he said. “That trend of feeling compelled to run a brokerage to move freight is moving down-market. Smaller carriers are doing it. It used to be you’d have above 200 trucks if you’re doing that. Today, we’re seeing it move into the 15- to 20-truck range.” DAT Keypoint is designed to allow small carriers to post and track freight, integrate with mileage systems and more. “Carrier [TMS] software is not as efficient and doesn’t provide all the necessary tools for a true brokerage operation,” Blair said. “DAT Keypoint gives the appearance of a large, technically capable broker
on a low budget.” DAT also recently integrated its load boards with InMotion Global’s AscendTMS system for carriers, which is being offered at no cost to current and future DAT carrier customers. DAT TruckersEdge, Express and Power load board users can log into the AscendTMS and search for loads and post their trucks as they would inside their DAT load board app or desktop product. “Freight matching is increasingly about efficiency,” said Don Thornton, DAT senior vice president. “The integration lets our carrier customers, especially smaller ones with fewer technical or financial resources, match their empty trucks with available DAT loads with the press of a single button.”
Pan American Express: Moving into the future SAL VERAZZI, operations manager of Pan American Express, a 200-truck, 650-trailer dry van carrier based in Laredo, Texas, recently participated in a switch from a 1990s-era TMS to McLeod Software’s latest offering. It was a significant change that came with headaches and now plenty of advantages. “It’s undeniable there are so many more tools at our disposal and access to a lot more information,” Verazzi said. “We can analyze everything from the time we create the load” to making decisions about whether to broker it out via the company’s affiliated brokerage division. In the process of taking advantage of all of those tools, however, company planners’ work has become “more frontend heavy, with more data input at the beginning when we receive orders from customers,” he said. “We’re being more meticulous about rate information and much more specific about the equipment and the driver the load requires.” The brokerage side now has full visibility into freight that’s available, and “on the asset side, it gives us a lot better ability to pre-assign and schedule to keep continuous moves for our trucks,” Verazzi said.
Though McLeod has a cloud-hosted option, Pan American opted to purchase new servers for both the operating system and imaging software and also bought new personal computers for its employees. In the trucks, the McLeod system is integrated with IVG units from Omnitracs and Spireon’s FleetLocate tracking system on the trailers. “We can track end to end,” Verazzi said. “If customers require it, we’ll use Macropoint as well.” As with other carriers, Pan American has improved efficiency at loading docks for its drivers by virtue of its tracking technology and through direct communications to its shippers and consignees. “If you don’t track it and you don’t push the issue, detention can become a very big problem,” he said. “Once we went to being persistent about it, you get a change from the customer. They’ll get your trailers unloaded first and won’t hold you up.”
PART 10: Technology’s role in logistics
TOOLS FOR RFP MANAGEMENT
Handle shipper bid requests as one package or by lane WITH THE HELP OF TECHNOLOGY,
management of the cumbersome RFP process to bid on lanes within a large shipper’s book of business is becoming more accessible for a larger portion of carriers. That was the message from Scott Minton, TMW Systems’ senior value engineer, during the 2017 TMW and PeopleNet in.sight user conference in August in Nashville, Tenn. Minton helped develop Engage.Bid, released by TMW Systems last year, which enables carriers to pull shippers’ lane-by-lane requests for rate bids into a Software-as-a-Service module and apply analysis tools based on market averages and other metrics to help determine rates, speeding up the process for time-strapped small and large fleets. “The software is motivated by trying to put in the hands of the carriers something to help deal with the painful, brutal exercise of the bid process,” Minton said. It’s also designed to provide a “means to price with conviction and not let bids go to round three,” he said. This year, accelerated bid processes from some large shippers moved the typical start of the fourth-quarter bid season up a bit, perhaps in anticipation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device mandate hitting at the end of the year. The ability for carriers, particularly smaller entities, to participate in as many bids as possible also was on Minton’s mind during the development of Engage.Bid. “This relationship between the shipper and the carrier is awkward,” he said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty. The things you think you can count on, you can’t really count on.” When it comes to inking long-term contract rates, “if you leave a penny on the table, that adds up quite a bit” over time, Minton said. The technology that exists for RFPs generally is aimed mostly at helping shippers manage the process with their broker and carrier service providers. “They’re the ones with the freight, and they initiate this process.
David Wangler, president of TMW Systems, discusses the company’s Engage.Bid technology designed to enable carriers to pull shippers’ lane-by-lane requests for rate bids into a SaaS module and apply analysis tools based on market averages and other metrics to help determine rates. They send out the master agreement, the lane file,” or they outsource the process through a broker. “They’re doing what they can to optimize the bid to get the most from the carriers at the least cost.” With Engage.Bid, carriers can import shippers’ lane files, view lanes against TMW’s Market Rate Index averages that are based primarily on participating data-sharing carriers’ contract rates, and apply pricing adjustments either in semi-automated fashion or on a laneby-lane basis. After pricing, the program is designed to output bids into the shipper’s lane file format, attaching accessorials such as fuel surcharges, detention and other aspects. McLeod Software also offers a similar tool in its pricing and bid man-
agement module available to McLeod TMS customers. “We’ve put some automation around working on the big bid package,” said Mark Cubine, marketing vice president, acknowledging that the process has been a burden on carriers. “The amount of business you get is very dependent on how quickly you can make smart decisions,” Cubine said. Automating parts of that process with solid rate intelligence is “one big gain that goes on forever,” he said. Sal Verazzi, operations manager of Pan American Express, said the Laredo, Texas-based dry van fleet “just started using the tool” from McLeod. Verazzi said it “cuts down your time a lot” on the sales side when attempting to deal with massive lane file spreadsheets effectively.
n PA R T N E R S O L U T I O N S / N A V I S TA R
Get connected with the Marketplace The OnCommand® Connection Marketplace provides fleets and owner-operators a single, open-architecture portal for accessing tools that streamline operations and lower costs.
T
John Hansen is director of operations he latest solution Navistar is offering as part of the for Navistar’s OnCommand Connection growing OnCommand Connection suite has the suite of technology-driven, potential to revolutionize daily operations for both transportation-industry solutions. He fleets and owner-operators. Launching in has more than 18 years of experience solving complex problems and driving November, the OnCommand® Connection Marketplace will large initiatives. deliver applications, software and services not only from Navistar, but from third parties as well. “Our goal with OnCommand Connection is to provide our customers with the best overall connected experience, and we do this by creating products and services that are open to everyone,” says John Hansen, director of operations for OnCommand Connection. “Fleets appreciate having a single place to monitor their vehicles in OnCommand Connection, regardless of what telematics service provider they use. Our products and services within the Marketplace are all based on that same principal, being open and providing the information our customers need to run their businesses from one, easyto-use place.” We asked Hansen to tell us more about the OnCommand Connection Marketplace.
Q
What is the OnCommand Connection Marketplace and how will it help trucking company owners and drivers?
A
The OnCommand Connection Marketplace is an e-commerce platform designed to be the central hub for the trucking industry, providing a variety of products, services, tools and insights to allow companies and drivers to operate
more efficiently. These applications, products and services will give small and mid-sized fleets, as well as owner-operators, opportunities to realize the same cost advantages already available to larger fleets. The Marketplace will start by offering the OnCommand Connection Telematics and ELD solution released in July 2017. On an ongoing basis, new products created by the OnCommand Connection team will be added, along with offerings from
other industry providers, thanks to OnCommand Connection’s openarchitecture design. Marketplace tools will support both companies and drivers with their day-to-day operations.
Q
Tell us more about the types of products and services the OnCommand Connection Marketplace will provide to trucking company owners and drivers.
An Electronic Logging Device app will be the first product available in the OnCommand Connection Marketplace, which will offer an array of business solutions from a limitless number of providers.
A
The OnCommand Connection Marketplace provides a wide variety of products and services to support drivers, fleets of all sizes, owneroperators and others involved in the trucking industry. These easy-to-access business solutions include offerings in the areas of telematics, fleet management, maintenance, diagnostics and service, data analytics, parts and accessories, driver support, safety, logging – even coupons and discounts for your favorite truck stop.
Q
Are there any particular Marketplace products or services you would like to point out?
A
The industry is currently focused on the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate and identifying certified products to support the upcoming December 18 deadline. The certified OnCommand Connection ELD solution will be the first product available in the Marketplace. A driver or fleet can purchase the OnCommand Connection Telematics device and download the supporting application to ensure compliance with the regulation. This two-year offering includes everything you need, with no additional costs or contracts, so drivers and fleets can focus on efficiently and effectively supporting their customers. The OnCommand Connection Telematics solution with
ELD will be available for purchase in the Marketplace beginning November 2017 and is currently available at select truck stops, International dealers and Amazon.
Q
What other Marketplace products and services are on the horizon?
A
Building upon the current OnCommand Connection offering, our team is in the process of developing a number of new products and services that will be announced in the near future. In addition, we are working with insurance companies, fleet-management companies and discount programs to reduce the cost advantages large fleets have over midsize fleets, small fleets and independent owner-operators. The outreach from companies in our industry has been amazing, and we are gathering ideas for new Marketplace offerings on a daily basis. The OnCommand Connection mission is to be customer-centric, open and available to everyone. The OnCommand Connection Marketplace is designed to meet the same goal. Regardless of what truck(s) you own, what telematics solution you have installed or what ELD you are using today, the Marketplace will provide you with opportunities to save on everyday expenses, connect your
trucks and gain insights to improve your business. I’ve been asked by customers if their home-grown applications can be offered within the Marketplace. The answer is yes! If a customer has a product or idea for a product or service, the OnCommand Connection Marketplace is the platform to offer it to the industry. Contact us at OnCommandConnection@navistar.com.
Q
What has the response been to the OnCommand Connection Marketplace?
A
The response has been overwhelming! I’ve been involved in conversations with many of our suppliers, partners, customers and even other OEMs about the OnCommand Connection Marketplace and the suite of OnCommand Connection products and services as well as our overall approach. I’m extremely excited about what the Marketplace will provide and the opportunities it will bring drivers and fleets of all sizes.
© 2017 , Inc. All rights reserved. All marks are trademarks of their respective owners.
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Tomorrow’s big rigs will communicate with their environment BY JASON CANNON
A
utonomy is a big word when discussing the future of trucking, but a bigger word looms over the industry as the shift toward driverless vehicles continues: connectivity. Sandeep Karr, chief strategy officer for Fleet Complete, a global commercial vehicle telematics and Internet of Things firm, says a truck will never be fully able to drive itself without the ability to connect and communicate with its environment. “Connected truck means a truck connected to the world outside,” Karr says. “All kinds of telematics technologies.” Currently, two of trucking’s most prominent trends are electric mobility and the connected truck, and Karr says each will have an impact on autonomy. He says that while powertrain electrification and autonomy are mutually independent, they will have overlap areas where they will converge in the future. “If we’re stuck in a fossil-fuel world in the next decade, we’ll continue to see great advances in the connected truck,” says Leo Jolicoeur, Drivewyze chief operating officer. “The industry is not waiting.”
CONNECTED TO THE WORLD
Today’s driver information displays offer an array of helpful data, and remote diagnostics help funnel it back to a fleet’s maintenance department. However, drivers and fleets of the future will be only a small part of the truck’s
Today’s driver information displays offer an array of helpful data, and remote diagnostics help funnel it back to a fleet’s maintenance department.
communications loop, Karr says. “The world outside needs to know what is the status of the battery, and the battery needs to know where is the nearest charging station, or how can it increase its range,” he says. “That is where some of the connected technology would help – ensuring that the battery and the powertrain systems are in optimal shape and form.” Such a leap in communications would be a shift from what currently is being shared. “I think we’re at a stage right now where it’s about communicating between trucks, truck drivers and state infrastructure on safety information,” Karr says. Drivewyze currently is deploying in beta-form a project that gathers information from all states about their high-crash zones, with that information being relayed
to drivers as they approach those locations – Drivewyze’s push toward the truck being able to talk to its surroundings. When a truck can communicate with the world around it, the environment will help drive vehicle optimization, Karr says. If a prognostics maintenance platform indicated an imminent breakdown, that truck could be prioritized to avoid extended downtime. “All those prognostics characteristics will be captured by connected truck technologies,” he says. “If it’s an electric vehicle, it might get preferential lane treatment, for example, or a preferential parking spot.” Just as there are varying degrees of capabilities envisioned on a path toward full autonomy, there also likely will be varying degrees of connectivity, says Scott Perry, vice president of supply management for
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COVER STORY | CONNECTED TRUCKS Ryder Fleet Management Solutions. “Many of the current systems in development envision the vehicle itself being self-sufficient, meaning all the technology will be housed on board the individual vehicle,” Perry says. “But, to get the full network effect with dynamic visibility to ever-changing road conditions, connectivity between vehicles will be ideal. Coordination then to traffic control systems and other infrastructure will just serve as additional contextual data elements, but not necessarily required.” Prognostics capabilities still have hills to climb. Karr says the current issue with prognostics is that there are only two smart systems on the truck that provide the ability to predict failure: tire pressure monitoring and engine control modules. “[TPMS] can tell you if a tire is not running at optimal pressure and that it may rupture or lose further pressure,” he says. “The engine ECM can tell you a lot about an engine’s future. Pretty much the rest of the truck is like a dead zone.” The future is to make every system on the truck smarter, Karr says. “If a system becomes smart, these systems can fall under prognostics, which would bring downtime to minimal,” he says. “Systems are already in place. How you make them smarter is to add electronic interfaces to enable communication of the vehicle itself with the world outside.” Adding more sensors on a truck already rich with them won’t be popular with drivers and technicians already weary of dashboard indicators, but Karr says the next generation of sensors won’t simply indicate a problem: They will help the truck determine its own course of corrective action. “That’s why the whole idea is to add electronic sensors and smart devices to these systems,” he says. “It’s not just about adding a microchip so the system can talk. It’s about offering information and data to other systems in the vehicle, which can aggregate it so a decision can be made by the vehicle itself without requiring 74
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human input.” “What we’re seeing is not necessarily a revolution but an evolution in the deployment of wonderful safety-based and productivity-based solutions into trucking,” Jolicoeur says. ‘THE NEXT BIG THING’
While electric mobility and connected trucks may be the two most prominent trends, Karr says they fall short of being “the next big thing.” “The next big thing is what governs the most fundamental relationship between shippers and carriers – the trade transaction,” he says. “Autonomy [and] electric mobility prognostics is downstream. The upstream transaction between shipper and carrier sets everything else into motion, including the vehicle purchase, and that is about to get completely revolutionized by Uber for truck and those kinds of technologies that are already here. Basically, it’s the way to connect the freight with the vehicle. It’s going to change [utilization] in the coming years.” Freight on demand also could change the highway’s landscape, Karr says. “We may be staring at a future where vehicles are far better utilized and optimized, in which case we might not need so many trucks,” he says. The shift to a modern load-matching format is a migration from inefficient analog processes toward digitization, Karr says. Onboard diagnostics and vehicle systems have become so complex that newermodel trucks are difficult to service unless they’re taken to a dealership.
| october 2017
“This whole Uber for truck is nothing but a digital freight broker,” he says. “Prognostics is nothing but digital healthiness and well-being of a truck through predictive analytics. Autonomous driving is nothing but digitization of communication between trucks and infrastructure. Electromobility also by and large relies on digitization, and digitization is nothing but telematics.” In the more near term, Jolicoeur doubts app-based load matching services will dent the traditional relationship between carrier, broker and shipper. To the contrary, using the real estate industry as a model, he believes it will make the entire process more productive. “Years ago, a lot of companies started up in the real estate industry with the intent of replacing the broker, replacing the Multiple Listing Service, with a direct connection between buyer and seller,” he says. “That still hasn’t happened yet. The broker, in the case of the real estate market, performs a valuable service, and I think that is the case within the truck and shipping marketplace.” MODERN MAINTENANCE
Onboard diagnostics and vehicle systems are already so complex that newer-model trucks are difficult to service unless you rely on a dealership, and Karr says that trend only will continue to develop. “That is a trend that is driving more
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COVER STORY | CONNECTED TRUCKS dealership revenues already,” he says. “That reason why OEMs are pushing prognostics so much is that they want to divert that [repair] traffic towards that dealership.” In the event of a maintenance-related accident, who assumes the liability of a truck that doesn’t have a human in it is muddled, but Karr expects that picture to become clearer and that it will benefit the OEM. He believes OEMs will assume some of the liability of their autonomous trucks but will mandate that they be serviced and maintained by an authorized dealer. “If not, [they] will not stand by that liability coverage, because you have compromised the truck by using an independent repair facility,” Karr says. “That could be another way for the OEM to generate income.” THE FUTURE OF PLATOONING
Recent low fuel costs have stolen some of vehicle platooning’s thunder, but Karr expects it to heat up again in the
Recent low fuel costs have stolen some of vehicle platooning’s thunder, but experts expect it to heat up again in the near future.
near future. “Platooning will be the first wave of autonomous trucking, and that will happen within the next six to 12 months,” he says.
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The Federal Highway Administration last month oversaw a series of three-truck platoon tests near Centreville, Va., and last summer it coordinated a successful twotruck platoon test in Texas. Meanwhile, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao last month introduced DOT’s “A Vision for Safety” initiative, which replaces the Federal Automated Vehicle Policy released in 2016. This updated policy offers a path forward for the safe deployment of automated vehicles by encouraging new entrants and ideas that deliver safer vehicles; expediting regulatory processes to help match the pace of private sector innovation; and supporting industry innovation and encouraging open communication with the public and stakeholders. “This technology is going to be used very soon,” Karr says. “Everything is lined up.”
Assembled In
The connected trucks of the future almost certainly will be powered by one new fuel or a combination of options such as diesel, electric, hybrid or fuel cell. “Hybrid is a bridge to 100 percent electrification,” Karr says, noting hybrid technologies provide production scale for
COVER STORY | CONNECTED TRUCKS batteries and reduce their costs. “Maturity of electrics will come even faster. The more hybrid vehicles on the road, the faster battery costs come down.” Jim Bevan, powernet manager for Daimler Trucks North America, says the highest density level for a power source remains diesel fuel and that for the near fu-
ture, hybrid tractors will continue to target limited-range applications such as pickup and delivery. Karr says it’s difficult to predict the preferred fuel of the future, but that as green energy momentum mounts, hydrogen will become a major player. “Electric technologies are made through
a very carbon-intensive process,” he says. “Of all the technologies, hydrogen seems to be the most powerful yet most challenging.” The lack of a commercial hydrogen infrastructure will be a major hurdle to clear, but recent developments by Toyota and the continued work of Nikola Motor Co. on its fuel-cell Class 8 truck have given the fuel some momentum. “Why hybrid is moving forward faster than electrification is that it doesn’t need any additional infrastructure,” Karr says. While the passenger car industry tends to be used as a benchmark for where trucking is headed, Jolicoeur sees more similarities with airlines. Sophisticated communications used in the aviation industry allow tens of thousands of airplanes per day to relay their location and equipment status in real time back to a centralized location with minimal human input. “I see the [trucking] infrastructure headed in a similar direction,” he says. “Whether a truck is an electric truck or fossil-fueled, we’re going to build out that infrastructure to ensure real-time communication with all vehicles on the road and use that real-time infrastructure for safety, mobility, productivity and several other types of applications.” SQUEEZING OUT THE LITTLE GUY?
With each passing technological innova-
The lack of a commercial hydrogen infrastructure will be a major hurdle to clear, but recent developments have given the fuel some momentum.
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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
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COVER STORY | CONNECTED TRUCKS tion, carriers argue about who most benefits from them, with smaller carriers almost universally agreeing new technology is an oppressive financial burden. However, Karr says smaller fleets and owner-operators stand to benefit more than anyone else. “The question in the past was, ‘Here is a truck I bought. What can I do with it?’ ”
Karr says. “Now it’s coming to a point that with the service the truck is providing, ‘What can that truck do for me?’ It’s going to empower them. [Small carriers] are technologically challenged, and often they don’t get it.” That is the reason why bigger fleets with deeper pockets benefit, he says. “They
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have their own battery of idea people and engineers who help them get the most loads, and they are better optimized. They are killing it. It’s the small to mid-size fleets who are really at the mercy of brokers and other people who charge an arm and a leg for certain services. Once digitization comes in, they won’t have to rely on people for [helping them] make money.” Carriers that go into this digital future, Karr says, are the ones that embrace the challenges that lie ahead and stand to completely reinvent their business. “I would argue that this brave new world we’re entering is actually going to be better for owner-operators and small-size fleets,” he says. “All these technologies were developed and designed at the white-board level to solve problems for small to mid-size fleets. They were never designed to solve the problems of large fleets.” While there is a wide perception that advanced technologies will drive small fleets out of business, they can level the playing field for participants both large and small, Karr says. “The question now is ‘Are they psychologically prepared for it?’ because when this kind of news breaks – when these types of trends emerge – it’s the bigger fleets that jump into it,” he says. “Owner-operators and small-size fleets think it’s [the large fleet’s] domain. There needs to be an open mind to understand what technology can do for us and how can we embrace it in ways to compete with bigger fleets.” Likewise, Jolicoeur predicts the industry is at least a decade away from technologies that would allow a truck to operate without a driver in the cab, ensuring that drivers still have a job for the foreseeable future. He points to the military and its use of unmanned drones as an example. “Those drones need to be piloted,” he says. “Autonomous vehicles for a great period of time will need to be piloted. I think, potentially, there will be a different role for a human being on a truck, the equivalent of the conductor or the attendant who cares for that truck while it’s being driven.”
| october 2017 2/14/17 1:50 PM
n PA R T N E R S O L U T I O N S / C H E V R O N
Making the Switch
New API CK-4 and FA-4 engine oils can provide improved fuel economy, extended oil-drain intervals and improved engine protection. By Shawn Whitacre
W
hile the new engine-oil categories API CK-4 and FA-4 are designed to address the needs of modern engine technologies and help diesel-engine OEMs meet emissions requirements, they also offer benefits to fleets operating trucks both old and new. CK-4 oils, which directly replace API CJ-4 oils and are backward compatible with most applications where engine manufacturers recommended CJ-4, offer improvements in shear stability, oxidation resistance and aeration control while protecting against catalyst poisoning, particulate-filter blocking, engine wear, piston deposits, degradation of low- and high-temperature properties, and soot-related viscosity increases. FA-4 oils, mainly recommended for 2017 year-model engines and newer, provide the same advantages. The American Petroleum Institute’s Lubricants Group approved the new CK-4 and FA-4 standards in 2016, after a development period of nearly five years, and the new oils hit the market in January. We asked Shawn D. Whitacre, senior staff engineer for engine oil technology with Chevron Lubricants, to tell us what fleet owners and managers still considering the new oils can expect when they make the switch. Q: How has the roll-out of the new engine oils gone for oil marketers and fleets that have already transitioned to CK-4 or FA-4 oil? I feel like we were very proactive in
engaging with end users to prepare them for the change. This included training sessions, webinars and other online educational resources. In fact, in several cases, we were field trialing our new
products along with our customers, allowing us to work together to validate the benefits of the new engine oils. This enabled a seamless transition when the new products hit the market. For some
customers, that meant rolling from one product to another at the same viscosity grade. Others took the opportunity to explore the benefits of lower-viscosity oils to get better fuel economy and low-temperature performance. Q: What benefits does CK-4 offer fleets with older engines? The important thing to remember about the API CK-4 category is that it is backward compatible. In short, it means that the new oils meet all requirements of the older specs, but offer additional performance benefits. When selecting an oil for an older engine, the most important consideration is viscosity grade. Many OEMs require the use of SAE 15W-40 oils in older engines, particularly those built before the 2007-2010 timeframe. The new API CK-4 oils are available in the same viscosity grades as the old CJ-4 oils. So, owners of older engines can capture the benefits of the API CK-4 oils, like improved oxidation stability, while continuing to use traditional viscosity grades recommended for their engines. Q: How can fleets operating new equipment take advantage of the new engine-oil standards? Owners of modern equipment have more flexibility in engine oil selection than ever before. In many cases, on-highway engine OEMs have adapted their products to take advantage of the fuel economy benefits of the new specs while also allowing extended oil drain intervals when the new oils are used. This translates into considerable operational cost savings. The new standards introduced two new categories: API CK-4, which is backward compatible, and API FA-4 which is a new fuel economy category primarily for newer engines. It is important to consult with your OEM to understand what is recommended for your particular make and model and to consult with your oil supplier to make sure you’re taking advantage of the benefits. Q: Smaller fleets might hesitate to make the switch to CK-4. What strategy do you recommend for fleets still on the fence? API CJ-4 oils were very high quality, so it is understandable that some fleets are
hesitant to walk away from a good thing. In some cases, I think the hesitance stems from confusion regarding the transition. My first recommendation is to become familiar with the new category and to understand what performance category and viscosity grade is best matched to your equipment mix. You might be surprised to learn that moving to the higher-quality oils might be more cost effective for your fleet. Second, because the fleet community is very well connected, you can talk to others who have made the change and find out about their experiences. And, of course, talk to your oil supplier. It might be practical to run a trial with the new oil in a few pieces of equipment before embracing a full-scale transition. Q: How does switching to CK-4 or FA-4 improve a fleet’s productivity and profitability? The great thing about these new categories is that they are specifically oriented to improve operational efficiency. This comes from three primary benefits: improved fuel economy (when using lower-viscosity grades), extended oil-drain intervals, and improved engine protection. Selecting an engine oil that is best suited for a fleet’s equipment mix will allow them to optimally leverage these benefits for maximum cost savings over the long haul. Q: How do new regulations impact the decision to switch to the new engine oils? There is no doubt environmental regulations have influenced oil quality specifications over the past 20-plus years. For a long time, regulations were focused on controlling pollutant emissions (nitrogen oxides and particulate matter) and drove significant changes in engine-oil formulation. With those emissions now near zero, the regulations are primarily focused on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by improving fuel economy. This is, in fact, why engine builders requested these new categories – to allow for greater fuel-economy optimization through lower-viscosity oils and to improve the oils’ thermal stability to stand up to the higher-heat
environment that is common with the newer engines. As these GHG regulations continue to phase in over the next 10 years, I expect we’ll continue to see greater emphasis on these types of improvements. Q: What are the most common questions you receive from fleets interested in switching to the new oils? Even though we are closing in on a full year after their formal introduction, I think there are still quite a few misconceptions in the industry regarding these new oils. In some cases, fleet owners might believe the new oils are only recommended for newer engines. Some others think they would be sacrificing protection by making the switch. The fact is that these new engine oil categories give fleet operators significant flexibility to choose an oil that best matches the needs of their equipment while, in many cases, offering operational cost savings. About the Author Shawn Whitacre, a senior staff engineer with Chevron Lubricants, develops heavy-duty engine oils and is the Chairman of ASTM’s Heavy-Duty Engine Oil Classification Panel. Prior to joining Chevron in 2013, Whitacre spent 12 years working with fluids and materials engineering at Cummins and five years conducting fuel, engine and emission research for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. n
C
ompared to dry van trailers, refrigerated trailers offer more to consider when spec’ing – the type and density of foam insulation, duct design and UV-resistant roofs, to name a few added details. As today’s transportation refrigerated unit manufacturers introduce models with higher operating efficiencies and lower fuel consumption, trailer manufacturers are offering
improved insulation and heat isolation on their refrigerated products, resulting in lower TRU operating costs and greater savings for refrigerated carriers. The following are standard or typical specifications for popular 53-foot refrigerated trailers marketed by leading suppliers. Specs of select dry vans appeared in the April issue of CCJ, while specs for select flatbeds were featured in July.
Hyundai Translead | Translead.com HT THERMOTECH
FLOOR: Extruded aluminum 1.25-inch-high duct type;
Great Dane | GreatDaneTrailers.com EVEREST TL REFRIGERATED
FLOOR: Heavy-duty 16,000-pound-rated aluminum duct floor for maximum air
return; composite floor sills with corrosion-resistant fasteners CROSSMEMBER: Front, 4-inch aluminum hat style; bay area, 5-inch aluminum I-beam; slide area, 4-inch steel I-beam; all I-beams on 12-inch centers; all-steel crossmembers wax-coated for corrosion resistance SUSPENSION: Hendrickson UltraK 40K air-ride tandem axle suspension SIDEWALLS: 1.13-inch aluminum J-shaped upright on 12- and 24-inch centers; .04inch corrugated aluminum side sheets LINING: PunctureGuard interior lining designed for light weight and extreme durability REAR FRAME: Satin-finish stainless steel REAR DOORS: Aluminum swing doors with mirror-finish stainless-steel outer sheets sealed to impede moisture intrusion with internal lateral braces for added reinforcement, improved durability and maintaining flat, smooth exterior surface LIGHTING: Grote LED system with 10-year maintenance-free modular wiring harness WHEEL END: Stemco Platinum Performance Plus System
SPECS OF SELECT DRY VANS APPEARED IN THE APRIL ISSUE OF CCJ, WHILE SPECS FOR SELECT FLATBEDS WERE FEATURED IN JULY. 84
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| october 2017
rear gutter flush with floor; last 4 inches of floor reinforced for forklift use with extruded aluminum inserts and 43-by-96-inch composite bearing sheet CROSSMEMBER: 5-inch-deep extruded aluminum I-beams on 12-inch centers from end of upper running gear rails to support gear; 3-inch-deep high-tensile aluminum I-beam on 12-inch centers between upper coupler and support gear; 4-inch-steel 80,000-pound-yield I-beams on 12-inch centers over support gear and upper running gear rails; two I-beams in rear 4 feet for impact resistance SUSPENSION: Hendrickson Vantraax HK ANT40K air-ride BRAKES: Nonasbestos lining; 16.5-by-7-inch quick-change type; S cam-operated automatic slack adjuster SIDEWALLS: .04-inch prepainted white aluminum side sheet LINING: .065-inch Versitex sides, front, rear doors and ceiling REAR FRAME: Stainless steel; hot-dipped galvanized hightensile steel; bolt-on underride protection REAR DOORS: Extruded aluminum frame-type swing doors with dual durometer seals and .04-inch prepainted white aluminum outer sheets; one anti-rack lock rod per door with rubber-grip handles and heavy-duty extruded aluminum hinges ROOF:
One-piece .032-inch-thick aluminum; corrugated roof sheet design
Trailer manufacturers are offering improved insulation and heat isolation on their refrigerated products, resulting in lower TRU operating costs and greater savings for carriers.
hibit hall open March 7– 9
Sessions begin March 6
Exhibit hall open March 7– 9
IT’S CALLED THE WORK TRUCK SHOW
FOR A REASON Why attend North America’s largest work truck event? Experience the latest information for fleets on:
Mitigating risk Staying relevant Improving fleet productivity March 6–9, 2018 Indianapolis, IN
Sessions begin March 6 Exhibit hall open March 7– 9
and efficiency Leveraging your equipment supply chain Note: Theand Greenpeers Truck Summit logo with tagline should only be used for print (not web), and only when the Visit worktruckshow.com/fleets logo (in configuration or standalone) 3 or more inches ineducational length. for information onisregistration,
sessions, exhibit hall and more.
9, 2018
March 6
Indianapolis, IN Exhibit hall open March 7– 9
March 6–9, 2018 Indiana Convention Center Indianapolis, IN
Sessions March 6 279, 50% Black, Black 286, Black; GTS: NTEA 362, 356, 424, 368, Black; NTEA: 286, 40%begin: Black; FTC: NTEA Exhibit hall open: March 7–9
#worktrucks18 | info@ntea.com | 800-441-6832
Contact Summer Marrs at summer@ntea.com or Mike Chafetz at mikec@ntea.com.
DDC-EMC-ADV-0032-0617. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Detroit Diesel Corporation is registered to ISO 9001:2008. Copyright Š 2017 Detroit Diesel Corporation. All rights reserved. Detroit™ is a brand of Detroit Diesel Corporation, a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company.
Driven by the best. — THE NEW DETROIT ™ DD8 ™ ENGINE IN THE FREIGHTLINER M2 106. — The legendary maker of heavy-duty engines, now makes one for your business. Introducing the new Detroit DD8 engine, available in the versatile Freightliner M2 106— one of the best-selling medium-duty trucks on the road. The DD8 is specifically designed to keep businesses like yours on the move and profitable with an industry-leading maintenance schedule that features oil change intervals up to 3X better than the competition. Backed by our extensive service network and equipped with Detroit™ Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostic service for maximum uptime. The legend continues with the new Detroit DD8 engine. SM
demanddetroit.com/engines/DD8
TRAILER FOCUS REFRIGERATED Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. | UtilityTrailer.com 3000R REFRIGERATED VAN
FLOOR: Proprietary heavy-duty floor system;
1.375-inch duct design with 16,000-pound dynamic fork truck capacity with 10-inch-high .1875-inch-thick integrated wear band; hardwood floor fillers full length; 3-inch foam-inplace insulation CROSSMEMBER: 5.5-inch-deep aluminum I-beam crossmembers on 12-inch centers in bay area; 4-inch 80,000-psi steel I-beams on 12-inch centers over legs and rear suspension subframe SUSPENSION: Hendrickson UltraK ZMD 40,000-pound air-ride sliding tandem with heavy-duty slider box and QuikDraw air-operated pin release system BRAKES: Bendix TABS-6 Advanced with Bendix Trailer Roll Stability Program on standard base specification; 16.5-by-7-inch brakes with outboard cast-iron drums; 2S/1M ABS system SIDEWALLS: .04-inch prepainted white aluminum side skin with 1-inch-deep J-shaped side posts on 24-inch cen-
ters; extra posts over kingpin and support legs; 2-inch foam-in-place insulation LINING: .065-inch Versitex-Utility VR2U highimpact lining on front wall, sidewalls, ceiling and rear doors
REAR FRAME: Satin-finished stainless steel REAR DOORS: Rear Barrier Door with bonded foam design; 3-inch insulation ROOF: High-tensioned aluminum roof skin; 3-inch foam-in-place roof insulation
Wabash National | WabashNational.com ARCTICLITE REFRIGERATED
FLOOR: Full 1.25-inch-thick heavy-duty
extruded aluminum duct floor with .03-
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inch thermoplastic subpan; 16,000-pound forklift rating standard, 18,000-pound rating optional CROSSMEMBER: 4-inch steel on 12-inch centers in bay; 8-inch centers in rear 5 feet; forklift reinforcement 36-inch aluminum I-inserts in center 72 inches of floor at rear; HDPE composite floor stringers installed with eight .3125-inch screws per crossmember; extra-wide HDPE stringers in rear 5 feet SUSPENSION: Mechanical standard, air optional; parallel P-spindle wheel ends; galvanized landing gear support and K-brace
| october 2017
BRAKES: Meritor Wabco 2S-1M ABS; Meritor MA212 long-life brake linings; Haldex Gold Seal brake chamber with S-ABA slack adjuster SIDEWALLS: Prepainted .04-inch aluminum exterior side sheets; heavy-duty 1-inch aluminum Z-posts on 24-inch centers LINING: Seamless PolarX high-performance thermoplastic interior liner with 12-inch integral-to-scuff liner; no exposed fasteners REAR FRAME: Brushed-finish stainless steel; rig meets or exceeds U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada requirements; RIG-16 optional REAR DOORS: 3-inch insulated swing door; four aluminum hinges per door; one lock rod per door ROOF: .125-inch-thick aluminum impact plate at front 6 inches; .06-inch fiberglass lining; optional SolarGuard roof system
Engineered with the help of the top consultants in the business. Our customers.
Why do we look to you, our customers, for inspiration? Simple. We only succeed if you succeed. You asked for the new Cascadia® to be equipped with an easy-to-remove bumper for quicker maintenance. We made it happen. You asked for a better way to access electrical components. We gave you eVault. You challenged us to boost fuel economy, even though we already are a leader in the industry. We improved it by up to 8%*. When it comes to knowing what your business needs to succeed, there’s no better expert than you. freightliner.com/new-cascadia
Competitive financing available through Daimler Truck Financial. For the Freightliner Trucks dealer nearest you, call 1-800-FTL-HELP. FTL/MC-A-1454. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2017 Daimler Trucks North America LLC. All rights reserved. Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company.
*Compared to previous Cascadia model with similar specifications.
Brake line
Mat Holdings’ Bendix Brakes Premium line includes brake pads, rotors, shoes and brake shoe kits with copper-free formulations. The brake pads feature four-layer noise-dampening shims and ceramic semi-metallic formulations and include hardware. The rotors are platform-specific and are sold in pairs with OEM-driven machining specifications, OE-specified designs and vane configurations and a corrosion-protective coating. The brake shoes are constructed with OE-grade steel and advanced adhesives for added strength and durability. Mat Holdings, www.bendix-brakes.com/ bendix_premium.php, 877-203-9495
Long-haul mattress
Minimizer’s Long Haul Series Mattress is the latest edition to the company’s #RespectTheDriver brand and is designed and specified for professional overthe-road drivers. Developed after months of research and consultation with doctors, the mattress is made using 100 percent natural organic latex foam engineered for breathability and buoyancy, keeping the body’s temperature cooler during sleep and reacting instantly to sleeping position changes. It also offers dual comfort, with a soft side for side sleepers and a firm side for stomach and back sleepers, and is naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic to help ward off mold, mildew, bacteria and dust mites. The mattress has a lifetime guarantee. Minimizer, www.minimizer.com, 800-248-3855
Rand McNally updates
Rand McNally updated three of its product lines – the TND GPS device, OverDryve Pro dashboard device and DC 200 ELD bring-your-own-device connector. • The company’s fifth-generation TND device, the TND 540, replaces the TND 530 and features twice the storage capacity, a higher-resolution 5-inch screen, updated maps and user interface and more. The device also is ELDready and can be paired with the company’s ELD 50 and DC 200. • The OverDryve 7 Pro offers the same features as the OverDryve 8 Pro but features a 7-inch screen instead of an 8-inch screen. The device has a built-in SiriusXM receiver and dashcam. • The DC 200 S updates the company’s DC 200 and is compatible with its TND 740. The device replaces the TND 740’s original mount and plugs into the truck’s ECM to become an FMCSA-compliant ELD. It transmits logs to a back-end portal that stores up to six months of log history. It also allows drivers to view and certify logs, complete inspection reports and more. Rand McNally, www.randmcnally.com, 800-275-7263
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PRODUCTS
Trailer handhold strap
Solar liftgate charging system
Ancra’s Driver Assist Strap is designed to provide a convenient handhold for drivers and dock workers climbing into and out of trailers, helping them avoid falls and injuries. The strap connects to the trailer’s existing E or A track and is made from high-strength components with an ergonomic design. It has a reinforced handle to help provide added comfort and avoid strain.
Purkeys’ Solar Bolt Liftgate Charging System is a solar-powered supplemental charging system that helps keep liftgate and auxiliary batteries charged when a power source isn’t connected. The Solar Bolt is designed to be integrated with heavy-duty vehicle electrical systems and reduce the electrical load on the alternator, which reduces the mechanical load on the engine. Indicator lights show when the solar panel is charging and the state of charge of the batteries. The device comes with a standard 90-watt panel, and up to three more panels can be added to increase power to 360 watts.
Ancra International,
Purkeys, www.purkeys.net, 800-219-1269
www.ancracargo.com, 800-233-5138
Durable Bluetooth headset
BlueParrott’s C400-XT convertible wireless Bluetooth headset is IP-rated for water and dust resistance and durability in cold temperatures. Customizable wearing options enable users to wear the headset on either ear, around a hat or with two behind-the-neck options. The headset’s customizable Parrott Button can be set to perform a range of functions, and its VoiceControl feature allows for hands-free call answering or ignoring. The device is engineered with 96 percent noise cancellation, and one-touch pairing allows near-field communication with Bluetooth devices within 300 feet.
A/C repair kits
Everco’s Air Conditioning Repair Kits contain an A/C compressor, a filter dryer, an expansion device, oil, gaskets and O-rings. Kits are available for Freightliner (1994-2014), International / Navistar (1997-2012), Kenworth (1995-2012), Mack (1993-2015), Peterbilt (1995-2012) and Volvo (1996-2010). Everco Heavy Duty, www.evercohd.com, 972-316-8100
Gooseneck trailer Trail King’s MG-HG Detachable Gooseneck Trailer is engineered to accommodate four interchangeable gooseneck styles that can be ordered in either full-width or narrow-width and mechanical or hydraulic. Moisture-trapping areas have been designed to help minimize road debris buildup and moisture accumulation, and the trailer is primed and painted before the air, hydraulic and electrical lines and decking are installed. Lightweight aluminum options include I-beam or box-beam crossmembers, the outer rails, decking and the front and rear channels. Trail King Industries Inc., www.trailking.com, 800-843-3324
BlueParrott, www.blueparrott.com, 800-742-8588
Clamping, connection components Oetiker’s heavy-duty clamping and connection components are suited for powertrain, drivetrain and tank fastening applications: • Heavy-Duty V-Profile Clamps are engineered to provide increased sealing capability and to suit a specific profile for optimum axial load distribution. • Heavy-Duty Fuel Tank Straps are engineered with materials, coatings and liners that meet strict technical and assembly requirements and offer flexibility, durability and consistent performance. • Diesel Exhaust Fluid Tank/Air Straps are designed to meet mechanical and finish requirements on aftertreatment systems. • Coolant Hose Connections are designed to be application-specific for added sealing integrity and assembly efficiency, with robust leak-free connections for a high radial load and uniform compression. Oetiker, www.oetiker.com, 203-488-8665 commercial carrier journal | october 2017
91
PRODUCTS
Cargo tiedown straps
Mississippi Industries for the Blind’s heavy-duty cargo tiedown straps are suited for an array of load applications. The straps can be customized from 2 to 4 inches wide and configured with ratchets, hooks, track fittings and other hardware to accommodate a wide range of uses; other options include snaps, grommets and buckles. Large heavy-duty thread is available for higher-strength applications. Mississippi Industries for the Blind, www.msblind.org, 866-859-4461
Inverter line Xantrex’s Freedom X sine wave inverter line is available in 1,000- and 2,000-watt units to help facilitate additional surge power for up to two seconds for motor loads such as power tools and other initial high-draw devices. The inverter is designed to convert DC power into clean AC power quickly with consistent voltage without spikes or drops for operating sensitive medical machines such as CPAP units and induction devices such as microwave ovens. It is designed for quick installation with quick-connect terminals and to provide full output in temperatures ranging from -4 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. A display panel can be mounted in the sleeper that shows the AC and battery current, and a status bar displays the inverter’s output. Xantrex, www.xantrex.com, 800-670-0707
Gasket line The Mahle Original gasket line includes nearly 9,000 part numbers covering 900,000 applications, with over 1,200 exclusive part numbers. The gaskets are engineered to match OE parts in form, fit and function. Gasket sets include all parts needed for installation. Mahle Original, www.mahleoriginalgaskets.com, 248-347-9700
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70.89 %
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MY
CY
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9/13/17 8:59 AM
october 2017
9/15/17 9:24 AM
PREVENTABLE or NOT?
Pizza truck attacks Doe’s dry van
W
ith a loaded dry van in tow, trucker John Doe was being especially careful. “No wild-turkey lane changes,” Doe reminded himself. Thankfully, four-lane I-7 was bone dry, lightly traveled that sunny afternoon and divided by a wide grassy median. As an aid to concentration, Doe popped an especially tasty green Gummy Bear into his mouth and turned up Outlaw Country on SiriusXM, listening to classic tracks about good-looking gals in the back of some John Doe was towing a loaded dry van on a divided guy’s truck – like that’s ever gonna happen, Doe mused with a grin. But interstate when a pizza supply truck headed in the as he was starting to relax, moveopposite direction crossed ment in the median caught his eye. the median without warning Great hoppin’ horny toads! There was and struck his truck. Was this a preventable accident? an out-of-control Pop’s Pizza supply truck with a flat tire heading his way from the opposing traffic lanes! Immediately, Doe took evasive action, but … CRASH! There was nothing but silence – and a section of highway littered with pepperoni and cheese. Both drivers were OK, but both vehicles were crunched, and Doe’s bag of Gummy Bears had flown out the window. Miraculously, Doe’s trailer remained with its dirty side down. Doe contested the preventable-accident warning letter he received from his safety director, asking that the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee decide the issue. NSC immediately ruled in Doe’s favor, noting that he’d instantly been alert to the danger ahead and immediately had attempted – albeit without success – to steer clear of the attacking vehicle. 96
commercial carrier journal | october 2017