CCJ1116

NOVEMBER 2016

MCE ROUNDUP

All the news from ATA's annual meeting page 66

FOOD SAFETY

Carriers, shippers face tighter compliance regs page 60

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR TRUCKING PROFESSIONALS

DETERRING THEFT How to discourage criminal activity page 38

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JOURNAL LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

54

HAPPIER HAULING

Pay and home time are likely to forever be atop a driver’s list of wants, but the type of truck they drive and the comforts it offers is becoming a critical tool for fleets to attract and keep drivers in their seats. Truck makers have responded by boosting in-cab comforts and giving the truck a more home-like feel for drivers.

Design by David Watson

FEATURES

60

Modernizing food transport

Motor carriers and freight brokers that transport temperature-sensitive loads are starting to see how the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act and Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule might impact their operations. Technology providers are developing solutions to ease compliance.

66

ATA MCE: Renewed focus

The 2016 American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition held in Las Vegas saw plenty of news from industry insiders and vendors. We’ve rounded up the highlights.

51

Innovators: OrTran

The Kansas City, Mo.-based asset and nonasset truckload provider integrates its information systems and uses a business intelligence platform to gain enterprisewide visibility of its key metrics and discover new insights.

9

News More than 900 drivers placed out-of-service during Roadcheck …

34-hour restart clarification misses another funding bill … Fleets, drivers can preview altered CSA scores based on FMCSA’s changes … FMCSA eases regulations for military personnel seeking CDL … Court rules overweight truckers can be ordered for sleep apnea screening by carrier …

Trucking groups back TWIC reform bill …

NTSB: More stringent drug screening recommended for truck operators … Rhode Island’s trucks-only toll plan OK’d by DOT despite trucking group’s yearlong fight

12 InBrief 22 MarketPulse

commercial carrier journal

| november 2016 3

DEPARTMENTS

ccjdigital.com

technology

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

Editorial

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

26 27

Solving diesel tech shortage requires new way of thinking Navistar says SuperTruck obliterated DOE goals

29 InBrief 30 ExxonMobil unveils new diesel engine oils

30 30

42 44

TMW Systems, PeopleNet share stage, talk TripInsight PeopleNet takes next steps in mobility, big data, video intelligence

44 InBrief 46 TMW Systems develops bid management app

Petro-Canada readies launch of CK-4, FA-4 oils

Freightliner Cascadia

34 Test Drive:

46

38 InFocus:

48 InFocus:

EBE automates driver training based on dispatch activity

Dispatch software

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

77

4

6

Upfront

84

Preventable or Not?

Products

Tire, air disc brake, lighting additions, more

commercial carrier journal

| november 2016

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

Trucking Media

Vice President of Sales, Trucking Media: Brad Holthaus

Corporate

32 Test Drive:

Anti-theft technology

Design & Production

sales@truckingmedia.com

Isuzu releases details of 2018 Class 6 FTR

International LT

editorial@ccjdigital.com

83

Not so fast on speed limiter rule

John Doe was driving in the center lane of a three-lane one-way highway when his straight truck was struck by a four-wheeler merging from the left lane. Was this a preventable accident?

Ad Index

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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UPFRONT

ATA to FMCSA: Not so fast on speed limiter proposal Industry groups call for DOT to go back to the drawing board

BY JEFF CRISSEY

A

decade ago, the American Trucking Associations petitioned for a rule to govern the top speed of commercial vehicles. In September, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finally issued a notice of proposed rulemaking on the subject. Last month, however, ATA formally withdrew its support of the proposal as written, calling it a “dramatic departure” from its initial request.

ATA hasn’t thrown in the towel on the idea of speed limiters on trucks, but the federation is at odds with the lack of clarity in the proposal that provides three speed options: 60, 65 or 68 mph. FMCSA and NHTSA floated the three speed limits to garner feedback from industry and safety groups before issuing a final rule.

The FMCSA/NHTSA speed limiter proposed rule also doesn’t offer clear language on if the rule would apply retroactively to trucks already in use, and to what extent the rule would be retroactive if that option was pursued.

Understandably, it’s hard for ATA and many other trucking groups to get behind a proposal that could have a wide range of impact on highway congestion and safety. The 60-mph speed limiter almost certainly would clog already congested interstate lanes, as nearly every truck on the road would bump the limit. A 65mph limit likely is more palatable to industry groups, but clearly 68 mph offers the most flexibility for drivers and carriers.

This was the thinking behind ATA’s initial 2006 petition. It advocated for governed speeds of 68 mph, with the idea that trucks would run at 65 mph and have a 3-mph reserve to be used for passing slower vehicles. Opponents, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, saw the idea as nothing more than an olive branch to safety advocacy

groups and a potential bargaining chip for the size-andweight debate that would follow.

Today, both ATA and OOIDA are aligned in their opposition. Specifically, ATA is concerned about the lack of science and measurable safety data in the FMCSA/NHTSA proposal, and both groups take umbrage with the agencies’ failure to address any of the three proposed speeds in relation to speed limits in certain states.

Driving a truck on congested highways is an inherently stressful occupation, but if you imagine traveling at a top speed of 60 mph in the 80-mph speed limit state of Wyoming or certain 85-mph speed limit stretches of Texas where four-wheelers legally whiz by your big rig, the job might seem downright dangerous.

For two federal agencies whose mission is to improve highway safety, the proposal’s failure to address such considerations is frustrating.

“This lack of data and direction only elevates the safety risks to the motoring public,” said ATA president and CEO Chris Spear in response to the proposed rule.

“A mandate for a one-size-fits-all speed limiter will squelch innovation in technologies to enhance safety and accommodate not only highways, but potentially secondary roads and beyond.”

Both groups have petitioned the U.S. Department of Transportation for an extension of the comment period.

The day may come when all vehicles use geolocation and flashing-over-the-air technology to automatically govern top vehicle speeds based on current speed limit zones.

Until that day comes, however, perhaps faster is safer.

If NHTSA and FMCSA’s goal is to curb speeding and improve safety, a rule governing commercial vehicle speeds at 70 mph – the speed limit for most rural interstates across the country – could eliminate truck speeding in those zones and mitigate the risk of accidents caused by an otherwise wide speed discrepancy between passenger cars and trucks.

JEFF CRISSEY is Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com.

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commercial carrier journal

| november 2016

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LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

More than 900 drivers placed out-of-service during CVSA Roadcheck

I

nspectors during the In 2015, 21.6 percent of vehicles and 3.6 percent of drivers receiving Level I Commercial Vehicle inspections were placed out-of-service.

Safety Alliance’s annual 72-hour International Roadcheck campaign placed 21.5 percent of trucks inspected out-of-service, along with 3.4 percent of drivers, according to numbers released last month by CVSA. Of the 62,796 inspections performed across North America, 42,236 were North American Standard Level I inspections, the most comprehensive inspection level.

Brake violations led the way in out-of-service orders, accounting for 45.7 percent of all out-of-service orders issued during the three-day event held June 7-9.

Other vehicle-related violations included tires and wheels (18.5 percent of OOS orders), lighting devices (11.8 percent) and cargo securement (6.1 percent). Suspensions, steering mechanisms, frames, driveshafts, coupling devices, fuel systems and exhaust systems each accounted for less than 5 percent of OOS orders.

For drivers, hours of service and false logs accounted for 46.8 percent and 16.4 percent of out-of-service orders, respectively. Drivers shut down for drugs and alcohol were down from 2015’s Roadcheck numbers, from 2.1 percent to 1 percent this year.

Other driver-related violations included improper endorsement (7.7 percent) and disqualified driver behind the wheel (6.2 percent). In all, 908 drivers were placed out-ofservice.

Also, 13 percent of trucks hauling hazardous materials were placed out-of-service. The top hazmat violations were placarding (33.8 percent), shipping papers (27.6 percent) and loading and securement (26.2 percent).

Tire safety was the focus of this year’s event, and Scan the QR code with your tire and wheel violations represented 18.5 percent smartphone or of out-of-service violations. In the United States, visit ccjdigital.com/ 13.7 percent of out-of-service orders were for tire news/subscribe-toviolations. newsletters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, a daily e-mail newsletIn 2015, 21.6 percent of vehicles and 3.6 perter filled with news, analysis, blogs cent of drivers receiving Level I inspections were and market condition articles. placed out-of-service.

– Matt Cole

34-hour restart clarification misses another funding bill

B

oth chambers of Congress on Sept. 28 passed a short-term

spending bill to keep the government funded through Dec. 9. The stopgap spending law warded off a government shutdown, but the bill did not include a provision to clarify the future of hours-of-service regulations pertaining to truckers’ use of a 34-hour restart.

The measure now is likely to be taken up in the 2017 U.S. Department of Transportation appropriations bill or a similar omnibus spending package for the 2017 fiscal year.

Congress earlier had been eyeing the must-pass appropriations bill as a way to attach policy riders, such as the measure to correct an ill-worded 2015-passed bill that put the 34-hour restart in jeopardy. But with time waning, lawmakers skipped padding the short-term package.

Time will be tight for lawmakers to pass a dozen 2017 appropriations bills and hammer out an hours-ofservice provision. Lawmakers have treated the appropriations process similarly in recent years, passing mid-December omnibus spending packages to fund the government through the next fiscal year.

Hours of service – specifically, rules surrounding the 34-hour restart – was included in both December 2014- and 2015-enacted appropriations legislation.

commercial carrier journal

– James Jaillet

| november 2016 9

JOURNAL NEWS

Fleets, drivers can preview altered scores based on FMCSA’s changes

T

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month published a website that allows fleets and owner-operators to preview potential changes to their Compliance Safety Accountability scores based on proposals issued in the last two years to reform the program. Motor carriers and drivers now can preview their altered scores at csa.fmcsa.gov/ smspreview, should any changes be reflected from the 2015- and 2016-proposed reforms.

The key changes proposed to CSA and its Safety Measurement System percentile rankings include lowering intervention thresholds in some SMS categories/BASICs, raising the threshold in one BASIC and making the Hazmat BASIC public and splitting it into two segments. Once intervention thresholds are crossed in an SMS BASIC, the agency targets the carrier for an on-site compliance review.

Other proposed changes available for preview include increasing the minimum number of crashes needed before a carrier receives a score in the Crash Indicator BASIC and shortening the time period for which violations lead to BASIC percentile ratings.

FMCSA released a video outlining the proposed changes and how to use the preview site, along with review slides and a transcript. Go to https:// csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMSPreview/Index. aspx.

The agency was accepting public comment for 60 days after rolling out the preview tool, with the public comment period closing Dec. 5. To comment, go to Regulations.gov and search for Docket No. FMCSA-201510

commercial carrier journal

This mock SMS drilldown on FMCSA’s SMS Preview site shows how the threshold changes impact carriers above the current 80 percent threshold but below the proposed 90 percent threshold.

0149.

The methodology changes to CSA’s SMS will better tie carriers’ safety to their rankings within the system and allow it to better target at-risk carriers, the agency argues.

Due to stipulations within 2015’s FAST Act highway bill, percentile rankings within the SMS BASICs no longer are available for public view. Only carriers and enforcers can see the ratings, even though the underlying data used to formulate the BASICs still are available publicly within the SMS portal.

The proposed changes to the BASIC intervention thresholds now available for preview include: • Lowering the intervention threshold of the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC from 80 to 75 percent for general property carriers, thus targeting more carriers for intervention; • Raising the intervention threshold for the Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC from 80 to 90 percent, thus targeting fewer carriers; and • Raising the intervention threshold for the Driver Fitness BASIC from 80 to 90 percent, thus targeting fewer carriers.

FMCSA plans to maintain the 65 percent intervention threshold for the BASICs with the highest correlation to crash risk: Unsafe Driving,

| november 2016

Crash Indicator and Hours-of-Service Compliance.

In addition to proposing to go public with the Hazmat Compliance BASIC – which has now been effectively barred by the FAST Act provisions – the agency has proposed splitting the BASIC into two segments: one for cargo tank carriers, and one for non-cargo tank carriers. These proposed changes also will be available for preview for hazmat haulers on the agency’s SMS preview site.

Also available for preview are the proposal to reclassify a violation of an out-of-service order to the Unsafe Driving BASIC – instead of leaving it with whatever BASIC the original violation that caused the OOS order is categorized – and upping the “maximum vehicle miles traveled” figure used in CSA’s so-called “utilization factor” to account for carriers that run primarily in high-mileage operations.

FMCSA-proposed changes issued this year also are available for preview on the site. Those changes include raising the score threshold for the Crash Indicator BASIC from two crashes to three, and removing carriers with no violations in the past year in several BASICs from its intervention prioritization.

– James Jaillet

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JOURNAL NEWS

INBRIEF 11/16 • A final rule to implement minimum truck driver training standards was on track to be published Nov. 10 in the Federal Register, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed to require a core curriculum for new truckers receiving their CDL and 30 hours of

behind-the-wheel training before being issued the license. The proposed rule also outlined minimum qualifications related to instructors, testing, training vehicles and more to establish a registry of approved trainers.

• A final rule to establish a CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is scheduled to be published Nov. 23 in the Federal Register,

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commercial carrier journal

according to DOT. The rule proposes a database of CDL holders who have failed or refused to take a drug test and that carriers report the failures and refusals to FMCSA. Owner-operators also must report the consortium or third-party drug test administrator they use.

• Schneider National (CCJ Top 250, No. 8), the nation’s largest privately-owned fleet, said it was considering an initial public offering next year, pending “satisfactory market conditions.” The Green Bay, Wis.based company, which posted $3.9 billion in revenue in 2014, said its objectives are to “facilitate continuity of controlling ownership of Schneider by the future generations of the Schneider family, while continuing forward with its longstanding, independent and professional corporate governance structure.”

• A new resource was made available for truck drivers looking for available parking. With the Park My Truck mobile app, public and private truck parking providers, including truck stops, rest areas and more, can update the number of available parking spaces at any time. The app is free to download on both iPhone and Google Play and is the result of an initiative between the National Association of Truck Stop Operators, American Trucking Associations and American Transportation Research Institute.

• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation to fund the state’s Transportation Trust Fund with $2 billion per year for the next eight years through an increase in fuel taxes. The package includes a 23-cent increase to petroleum taxes across the board and another fourcent hike for diesel fuel, both of which will take effect Jan. 1, 2017. The diesel tax is set to increase by another four cents per gallon after July 1, 2017.

• FedEx Freight’s Eric Vos repeated as Grand Champion of the National Technician Skills Competition, TMCSuperTech, sponsored by ATA’s Technology and Maintenance Council.

• Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone owners should turn the devices off and keep them unplugged while in a commercial vehicle, according to a FMCSA safety advisory issued last month. Recalls have been issued on the phones because of incidents involving their lithium-ion batteries overheating and catching fire.

| november 2016 10/18/16 2:50 PM

JOURNAL NEWS

FMCSA eases regulations for military personnel seeking CDL

M

ilitary personnel who drove commercial motor vehicles while serving and are looking to transition into the trucking industry now will have a full year to apply for a skills test waiver instead of just 90 days after they leave the service.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a final rule to loosen the regulations on military personnel attempting to obtain a learner’s permit or commercial driver’s license.

The rulemaking also allows states to accept applications from active-duty

military members who are stationed in that state, as well as administer learner’s and CDL written and skills tests, then transmit the results electronically to the applicant’s home state for the license to be issued.

The rule goes into effect in midDecember, 60 days after its Oct. 13 publication in the Federal Register.

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, passed in 2012, required FMCSA to perform a study that assessed federal and state regulatory, economic and administrative challenges faced by members and former members of the military who operated CMVs while in service in obtaining a CDL. Additionally, the FAST Act, passed in December, required FMCSA to (1) exempt certain ex-military from the CDL skills test if they had CMV driving experience in the military, (2) extend the skills test waiver to one year and (3) credit the CMV training military drivers receive in the military toward applicable CDL training and knowledge requirements. While the new final rule resolves the first two requirements, FMCSA has said the third requirement will need additional rulemaking.

FMCSA also recently proposed a pilot program that will allow some under-21 truckers to operate across state lines as long as they have military experience driving large vehicles.

– Matt Cole

FMCSA will allow states to waive the skills test for a period of up to one year for former military CMV drivers looking to obtain a CDL.

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commercial carrier journal

| november 2016 2/4/16 8:23 AM

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JOURNAL NEWS

Court rules overweight truckers can be ordered for sleep apnea screening by carrier

A

federal court last month ruled that Crete Carrier Corp. (CCJ Top 250, No. 22) is within its legal boundaries to require truckers at the company to be tested for sleep apnea if their body mass index is greater than 35.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision Oct. 12, calling Crete’s 2010-instituted policy “legitimate and nondiscrminatory.” The Eighth Circuit court is outranked only by the U.S. Supreme Court, meaning the verdict is likely to stand, at least until the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issues a formal rule regarding sleep apnea screening requirements, which could be years away.

The Eighth Circuit decision likely sets a precedent for other courts that could hear similar cases involving other carriers’ required testing programs for sleep apnea.

The court ruled that Crete did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, as was argued by the driver plaintiff in the case. The three-judge panel also ruled Crete’s required-testing program is legal per prior court rulings. Judges on

the panel included Circuit Judges James B. Loken, Raymond W. Gruender and Duane Benton.

The case before the Eighth Circuit involved Crete driver Robert Parker, who refused a sleep study in 2013 as part of the company’s program that requires drivers with a BMI of 35 or greater to have an in-lab sleep study.

Crete also requires drivers whose medical examiners recommend apnea screening to be seen for an in-lab test.

Following a visit to his doctor, who wrote a note to the company saying he didn’t think a sleep study was necessary, Parker refused to comply with Crete’s order to be tested for sleep apnea regardless. The Omaha, Neb.-based fleet then suspended Parker and never reinstated him as a driver, and Parker subsequently sued for wrongful termination.

The three-judge panel on the Eighth Circuit bench cited prior court precedent in upholding Crete’s policy and, specifically, its order for Parker to be tested. The judges said prior court rulings have found employers can require medical exams to identify whether

The Eighth Circuit Court ruled that Crete Carrier Corp. is within its legal boundaries to require truckers at the company to be tested for sleep apnea.

employees “can perform job-related duties when the employer can identify legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons to doubt the employee’s capacity to perform his or her duties,” according to court documents.

FMCSA’s Medical Review Board this year recommended that the agency institute a rule to require truckers who meet certain requirements — such as an elevated BMI — to be required to undergo apnea screening.

The agency likely will use MRB’s recommendations in any potential rule it develops regarding apnea screening and treatment for the trucking industry. No rule is formally in the works at this time.

– James Jaillet

Trucking groups back TWIC reform bill

T

rucking organizations are applauding a bill recently introduced to streamline the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program and establish an advisory committee for surface transportation and maritime security issues.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the American Trucking Associations say the Surface Transportation and Maritime Security Act would enable TWIC holders to get their hazmat endorsement without redundant background checks.

It also would require the Transportation Security 16

commercial carrier journal

Administration to create an advisory committee of stakeholders from trucking and other affected industries.

That committee would report annually to Congress its recommendations for improving surface transportation and maritime security. In response to the report, TSA would have to outline its plan for adopting a recommendation or justify rejecting a proposal.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced S. 3379, which was referred to committee with four co-sponsors Sept. 26. Thune, who is chairman of the commerce, science and transportation committee, said the

| november 2016

OOIDA and ATA said the legislation would enable TWIC holders to get their hazmat endorsement without redundant background checks.

bill would correct transportation security shortcomings, including issues recently reported by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general.

– Jill Dunn

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JOURNAL NEWS

NTSB: More stringent drug screening recommended for truck operators

F

ollowing its review of a crash involving a tractor-trailer that killed six people and injured four others, the National Transportation Safety Board made several recommendations to trucking regulators regarding driver screening and more.

NTSB found in its investigation that Kentucky-based driver Benjamin Scott Brewer did not slow down on June 25, 2015, when traffic in Chattanooga, Tenn., was backing up in front of him in a construction zone, and that he had used methamphetamine illegally before the crash occurred. NTSB said the toxicology report indicated a pattern of drug use and that if the carrier, Cool Runnings Express, had used preemployment hair drug tests, Brewer’s methamphetamine use could have been detected.

The agency said Brewer’s operation of the truck “through the work zone at 78-82 mph significantly hindered his ability to react in time to take evasive action to avoid vehicles,” which led to a more severe crash. In addition, NTSB said Brewer had not taken his rest breaks as required by hours-of-service regulations.

Following the crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an effective shutdown order to Brewer.

FMCSA said then that Brewer had falsified his logs to show he had been offduty from June 15 until 7 a.m. June 25.

However, FMCSA’s investigation found that Brewer had been on-duty and driving June 22, 23 and 24.

NTSB made four new recommendations to FMCSA: • Provide information to carriers

NICE TRY

Basic seat with standard suspension

NTSB said the truck driver involved in a sixfatality crash last summer did not respond to slow traffic caused by a work zone.

about using hair testing to detect the use of controlled substances under the appropriate circumstances.

• Modify the regulations for the hiring of drivers by carriers to include the same language as the annual inquiry and review of driving record regulations.

• Evaluate carriers’ use of, and perspectives on, the agency’s PreEmployment Screening Program and address any barriers affecting its use.

• Publish best practices for preemployment investigations and inquiries in the trucking industry.

– Matt Cole

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| november 2016 19

JOURNAL NEWS

R.I.’s trucks-only toll plan OK’d by DOT despite trucking group’s yearlong fight

F This photo from the Rhode Island DOT is being used to illustrate the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges.

ederal officials last month approved Rhode Island’s plan to institute Class 8 trucks-only tolls to fund road and bridge repair.

The Federal Highway Administration

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signed 13 Memoranda of Understanding with the state’s transportation department. FHWA will execute a 14th agreement for the Providence Viaduct after the environmental mitigation requirements are met.

In January, Rhode Island issued a preliminary report that a $3 toll could be charged at each of 14 locations, with a $20 daily maximum. Possible toll locations could include six tollbooths on Interstate 95 between Hopkinton and Pawtucket and three on Interstate 295.

The tolls will be used to reconstruct or replace 34 bridges. RIDOT soon will issue a request for proposals and expects toll revenue to begin in 2018.

The Rhode Island Trucking Association has fought the measure hard. The association said Rhodeworks, the infrastructure plan signed into law Feb. 11, requires truckers’ tolls to fill too much of the funding gap carved by years of fiscal irresponsibility. In a statement, the group called DOT’s approval of the toll plan “self-serving.”

“The spineless political establishment of Rhode Island flanked by a labordriven Department of Transportation have combined their self-serving agendas to wipe away decades of corruption and malfeasance by scapegoating the trucking industry and imposing a veiled tax on the citizens of Rhode Island,” RITA’s statement says. “The trucking industry remains unified and resolute in its fight against this policy. We will use every resource and tactic available to us to win in the political, legal and commerce arenas. Once again, this does not bode well for a state that remains at the bottom of every economic indicator.”

Last fall, RITA proposed an alternative funding plan that included hiking diesel taxes and truck registration fees. This would generate $220 million over four years.

– Jill Dunn

| november 2016 1/21/16 12:54 PM

AFTER

BEFORE

FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA AND CORONADO SPECIALISTS

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FitzgeraldCollision.com 877.680.0222

"Having Robert Fitzgerald and his team focus on Freightliner accident repairs, we have been able to reduce our related repairs down to 6 days.

This in turn enabled us to get those assets back out on the road producing revenue!" —Gerry Mead, Sr. Vice President of Maintenance, US Xpress, Inc.

MARKETPULSE

T

he following information is obtained from the September 2016 CCJ MarketPulse Report, a survey of more than 200 senior executives at trucking companies who have agreed to participate monthly. The September 2016 CCJ MarketPulse Report received 80 completed responses from carrier executives.

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

Business conditions level out Month-to-month business conditions remained relatively constant, with 22.5 percent of all respondents saying September was better than August and 23.8 percent saying it was worse (53.7 percent said it was the same). On a year-over-year basis, 55 percent of all respondents said September was worse than the same month last year. Over the next six months, 28.8 respondents expect business conditions to improve compared to 11.2 percent who expect them to worsen (14.7 percent last month).

Business forecast for the next 6 months Much worse Worse

Overall

Same

“Some shippers underestimate the effect ELDs will have. Smart shippers are engaging carriers as strategic partners so they don’t get caught with their pants down a year from now.”

– CCJ MarketPulse respondent

BE

R

6

5.6

1 = WORST 10 = BEST W

OR

ST

2 MONTH EV

5

in September 4

Better

More than 100 power units

Much better

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

ER 3

1

Carrier sentiment improves The Carrier Sentiment Index for September was 5.6, up slightly from 5.5 reported in the August survey. The index assesses the month on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the carrier’s worst month and 10 being the best. The index level stayed the same for respondents with more than 100 power units (5.6 in August), while it rose for respondents with up to 100 power units to 5.6 (5.3 in August).

SOURCE: CCJ MARKETPULSE REPORT

50%

60%

70%

Fleets not looking to add equipment Echoing the lackluster outlook, fewer respondents (28.8 percent) indicated plans to increase fleet size in the next six months (32.0 percent last month). Respondents from fleets with more than 100 power units are almost three times as likely to add equipment compared to respondents from smaller fleets . Respondents with more than 100 power units are more likely to add capacity in the next six months (34.5 percent). Only 2.4 percent of all respondents intend to decrease fleet size, compared to 6.7 percent in last month’s survey.

IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS, WE PLAN TO:

7

8

1 0 9 T MONTH EV E S

Up to 100 power units

UP TO 100 MORE THAN 100 POWER UNITS POWER UNITS 13.6% 34.5%

OVERALL 28.8%

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

48.8% 2.4% 20.0%

54.6% 4.5% 27.3%

46.6% 1.7% 17.2%

All about drivers As has been the case in all but one month in the last three years, driver availability (38.0 percent) is the top concern for survey respondents, while freight pricing (27.8 percent) and freight volume (21.5 percent) swapped spots at No. 2 and No. 3. Only 4.5 percent of respondents from fleets with up to 100 power units listed freight volume as their top concern, compared to 31.9 percent who listed freight pricing as their No. 1 worry.

Carrier top concerns 80% 70% 60% Driver availability

50% 40% 30% Freight volume

20% Freight pricing

10% 0%

CCJ MarketPulse is brought to you by Shell Rotella.

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commercial carrier journal | november 2016

Political climate in Washington

Regulation

Oct.

2015

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

2016

Feb.

March

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

ANDROID SYSTEM

â„¢

DRIVER APPLICATIONS

VIDEO INTELLIGENCE

CLOUD CONNECTIVITY

n PA R T N E R S O L U T I O N S / C H E V R O N

Are you ready for the new diesel engine oils?

Three key traits to look for in CK-4 and FA-4 oils

C

hanges in engine design to meet new emissions and fuel economy regulations have raised some concerns in the industry. However, the new CK-4 and FA-4 oils go beyond typical attributes of current engine lubricants. They’ve been designed to help extend the life of new diesel engines, promote longer oil drain intervals and offer more choices to users.

The standards for new heavy-duty motor oil (HDMO) have been raised significantly and offer potential longterm maintenance and cost saving benefits.

The common thread between FA-4 and CK-4 oils is that both will deliver superior performance over the current CJ-4 category, especially when it comes to new challenges for equipment users.

Shawn Whitacre, Chevron Delo senior staff engineer and chairman of the ASTM Heavy-Duty Engine Oil Classification Panel, says the transition to the next generation of oil should be painless for most customers.

“Overall, this can be a very seamless transition that will allow you to take advantage of the performance benefits of the next generation products,” he says. “The new oils can be handled just like today’s oils, though it is always advisable to check with your oil supplier about any specific handling and safety considerations,” Whitacre says.

When considering your oil purchases, three of the most important traits to look for are: oxidation stability, wear protection and piston deposits.

DID YOU KNOW? There are two subcategories of the new engine oils: • Oils in the API CK-4 category will be backward compatible with previous generation oils and will meet the needs of new and older engines in both on- and off-highway applications.

1

Oxidation Stability

Performance tests for the new category of oils reflect the industry’s focus on meeting the new challenges users face. Along with seven stringent tests used for current oils, the new oils also must pass two additional, very demanding tests.

In particular, the aggressive Volvo T-13 test addresses oxidation, or oil’s propensity to break down at high operating temperatures. Oxidation is especially harmful to engines because it causes oil to thicken and form deposits, and it fosters corrosion.

Oxidation stability in the new engine oils is intended to address those issues. It is also a key factor allowing OEMs to consider extending recommended oil drain intervals. In fact, Chevron recently added an oxidation indicator to its recommendations for used oil analysis. Finding an oil that can maximize protection against oxidation will be crucial.

• The API FA-4 oil category is designed for some heavy-duty on-highway diesel engines scheduled for introduction in late 2016 or early 2017.

3

Piston Deposits Piston deposits can be especially troublesome in engines because they can have a snowball effect:

• They cause a loss of oil consumption control, which requires more make-up oil refills between changes. That adds costs not only for extra oil, but also for the labor to replenish it.

2

• As engine oil is consumed it can accumulate in the emission control system, driving more frequent Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) regeneration cycles, which in turn means more frequent DPF cleaning intervals.

Wear Protection

Maintaining the durability and reliability of your hardware is critical to keeping vehicles on the road. The new CK-4 and FA-4 oils have been developed to enhance engine longevity, measured as the time between overhauls. This is critical for the first owners of new engines as they plan for a pre-determined service life that eliminates the need to rebuild engines. It could also help boost the resale value of used equipment and make it more attractive to buyers.

• Additional regeneration cycles have a fuel economy penalty as well.

For both on- and off-highway engines, new CK-4 and FK-4 engine oils address oxidation, wear protection and piston deposit control needs to offset any potential downtime, maintenance and fuel costs. These oils won’t sacrifice performance to meet emissions or fuel economy standards, and their advanced properties will provide vehicle and equipment operators with improved engine durability.

HOW CAN CHEVRON HELP?

Visit www.ccjdigital.com/partner-solutions/chevron to learn more about how new PC-11 oils will meet the demands of operating conditions, and protect today’s and tomorrow’s on and off highway heavy-duty diesel engines.

PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS

BY JASON CANNON

A technical challenge

Solving diesel tech shortage requires new way of thinking

W

hen I was a junior in high school, I started looking for a job. The most logical place to find one at the time was in the local newspaper.

You remember those, right? Somebody used to ride through your neighborhood and throw them in your driveway several days a week, if not every day.

I later started my career in newspapers and spent more than a decade providing the news and classifieds to people all over Alabama. I still think newspapers are a great and viable source of information, but the fact is that reading habits are changing.

Our own internal data suggests thousands of you will read this in the November print issue of CCJ, while thousands more will read it on CCJDigital.com.

But the employees of today, and tomorrow, are not combing the classifieds like I was in the mid-’90s.

“We’re going to have to get it out there in social media and a lot of your job search websites, because that’s where RELATABLE INSPIRATION: Potential students need to see someone who looks like them and talks like them.

WIRED SIMILARLY: Technicians old and young don’t like to waste time waiting on parts or walking around the shop.

PART OF THE FAMILY: A sense of belonging will make your shop attractive in ways a fat paycheck never could.

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A diesel technician’s job is about as advanced a technological career field as anything on the market and hits just about every major push in the STEM curriculum.

they’re going,” said Derek Southerland, fleet maintenance manager for FedEx Freight.

Southerland and several of his peers spoke last month at the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas on the topic of a looming technician shortage. All agreed that in the quest to find them, you have to hunt on their grounds and not on your terms.

George Arrants, program director for WheelTime University’s coursework and training, has long been a proponent of getting involved in the classroom, from high school vocational programs up through trade and technical schools. But it’s not enough to speak with students today; you also have to connect with them. That’s why Arrants recommends sending some of your higher-performing young techs to talk to classes, especially if they graduated from that particular program.

They need to see someone who looks like them and talks like them – someone they can look at and say “that could be me in a year” and not “that could be me in 30 years.”

From there, Arrants said, students can get firsthand information from a guy or gal who is working their way up what he calls the “career lattice.”

| november 2016

WANT MORE EQUIPMENT NEWS? Scan the barcode to sign up for the CCJ Equipment Weekly e-mail newsletter or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK.

In the quest to find techs, you have to hunt on their grounds and not on your terms.

“We don’t have a career ladder – we have a career lattice,” he said. “With that foundation education, you can go anywhere [in the trucking industry] you want.”

A diesel technician’s job is about as advanced a technological career field as anything on the market and hits just about every major push in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum. But that often is undersold against the stigma that it’s a “greasy” job.

“The first letter of STEM is science,” said Greg Settle, director of corporate and strategic alliances at the TechForce Foundation, which financially helps students enrolled in technical programs nationwide. “We all know about it, but outside of our industry, how many people know about it?”

There are dozens of tiny computers on a truck that govern every process in the machine. That level of complexity needs to be emphasized, Southerland said.

It’s also important to not get hung up on “kids today” and how lazy or difficult you may view the entire generation. Lou Stumpp, national account manager for Navistar’s fleet service, feels that for the most part, from ages 21 to 65, technicians are not all that much different.

“All technicians are wired similarly,” he said. “They all like to fix stuff. They don’t like to waste time waiting on parts. They don’t like to waste time walking around the shop.”

A sense of belonging – “feeling like part of a family,” Arrants added – will make your shop attractive in ways a fat paycheck never could.

A reinvention of the trucking industry is underway, just as it began for newspapers about a decade ago. You can either resist and defy it, or adapt and thrive.

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

Navistar says SuperTruck obliterated DOE goals

N

avistar announced its SuperTruck demonstration vehicle, CatalIST, achieved a freight efficiency improvement of 104 percent – more than double the 50 percent goal set by the U.S. Department of Energy for its SuperTruck program.

Against a 2009 baseline model truck, CatalIST achieved fuel efficiency of 13 mpg and demonstrated 50.3 percent brake thermal efficiency and a path toward 55 percent BTE, Navistar said.

Mark Stasell, Navistar vice president of product development, said CatalIST demonstrates the potential for reduction in the trucking industry’s consumption of energy. “In addition, a number of the technology innovations we have achieved through the program are already being implemented in production vehicles today,” Stasell said, pointing to Navistar’s predictive cruise control technology.

Other improvements over the course of the five-year project included: • Advanced integration of Navistar’s N13 Engine using proprietary intelligent controls and high-efficiency combustion; • Reduced aerodynamic drag through replacement of cab- and hood-mounted mirrors with a series of cameras and interior-mounted monitors, which also yield equal or better indirect vision for the driver; • A new LED headlamp system that reduces lamp size for a more aerodynamic shape and cuts electrical power requirements by greater than 80 percent, while improving luminous output and light color for improved nighttime direct driver vision and reduced driver fatigue; • An all-new shape with a sloped windshield and a wedged cab for improved aerodynamics; and • Innovative use of lighter-weight carbon-fiber panels in the upper body, roof headers, back panel and dash panel.

– Jason Cannon

commercial carrier journal

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november 2016

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INBRIEF • ZF Friedrichshafen AG on Oct. 3 withdrew its $516 million bid to acquire Haldex after only 10 percent of the Swedish brake company’s shareholders had accepted the offer, far less than the 90 percent ZF sought. ZF made its acquisition offer just weeks after SAF-Holland made a similar advance, and KnorrBremse later upped the ante to $570 million. ZF still owns 21.67 percent of Haldex’s shares and is the company’s biggest shareholder.

• Peterbilt Models 567 and 579, both with 44-inch sleepers, now are available with the truck maker’s factory-installed no-idle fuel-fired heater, a self-contained system that requires no plug-in energy sources and is complemented by a low-voltage disconnect that preserves battery life to maintain adequate starting power. The system includes an under-bunk heater, fan-powered circulation and a digital control panel mounted in the sleeper.

• Truck Bodies & Equipment International Inc. acquired Travis Body & Trailer Inc., a Houston-based manufacturer of aluminum end dumps, bottom dumps and transfer trailers for the construction, waste and recycling, rendering and agriculture end markets. Terms were not disclosed.

• Torque Capital Group led an investor group that signed an agreement to acquire Remy’s North American and European aftermarket business from BorgWarner Inc. The business includes Remy's North American rotating electrical remanufacturing and power steering (Maval Industries) businesses and European rotating electrical remanufacturing business. Terms were not released.

• Vehicle Service Group acquired the Ravaglioli S.p.A. Group, a Bologna, Italy-based manufacturer of lifts, wheel service equipment and diagnostics equipment for commercial vehicles, trucks, cars and motorbikes. VSG said the acquisition, terms of which were not announced, allows it to expand its product portfolio.

• SAF-Holland – a manufacturer of fifth wheels, trailer suspension and axle systems, truck suspensions, landing gear and coupling products – announced that Navistar made Holland’s FW17 the standard fifth wheel on International’s new LT Series tractors. The durable, lightweight

FW17 is manufactured from cast steel and suited for on-highway fleets.

• Navistar and Meritor will co-brand Premium Brake Shoe Kits offered through the Fleetrite heavy-duty parts brand. The agreement covers about 50 part numbers that will be labeled Fleetrite Manufactured

by Meritor.

• Bosselman Boss Truck Shops now offer Goodyear-branded commercial tire retread products at all of its locations nationwide.

Boss Shops can process all Goodyear National and Preferred Fleet Accounts and are part of the Goodyear-Fleet HQ 24/7 Emergency Service Network. Boss Shops also use Goodyear’s Smart Tech mobile app.

• RelaDyne’s free AllFleet HD Engine Warranty covers 16 engine parts for up to 10 years or 600,000 miles and is available for on-road Class 2-6 vehicles with less than 75,000 miles and Class 7 and 8 trucks with less than 300,000 miles. RelaDyne also expanded its fluid analysis program and now offers online analytics to help optimize drain intervals.

• Minimizer launched Minimizer U, an online training program designed to keep distributors up-to-date on its Tested & Tortured products and new product lines. Any distributor employee who has received in-person training from a Minimizer territory manager will be enrolled, and those who haven’t received in-person training may request it.

• Peterbilt presented its first production Model 567 Heritage – a new version with exclusive interior and exterior styling features – to Hinz Trucking, an Elm Creek, Neb.-based flatbed fleet with 110 trucks.

Hinz is ordering 20 Heritage tractors to be used as reward trucks for its owner-operators through the company’s lease-purchase program.

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• Purkeys, a provider of electrical solutions, announced that its products will be available through Fontaine PartSource, the aftermarket parts company for Fontaine Commercial Trailer.

• PacLease’s PacTrainer safety course program now is offered as a complementary one-year service when national account customers lease new Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks through PacLease. PacTrainer was developed in partnership with J.J. Keller and allows PacLease customers to take advantage of more than 360 online courses and video tutorials. commercial carrier journal

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87476_DET_SavingEveryMile_CCJ.indd 1

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ExxonMobil unveils new diesel engine oils

Petro-Canada said Duron’s API CK-4 and FA-4 diesel engine oil product line represents its most durable heavy-duty products to-date.

E

xxonMobil launched its lineup of enhanced Mobil Delvac diesel engine oils formulated to meet or exceed the latest American Petroleum Institute CK-4 and FA-4 category requirements.

ExxonMobil’s new FA-4 ExxonMobil said products for 2017 and that after more than newer model-year engines 30 million miles include Mobil Delvac Extreme FE, a premium of on-road testing synthetic blend. conducted with major OEMs, engine builders and fleets, it has verified that its new CK-4 and FA-4 formulations deliver significant performance improvements over today’s comparable CJ-4 oils.

Michael Smith, ExxonMobil’s commercial vehicle lubricants global brand manager, said the new formulas offer an 80 percent improvement in high-temperature viscosity control, which helps enhance equipment protection in extreme operating conditions; a 50 percent improvement in oxidation resistance, which helps reduce sludge formation and support engine performance even in extreme high- and lowtemperatures; and a 20 percent improvement in wear protection, which helps to enhance engine durability and protect critical engine components from harmful corrosion and scuffing.

ExxonMobil’s CK-4 line includes synthetic Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5W-40, Mobil Delvac Extreme – a premium synthetic blend – and Mobil Delvac 1300 Super. Mobil Delvac CK-4 oils, available in a range of viscosity grades, are formulated for improved oxidation resistance, shear stability and aeration control compared to today’s CJ-4 oils.

ExxonMobil’s FA-4 products include Mobil Delvac Extreme FE, a premium synthetic blend, and Mobil Delvac Super FE. – Jason Cannon 30

commercial carrier journal

| november 2016

Petro-Canada readies launch of CK-4, FA-4 oils

P

etro-Canada Lubricants revealed the company’s API CK-4 and FA-4 diesel engine oil product line. Duron’s next-generation lineup will be available Dec. 1, and Petro-Canada said the products represent its most durable high-performance line of heavy-duty diesel engine oils to-date.

Howard McIntyre, vice president of lubricants for Suncor, said the product line has been built using the company’s world-class technology and “with an approach that doesn’t compromise durability, strength and efficiency.”

Formulated to exceed the latest American Petroleum Institute CK-4 and FA-4 category requirements, the product line will be available in four performance tiers: Duron HP (High Performance), Duron SHP (Super High Performance), Duron UHP (Ultra High Performance) and Duron Advanced (FA-4).

CK-4 oils are a direct replacement for current CJ-4 oils and are backwardcompatible with today’s diesel engines. FA-4 oils are recommended mostly for use in model-year 2017 and newer model engines.

– Jason Cannon

Isuzu releases details of 2018 Class 6 FTR

I

suzu Commercial Truck of America last month released specifications for its soon-to-launch Isuzu’s Class 6 FTR model-year Class 6 FTR model-year 2018 truck. 2018 truck is slated to go into Featuring a 25,950-pound production mid-next year at a new facility in Charlotte, Mich.

GVWR, the dock-height FTR will be available in eight wheelbase lengths ranging from 152 to 248 inches and will accommodate bodies from 14 to 30 feet long.

The truck’s turbocharged Isuzu 5.2-liter 4HK1-TC engine features 215 horsepower and 520 lb.-ft. of torque mated to an Allison six-speed automatic transmission with power take-off capability.

Dana axles will have capacities of 12,000 pounds for the front suspension and 19,000 pounds for the rear, and Bridgestone or Continental 11R22.5 tires will be fitted to 22.5-by-8.25-inch steel wheels.

The FTR is slated to go into production mid-next year at a new facility in Charlotte, Mich.

– Jason Cannon

Report: Platooning could provide 4% fuel benefit

T

wo-truck platooning shows the potential to reduce fuel consumption in real-world operating conditions, according to the latest Confidence Report released by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency and Carbon War Room.

The potential fuel savings versus an isolated single vehicle varies depending on the separation distance of the trucks, but the report says that at a 40- to 50-foot following distance, platooning can lead to a 4 percent average savings across the two trucks after accounting for traffic, terrain and time when equipped trucks will not be operating in a platoon.

In a platoon, once the trucks have moved into close following distances, all of the engaged vehicles receive a fuel economy boost thanks to increased aerodynamic efficiencies.

The lead vehicle will bear the brunt of the aerodynamic load and typically will see only a marginal fuel economy boost. Trailing trucks in a platoon, which would operate in a low-air-pressure aerodynamic “sweet spot,” can see significant increases in fuel economy performance at highway speeds.

Despite the technological sophistication needed to stitch together a platoon, fleet managers are highly confident regarding the feasibility of platooning technology and the projected fuel economy gains it can yield, but they doubt it can work in the “real world,” most notably in heavy traffic or mountainous terrain, said Mike Roeth, NACFE executive director.

Despite the bulk of required tech-

NACFE’s report says that at a 40- to 50-foot following distance, platooning can lead to a 4 percent average savings across the two trucks.

nologies now available and purchased by many fleets, fleet managers are doubtful that drivers will be willing to engage in platooning operations, Roeth said. Managers also cite concerns about various safety issues and the security of the electronic systems used to connect

and tether the vehicles together.

Additional concerns include cost, system reliability and questions about cross-fleet operations – notably, how fuel credits would be accrued and shared, Roeth said.

– Jason Cannon

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november 2016

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TEST DRIVE: FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA

Staying ahead Freightliner’s top tractor redefines itself

BY JASON CANNON

F

reightliner’s new Cascadia has much in common with previous generations of the truck – except that it’s better in every way possible.

Equal parts luxury automobile and space shuttle, the company’s flagship on-highway tractor has received a facelift and fine-tuning for the 2018 model year.

Last month, I was able to take the new tractor on a roughly 200-mile jaunt through the Nevada desert and into California with “out with the old, in with the new” on full display.

Departing Henderson, Nevada, the first leg of the trip was mostly at highway speeds. The drive southbound on Interstate 15 provided fertile hunting ground to test Detroit’s refined adaptive cruise.

The DT12’s skip-shift feature got my 400-horsepower DD15 up to speed quickly. I was following another 2018 Cascadia on the drive and used it as my pace vehicle. As we approached 65 mph, I set the cruise and tucked myself in line behind it. For 10 miles or more, I barely touched the brake or accelerator.

When the truck ahead of me slowed, my Cascadia applied the engine brake to maintain a two-second-plus following distance, seamlessly doing the same when a car cut between us and disrupted the original two-second interval. At no point did I ever feel I had ceded control to the truck, and as we exited the highway, I let the adaptive cruise handle all of the deceleration; I only applied the Bendix disc brakes to hold us at the red light at the end of the ramp.

Detroit’s fourth-generation Intelligent Powertrain Management uses GPS-based technology to maximize the DT12’s fuel economy performance by anticipating 32

commercial carrier journal

Equal parts luxury automobile and space shuttle, Freightliner’s flagship on-highway Cascadia tractor has received a facelift and fine-tuning for the 2018 model year.

The Detroit Assurance 4.0 suite of safety systems includes driver-friendly controls and is integrated seamlessly into the truck’s dashboard, engine and transmission electronics.

changes to road terrain. All of that happens without you really knowing it until you slip your fuel card into the pump.

About halfway into the drive, we pulled off onto a state highway in a Joshua Tree forest to shoot some pictures, an idea we shared with a large group of French tourists – a collection of about 50 people loosely scattered among the trees

| november 2016

snapping photos of each other.

By the time I could climb out of the cab, we became part of the roadside attraction. The dense groves of Joshua Trees emptied of tourists who now were snapping pictures of themselves with the truck – some on the outside, some in the driver’s seat. The French version of Facebook, I’m sure, was flooded with

new profile pictures minutes later.

Several handshakes and a blast of the air horn later, we point the two-truck convoy toward Searchlight, Nevada.

Back on the road, we found several long grades to challenge the Detroit powertrain, which responded to everything I threw at it. The smart-shifting DT12 consistently found the right power band from the 1,750 lb.-ft. of torque to get us up and back down as winds cut across the dry valleys.

Standard enhancements that all minimize drag and dial down in-cab noise include an upper door seal, elliptical-shaped mirrors, a sloped hood, a bumper with an integrated air deflector and integrated antennas. Conversation in the cab was easy thanks to a third door seal and 3M’s Thinsulate; I’ve been in passenger cars with more wind noise.

Freightliner worked with Teague, a designer of Boeing airplane interiors, to develop lighting, storage and ergonomic features. The result of that collaboration is a cab that feels more like a cockpit, with switches and controls intuitively placed within easy reach.

The transmission and three-stage engine brake can be controlled via a blinker-style switch on the steering column, and ceiling-mounted LED lights offer more ambient cabin illumination to reduce eye strain. The new 5-inch instrument display, which is located front-andcenter of the driver in the instrument cluster, is handy.

With so much information available via a steering wheel-mounted toggle, I originally thought this might prove more distraction than beneficial. It’s easy to geek out with so much cool technology at your fingertips, but the ability to select which information is most important to you – from tire pressure to axle load – makes it easy to distinguish data with a quick glance downward.

The one-piece windshield delivers an unexpected boost in visibility, as does the elimination of splits in the side windows.

That’s a benefit you don’t really notice until you’re in the driver’s seat. Visibility in the previous-generation Cascadia wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t this good.

My test truck was outfitted with the Elite Package, which included Oregon Ash wood-grain trim accents. My red sleeper also featured vented seats, a factory-installed refrigerator, a 40-inch liftable lower bunk, a flat-screen television mount, a 1,500-watt Xantrex inverter, an upper cargo shelf, the ParkSmart HVAC system with optimized idle, a full-size microwave cabinet, front and side overhead storage cabinets and a dimmable LED ambient light bar.

Cascadia’s new front suspension – a 12,500-monoleaf design – provides a smoother ride and improved roll stiffness, and the steering gear was relocated further forward; that small change improved steering precision to a point that it rivals Freightliner’s German-engineered C-Class cousins.

The Detroit Assurance 4.0 suite of safety systems includes Active Brake Assist that now provides full braking on stationary objects, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning with optional video capture. The proprietary safety suite includes driver-friendly controls and is integrated seamlessly into the truck’s dashboard, engine

and transmission electronics and can enhance driver safety by mitigating collisions. Thankfully, my afternoon drive was mostly uneventful, and I didn’t need to test much of this system beyond the audible lane departure warning.

When Freightliner first introduced the Cascadia in May 2007, the company said it would offer 3 percent fuel savings over the Columbia and Century Class models that it ultimately would supplant. Freightliner estimates the integrated powertrain on the new truck will deliver 8 percent better fuel economy performance over the current-model Cascadia Evolution.

Fuel efficiency gains are driven mostly by powertrain technology advancements and aerodynamic refinements, the fruits of Daimler Trucks North America’s participation in the U.S. Department of Energy’s SuperTruck project.

My fully loaded Detroit 40K axle 6X2 averaged about 10 mpg, but we hit little traffic on the drive.

It takes a lot of guts to completely reinvent a truck that is already among the most efficient products on the road, especially when you consider that a 40 percent-plus market share is on the line.

But with the 2018 Cascadia, Freightliner has hit home runs in style, efficiency and comfort.

Fuel efficiency gains are driven mostly by powertrain technology advancements and aerodynamic refinements, the fruits of DTNA’s participation in DOE’s SuperTruck project.

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33

TEST DRIVE: INTERNATIONAL LT

Aerodynamic refinements on the LT Series include a more contoured hood that slopes 4 inches lower and a three-piece front bumper.

ProStar’s successor International’s LT Series provides 7 percent fuel-efficiency improvement

BY JASON CANNON

N

avistar Chief Executive Officer Troy Clarke often says his company builds the most driver-friendly truck on the highway, so it only makes sense that he doubled down when it came time to overhaul the company’s flagship on-highway truck.

Many of the refinements that went into International’s LT Series, which the company unveiled last month in Las Vegas, were gleaned from feedback provided by more than 400 drivers.

Adding a crowd-sourced element to the design process of a truck that eventually will replace the company’s ProStar is in step with Clarke’s pro-driver charge. Denny Mooney, Navistar senior vice president of global product development, said it also hones the company’s focus on building a truck that can become a tool for driver recruitment and retention, since driver feedback now predicates many purchasing decisions.

“We’ve had fleets tell us that if the drivers don’t want to drive your truck, we’re not going to buy your trucks,” Mooney said.

“Driver retention equals cost of ownership,” added Jeff Sass, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Navistar. Sass said keeping drivers in the seat has begun to trump fuel economy and efficiency benefits due to the investment in the driver’s equipment and training. “Everything we’re doing today is for the driver.”

I recently was able to take the LT for a quick spin around 34

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Navistar’s proving grounds in New Carlisle, Ind., to get a feel for the final product’s driver friendliness.

The company borrowed many of the LT Series’ exterior elements from its SuperTruck project, a multimillion-dollar joint endeavor with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Upgraded aerodynamic features include an aerodynamic-contoured hood – with 4 inches added to the slope –

The redesigned interior features a driver display that offers up to 15 customizable digital gauges. In response to driver feedback, the air horn was relocated to its traditional intuitive position over the driver door.

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fender, wheel opening and chassis skirts, and an aerodynam- engine and was matched to an Eaton Fuller Advantage ic-enhanced three-piece front bumper. Longer side extenders 10-speed automated manual transmission.

My brief test only flirted with 60 mph a couple of times, also shorten the trailer gap. Standard LED headlamps offer a but the truck was a comfortable drive. Sass said aerodynamic bump in durability and efficiency over halogen predecessors. enhancements also provide a four-sone decrease in wind The exterior may have been inspired by efficiency, but the noise inside the cab. I didn’t spend a lot of time at highway inside is all about comfort. Based on a review of more than speeds, so I’ll defer to their experts on that, but the cab is 500 points where the driver and truck interact, the LT feanoticeably quieter than a similarly equipped ProStar. tures an all-new interior that offers better elbow, hip and leg International’s predictive cruise control uses preinroom. In a shout-out to shotgun riders, the LT Series’ passtalled GPS maps and the latest commercial route data senger side gets two extra inches of room over the ProStar. to make adjustments to cruising speed without the need The air brake release has been relocated from the left side of to predrive the route. It looks ahead of the vehicle and the B-panel, giving the driver easier access to switches more recognizes the terrain and continuously calculates the applicable for driving and improving egress into the sleeper. most efficient speed and gear for optimal real-time fuel “There’s no reason to have the primary real estate on the economy. My test was on a closed track, so I didn’t get to B-panel, because you don’t touch [the air brakes] unless the fully deploy this feature. truck is stopped,” Sass said. “You don’t bump it with your A 2017 Navistar N13 engine available early next year will right knee if you happen to be swinging into the sleeper.” be rated up to 475 horsepower with up to 1,750 lb.-ft. of The redesigned interior also features a premium dash torque on LT models. Its design is expected to be 500 to 600 cluster with a digital driver display that features up to 15 pounds lighter than traditional big-bore engines. customizable digital gauges. It can be manipulated with a Reception to the LT has been strong since its debut, steering wheel-mounted toggle and offers real-time fuel and Sass said more than 3,000 have been ordered to-date, economy monitoring. with 1,150 slated to be built by yearend.

A column-mounted gear-shifter also helps unclutter the If International was looking for a truck that carries dash and shares the right side of the steering column with a the mantle of the company’s driver-centric mission a three-stage engine brake switch. little further, the LT Series seemingly fits the bill with its The air horn was relocated back to its traditional position mixture of traditional elements to keep drivers happy and over the driver door in another nod to driver feedback. technological innovations that help boost efficiency and The truck features a redesigned one-piece side window the bottom line. for a clearer line of sight, and the mirrors have been engineered so the driver will have to turn their head 15 percent less on the driver’s side and 5 percent less on the passenger side – a change Sass expects will help alleviate driver fatigue. It’s also a design element that contributes to the LT’s “wraparound” feel from the driver’s seat.

A better HVAC system – more tightly sealed vents and improved reliability and performance – is sure to be popular with International loyalists. Bendix’s Wingman Advanced Collision Mitigation system also comes standard in the LT Series.

The LT Series initially will be available with the 2017 Cummins X15 engine, offering ratings of up to 500 horsepower in the Efficiency series and up to 565 horsepower in the Performance series.

My white 73-inch SkyRise sleeper International’s LT Series (right) drew some efficiency inspiration from the company’s LT test unit featured a 450-hp-rated SuperTruck (left), a multimillion-dollar joint endeavor with the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Connecting Transportation

in focus: ANTI-THEFT TECHNOLOGY

Layers of deterrence

BY JASON CANNON

T

he International Cargo Security Council estimates that more than $10 billion in merchandise is stolen or damaged each year, but when you factor in productivity losses and higher insurance premiums, the annual cost soars to upwards of $60 billion.

While trailer contents often are the most valuable part of a highway heist, they’re not always the only thing taken. CargoNet recorded more than 1,500 incidents of stolen commercial-vehicle cargo or equipment in the United States and Canada in 2015, with 619 reports involving the vehicles themselves.

On the plus side, thefts through the first half of this year have trended downward, according to FreightWatch International, which recorded a total of 166 cargo thefts in the second quarter of 2016 – an 11 percent drop in incidents from the same time period last year.

In order to help keep thefts low to round out the year, FCCI Insurance Group recommends fleets employ a layered defensive approach.

Layer 1: Common sense. Drivers should remove the keys from the ignition when not in use, lock all doors and windows and park in well-lit areas. According to FreightWatch, 82 percent of the thefts so far this year occurred in unsecured parking locations.

Trucker Path has analyzed parking availability and found that it’s not the shortage of spots themselves but rather the lack of information that has truckers spending hours searching for a spot and eventually ending up on freeway ramps or unsafe places.

The company publishes an app that can assist drivers with route planning by gathering input from 450,000 driver users to provide real-time information on available parking. Users rate truck parking locations and leave reviews for others to check whether it’s safe or not.

Layer 2: A visible deterrent device that alerts thieves that your vehicle is protected, such as a dash-mounted air brake lock, a pedal lock, steering column collars or wheel locks and clamps.

“You can use a minimal wheel boot such as the Titan Grip,” said Oliver Dumoulin, vice president of Universal Boot. While these are cheap and portable, install quickly and fit almost any truck, they won’t be the most effective deterrent because of their smaller size and modest appearance, Dumoulin said.

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When it comes to combatting today’s resourceful high-tech thieves, even a security camera and barbwire fence isn’t enough.

“You can use a more complete immobilizer like the allsteel clamp,” he said. These rugged clamps cover the lug nuts to prevent bypassing the lock by changing the wheel. If the truck has full-sized dual wheels, a double wheel clamp is recommended, although these are more expensive and tricky to install, Dumoulin said.

Layer 3: An immobilizing device that prevents thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring the vehicle.

These kill-switch devices traditionally inhibit the flow of electricity or fuel to the engine until a hidden switch or button is activated.

Revelco manufactures a dash-mounted programmable plug that immobilizes a truck when removed. The plug is coded uniquely to a specific tractor with one of more than 100,000 possible combinations and ties together multiple circuits required to start the truck.

“When you plug that in, that completes that circuit,” said Jimmy Raviele, the company’s president. “Without that plug, it’s like removing the engine.”

Layer 4: A GPS-enabled tracking device. Basically the last line of defense, it emits a signal to police or a monitoring station when the vehicle is reported stolen.

The Omnitracs TT150 and TT210 each provide up-to-theminute asset tracking, whether connected to tractor power or not. The TT150 has the added benefit of being small and installed easily on just about any location on a trailer, making it inconspicuous and unlikely that it will be removed.

Emergency tracking also can be activated, increasing reporting frequency in order to help recover a stolen asset faster, said Paul Flesher, Omnitracs product manager.

technology Game changer

TMW Systems, PeopleNet share stage, talk Trip Insight

M

onday, Sept. 26, marked the inaugural joint user conference of TMW and PeopleNet, called

Trimble In.Sight.

In the last five years, Trimble has become the largest technology supplier in the transportation and logistics space, due largely to its acquisitions of PeopleNet in 2011 and TMW Systems in 2012.

Brian McLaughlin, president of PeopleNet, and Dave Wangler, president of TMW Systems, say that by coming together, their companies are creating unique products and capabilities for asset and nonasset transportation and logistics customers.

While speaking to an estimated crowd of 2,400, the two made several new product announcements and described a Trimble vision to “transform the way the transportation industry works.”

Wangler described the new Trip Insight product as a “game changer” and the transportation industry’s first “comprehensive journey management” application.

STRATEGIC GROWTH: Trimble is the largest technology supplier in the transportation and logistics space.

COMING TOGETHER: TMW Systems and PeopleNet are creating new products for their customers.

TRANSPORTATION AID: Trip Insight is said to be the first “comprehensive journey management” application.

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Dave Wangler (right), president of TMW Systems, and Brian McLaughlin, president of PeopleNet, kicked off the Trimble In.Sight conference Sept. 26.

Trip Insight is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) that lives in three places simultaneously: a multi-tenant A demonstration of Trip server in the cloud, the ALK CoPilot Truck navigation Insight was given to CCJ by Bill Nimchuk, senior application on PeopleNet devices and the TMW Suite product manager at ALK transportation management software system.

Technologies, another Within TMW Suite, Trip Insight, when activated, Trimble company. is a tab module of TMW Operations, a program fleets use for their load planning and dispatch workflow.

By clicking on the Trip Insight tab, a planner sees an optimized trip plan for the selected driver with ETAs for each stop in sequence.

“Starting with a standard dispatch, Trip Insight builds comprehensive optimized trip plans that account for everything — fuel stops, hours-of-service rest breaks, historical traffic, vehicle- and load-specific route restrictions and more,” Wangler said. “It’s all there.”

Once a dispatch assignment is finalized, the optimized trip plans are sent to PeopleNet devices. Drivers see pickup and delivery stops with the best options for mandatory rest breaks and fuel stops.

The ETAs for each stop are visible to drivers and fleet managers. They change dynamically as the planned route progresses and as real-time traffic and weather data from ALK are brought into the calculations.

Trip Insight also calculates “PTA” – the projected day and time that drivers will be

november 2016

MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET

BY AARON HUFF

available to start their next dispatch assignment.

Trip Insight will be available for commercial release in the first quarter of 2017, Wangler said, but will be offered only to fleet customers who use TMW Suite, PeopleNet and ALK CoPilot.

Trip Insight will not be available to fleets that use a dispatch or mobile platform not from Trimble – at least not for the time being.

“What we do with it going forward really is dependent on the market,” Wangler said. “At this time next year, we will report back.”

Richard Hanke Jr., an owner of Slinger, Wis.-based bulk transporter Hanke Trucking, will not be able to use Trip Insight yet. Hanke Trucking has TMW Suite but uses a mobile platform that competes with PeopleNet. After listening to McLaughlin and Wangler talk about the Trimble vision and products, Hanke told CCJ he does not plan to switch to PeopleNet from the fleet’s current solution — at least not yet.

“I would hate to throw all my eggs in one basket, but they make it appealing,” he said.

AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call (801) 754-4296.

INTERESTED IN TRUCKING TECHNOLOGY?

Scan the barcode or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK to subscribe to the CCJ Technology Weekly e-mail newsletter. commercial carrier journal

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technology

INBRIEF • Continental, which has a U.S. telematics division called VDO RoadLog that supplies ELD technology, acquired a majority stake in Zonar, a provider of fleet management technology and the exclusive OEM partner for Daimler Trucks North America’s Virtual Technician solution installed in more than 200,000 Daimler trucks. DTNA previously acquired a minority stake in Zonar and will retain its stake. Terms of the Continental-Zonar deal were not released.

• FourKites – a provider of real-time load tracking and shipment visibility via mobile, cloud and analytics software – announced it raised $13 million in Series A funding led by Bain Capital Ventures. The two-year-old company previously raised $3.5 million in seed and debt funding.

• Pegasus TransTech, a provider of enterprise mobility and business process automation, announced the integration of the myPilot mobile app into its Transflo Mobile platform, allowing drivers to expedite the fueling process at Pilot Flying J travel centers. Drivers choose a fuel lane based on real-time estimates of remaining wait time, receive a secure mobile PIN code for cardless fueling and activate the fuel pump with the code.

• Truckstop.com launched its Rate Analysis system designed to gather market data on rates in real time to determine the best rate for a given lane. The cloudbased program charts data on paid rates from Truckstop.com’s network and third-party partnerships and allows fleets to input their own rate history for any lane and compare it to other rates for the same lane. Rate Analysis also shows a live feed of available capacity for each lane and allows users to send direct quotes to potential customers.

• Aljex Software, a web-based provider of transportation management software for freight brokers, integrated with Truckstop.com to bring its freight-matching data to Aljex customers. Data from Truckstop.com now populates fields directly in Aljex to help increase efficiency by saving time and eliminating copying errors.

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PeopleNet takes next steps in mobility, big data, video intelligence

P

eopleNet shared a number of product updates and developments at the inaugural Trimble In.Sight user conference, held Sept.

26-28 in Nashville, Tenn., with fellow Trimble company TMW Systems.

PeopleNet’s companion ConnectedDriver Mobility App now is integrated with the TMWSuite platform. The driver-facing app is currently in use by more than 11,000 drivers on their smartphones. Through the integration, the app provides bidirectional messaging, dispatch and stop data, hours-of-service availability, driver pay, time off and more information to drivers.

A new single-sign-on capability enables dispatchers using TMWSuite software to view their PeopleNet driver log hours within a unified interface. The screen displays log data in context with other important data related to driver management, safety and compliance.

TMW Systems’ new FleetConneX software now offers near real-time communication between fleet operations and drivers. The software gives PeopleNet users access to a cloudbased solution to integrate their mobile communication platforms into TMWSuite software without costly on-premise servers and other resources.

Big data To further advance its big data capabilities, PeopleNet has developed a user interface that combines all of its reporting, business intelligence and analytics solutions in a single web portal. The portal, ConnectedFleet Central, is available to fleets with the ConnectedFleet Platform and provides access to Central Intelligence, a sophisticated and advanced

november 2016

Central Intelligence aggregates all of the data from PeopleNet’s applications and provides self-discovery tools, dashboards and reports.

analytics engine.

Central Intelligence aggregates all of the data from PeopleNet’s vehicle health monitoring, safety and compliance applications and provides self-discovery tools, dashboards and reports for an interactive and complete view of operations.

PeopleNet also announced a twoyear extension with Lowell, Ark.based J.B. Hunt Transport Services (CCJ Top 250, No. 6), a PeopleNet customer since 2012.

In addition to using PeopleNet’s eDriver Logs and an integrated weigh station bypass service from DriveWyze, J.B. Hunt will deploy in-cab navigation with CoPilot Truck from ALK Technologies throughout its fleet of more than 13,000 trucks.

PeopleNet also now offers the option for integrated left- and rightview cameras to its Video Intelligence System for additional liability protection and prevention capabilities. The cameras are built into a truck’s spot mirror and not mounted to existing mirror brackets.

“Almost a quarter of all collisions involving a commercial vehicle happen on the side of the truck, and video provides a neutral eyewitness against at-fault accident claims,” said Jim Angel, vice president of video intelligence solutions for PeopleNet. – Aaron Huff

technology

INBRIEF • Vnomics Corp. announced that Lockheed Martin, an original investor, will invest further in the company and the development of its True Fuel optimization system that combines machine learning with real-time driver coaching to help improve fuel performance.

• Spireon released a durable solar-powered trailer and asset telematics system built to be compatible with a range of transportation vehicles and equipment that remain dormant for extended periods, including dry vans and intermodal containers. The solution is designed to capture data and translate it into easy-to-understand actionable business intelligence.

• Help Inc. added new weigh-inmotion sites in Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Also, 10 new PrePass sites that also include WIM are nearly complete and soon will provide additional bypass opportunities in California, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Oklahoma and Wyoming.

• CarriersEdge, a provider of online safety and compliance training tools, announced a suite of courses on vehicle inspections based on information from industry and regulatory experts.

The courses employ the company’s interactive learning approach and explain to drivers how inspections should be conducted, how components should be checked and how to identify defects.

• CarriersEdge announced that North Hampton, N.H.-based Abenaqui Carriers, a 50-truck hazardous materials fleet, selected its driver training courses and online training platform for its 70 company drivers, including new hires and existing operators requiring refresher and certification training.

• The 2017 ALK Transportation and Technology Summit will be held May 22-23, 2017, at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. The summit will include product training, educational panels, sponsor spotlights, interactive roundtable discussions and a golf outing. Go to ALKTechSummit.com.

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TMW Systems develops bid management app

T

MW Systems announced a webbased business management application, TMW Engage.Bid, designed to enable carriers, brokers and third-party logistics providers to streamline the freight bidding process.

The application is intended to allow users to save time and labor, improve accuracy and leverage pricing intelligence to increase success in winning business.

TMW Engage.Bid helps simplify the conversion and analysis of shipper Request For Price documents. Users can apply pricing intelligence, including TMW’s Market Rate Index, to assess each opportunity and develop bids consistent with their strategies and cost structures.

The application was developed by TMW professionals with extensive bid management experience and is intended to replace multiple spreadsheets and emails, paperwork and other manual processes.

“This powerful new application of-

David Wangler, president of TMW Systems, describes how TMW Engage.Bid “can enable our customers to more effectively compete to win business.”

fers the productivity tools needed to dramatically speed this process and provides industry-leading pricing intelligence that can enable our customers to more effectively compete to win business,” said David Wangler, president of TMW Systems.

TMW Engage.Bid also tracks the status of open bids and indexes and stores current and historical bid data in a searchable form to ease workflow constraints.

– Aaron Huff

EBE automates driver training based on dispatch activity

E

BE Technologies, a provider of enterprise automated decision support applications for the transportation and logistics industry, has enhanced its Learning Management System to schedule move-specific training automatically based on dispatch activity.

EBE’s LMS monitors the dispatch system for shipper codes, commodity codes and stop codes. Based on the combination of such codes, a determination is made if “special instruction” is associated with the move.

Lessons are scheduled for drivers in real time based on either a pre-planning or move acceptance activity. The training can assist drivers with arriving at or departing from a specific distribution center or shipper location to improve efficiencies and make the driver’s experi-

november 2016

EBE’s LMS training can assist drivers with arriving at or departing from a specific distribution center or shipper location.

ence more positive, the company said.

Cargo securement training could be based on a commodity code or specific packaging instructions provided by the shipper, which could result in reducing claims for improved profitability.

“Carriers make significant investments in helping drivers navigate to stops efficiently, but once they arrive, there has not been a solution to help them navigate the specifics of the location or the freight for which they will be responsible,” said Larry Kerr, president of EBE. “Dispatchdriven training now provides that service.”

– Aaron Huff

Cummins is reinventing the heavy-duty engine category with two unique X15 engines for 2017.

The X15 Efficiency Series has the highest compression ratio in the industry, for unmatched fuel efficiency and responsiveness, delivering up to 1850 lb-ft of torque starting at 1000 rpm. The X15 Performance Series delivers unprecedented power, with up to 605 hp and 2050 lb-ft peak torque.

Plus, every X15 engine comes with over-the-air calibration capability, a Single Module™ aftertreatment system, the most powerful engine brake in the industry and extended service intervals, for maximum uptime. Two X15 engines. Zero compromises. Learn more at cumminsengines.com. Š2016 Cummins Inc., Box 3005, Columbus, IN 47202-3005 U.S.A.

technology

in focus: DISPATCH SOFTWARE

Expanded coverage Carriers, brokers use latest TMS tools to broaden their offerings

BY AARON HUFF

M

otor carriers and freight brokers continue to expand their services to grow – and survive – in today’s business climate.

Companies that once specialized solely in truckload shipments now are moving less-than-truckload and rail intermodal volumes to meet demands from customers and the overall market.

The need to expand services is evident by the latest updates in dispatch and transportation management software systems.

New technology is making it easy for companies of all sizes, including new entrants, to diversify their service portfolios without buying more real estate and equipment.

Instant booking One recent trend in TMS technology is the integration of LTL rates and instant booking capabilities. Software companies that traditionally have focused on truckload management have extended their reach.

Aljex Software has a new integration with MyFreightWorld Technologies that provides discounted LTL rates through its online rating engine.

MFW is a full-service freight brokerage that has contracted LTL rates with over 40 national and regional carriers. The rates are integrated directly into Aljex’s Logistics module, providing users access to discounted rates.

Brokers that use the software can give their shipper customers online access to the Logistics module, where they can enter orders and obtain instant LTL pricing. They can book loads with LTL carriers, and their broker’s margins are built into the rates that appear online, says Jeff Heine, marketing specialist for Aljex.

McLeod Software is integrating with project44 to provide its PowerBroker users access to real-time LTL rates through project44’s API network that includes virtually all LTL carriers. PowerBroker users soon will be able to access LTL carrier quotes, including base rates and accessorial charges, directly from the carriers that supply information through project44.

The integration will support transit time calculations, and PowerBroker users also will be able to leverage project44’s APIs to tender quotes to and retrieve shipment status updates from the connected LTL carriers directly within PowerBroker.

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Aljex Software has a new integration with MyFreightWorld Technologies that provides discounted LTL rates through its online rating engine.

Rate optimization In addition to having LTL rates and instant booking options within their TMS systems, transportation companies can integrate advanced load planning systems to give shipper customers new cost-saving options.

Bolt Software, a developer of fleet management and freight tracking systems, keeps a record of all lane and rate transaction data, including fuel surcharges, for its carrier and brokerage customers. These companies can create a report of their rates by lane and make them available to shippers for instant booking.

Based on the timeframe used, the report will show variation in rates for seasonal patterns, says Jerry Robertson, Bolt’s chief technology officer.

TMW Systems announced that its TMWSuite and TruckMate TMS systems now are integrated with the 3G-TM rating engine and load planning/optimization algorithm. Users of TMWSuite and TruckMate now have a single-source platform for running both asset- and nonasset-based transportation service organizations, the company says.

Through the integration, nonasset and blended transportation businesses can model customer and carrier rate contracts across all modes and minimize the complexity associated with planning, executing and managing shipments, TMW says.

The load planning feature is built around algorithms designed to minimize transportation spend and enhance customer service levels. Users can factor in all modes and carriers, as well as multistops and pool distributions.

Instant access to discounted pricing and freight booking with third-party carriers has made it possible to take on more business from within a single software application.

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OrTran’s leadership team, from left: Chris Gallup, COO; David Orscheln, president and CEO; and Mark Towster, CFO.

OrTran’s ‘Driver Tours’ match customer, driver schedules to promote retention

BY AARON HUFF

O

rTran arrived at a crossroads in early 2013. Looking at the road ahead, David Orscheln and Chris Gallup knew the status quo for the business was not sustainable.

Since its founding in 1993, the Kansas City, Mo.-based company had been an over-the-road truckload and intermodal carrier.

Orscheln, OrTran’s founder, president and chief executive officer, had grown weary of recruiting over-the-road drivers from the same pool as the company’s competitors.

In 2013, the trucking industry still was adjusting to the Compliance Safety Accountability program. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new safety scoring methodology gave extra weight to hours-of-service violations, and more fleets were adopting electronic logs to comply.

OrTran already had electronic logs because the company had been familiar with CSA since it rolled out prior to the program’s 2010 effective date in the test state of Missouri. Orscheln was concerned about the impact on drivers from lost productivity and that more would be leaving the industry.

“That’s what we talked about three years ago,” Orscheln says. “With the hoursof-service rules and everybody talking about a 10 percent reduction in productivity, what do we need to do to not hurt the drivers?”

Those conversations led OrTran to take a new direction.

“I didn’t want to be in the traditional over-the-road model anymore,” he says.

“I wanted to find something unique and different that would be attractive to a driver’s life.”

ORTRAN Kansas City, Mo. A mission to improve lives In 2013, Orscheln and Gallup, the chief operating officer, designed a new business model for OrTran with a mission to improve the lives of drivers, their spouses and their children. The objective was to create a network that would give drivers a predictable work schedule and daily home time.

As part of the network redesign, they also wanted to maximize productivity and improve customer service to command the highest possible rates.

One of the first steps in the process was to part with its intermodal operations to make the business more manageable, Orscheln says.

“The identity of our trucking company as a business was intermodal plus truckload,” he says. “There were too many variables to keep up with.”

The intermodal business was dissolved in July 2013. Next, they focused on updating OrTran’s information systems to cut costs and better manage the business through automation and visibility.

“We were fragmented,” Gallup says.

“We didn’t have our systems integrated, and we muddled through. The way we were sitting with our system was clunky at best.”

Orscheln was familiar with efforts made by a number of truckload carriers to design regional and dedicated models that made driving careers more attractive. He wanted something a “little different,” he says, and started

The company redesigns its network to balance and maximize driver home time and productivity.

commercial carrier journal | november 2016

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by purchasing a new office facility in October 2013.

Orscheln says the facility’s design embodies the company’s ideals with new investments in technology intended to make lives better for drivers and other employees.

Driver Tours Drivers at OrTran traditionally had been on the road for three weeks at a time.

The company used a shotgun approach to load planning, Gallup says, and its annual turnover rate exceeded 100 percent in 2013.

Management took a closer look at its freight network to match customer and driver schedules in a way that would enable drivers to be home every two weeks without a productivity loss.

This led to the next breakthrough, where OrTran could guarantee drivers they would be home every weekend and keep their average weekly miles between 2,500 and 2,700.

The most recent iteration was creating “Driver Tours.” Each day, drivers can return home after completing a round trip of about 500 miles. A driver takes a load 250 miles out, drops it and hooks up to another loaded trailer at the midpoint or final destination, and makes a return trip of 250 miles.

Kansas City, Mo., is the main pivot point in the Driver Tours network. The first tour started by setting up a secure drop lot in Muskogee, Okla., halfway between OrTran’s customer shipping and receiving facilities in Kansas City and Dallas. This freight lane has a distance of 500 miles, and drivers assigned to this tour are based in Kansas City and Muskogee.

The company since has started new Driver Tour lanes from Kansas City to St. Louis; Wichita, Kan.; and Crete, Neb. Another pivot point in the network is St. Louis with a Driver Tour to Indianapolis.

It presently is working on a new tour between Indianapolis and Atlanta.

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OrTran revamped its freight network to match customer and driver schedules to enable drivers to be home more often without a productivity loss.

OrTran uses slip-seat operations for Driver Tours to maximize asset utilization. Its trucks average more than 3,400 miles per week between two driver shifts.

One group might start a shift at 6 a.m. from Kansas City and another at 6 p.m.

In addition to having a new recruiting pitch for drivers, the company is able to use the business model to tell a story to customers. Management sometimes uses the story as a reminder that any delays in loading or unloading could prevent drivers from getting home due to hours-ofservice restrictions, Orscheln says.

“Customers want it to succeed,” he says.

However, transitioning to the new model has come with some setbacks.

Orscheln and Gallup made the changes as the freight market softened, and about 80 percent of the office staff has been either downsized due to economic reasons or turned over as the fleet has become more efficient with technology.

Another difficulty has been keeping the company’s network of Driver Tours balanced.

“It is hurting us, and we have to be careful of deadhead,” he says. “Sometimes we send drivers home empty, but at least we are trying something new.”

commercial carrier journal | november 2016

Comparing results OrTran presently runs 60 trucks and 100 drivers, and in terms of power units, the company is half the size it was in 2013. It now is growing with plans to reach 100 trucks and be more efficient than before its strategic reset, Orscheln says.

Compared to 2013, the company’s overhead is down $250,000 a month, while fuel costs have dropped $31,000 per month. Operating expenses are down and revenues are up over the past three years.

Driver recruiting has improved because OrTran now is able to attract a younger and more professional group of drivers, Gallup says. The new business model also has made it possible to be more selective in whom the company retains.

“We are at a point now where we are replacing guys that we would traditionally keep,” he says. “Operationally, things are much better. We are not dealing with chronic issues.”

In 2013, the company had an internal staff of two recruiters and also used outside recruiters. Today, its recruiting expenses are down by $40,000 a month with only one internal recruiter on staff, Gallup says.

OrTran’s driver turnover currently is 14 percent a month, but Orscheln expects it will go down as drivers get used to the additional responsibilities that come with the new work schedules that get them home every day.

With a soft economy in 2016, the company has not seen significant financial returns from the changes it has made to improve employees’ lives, but leadership believes it is moving in the right direction.

“We can’t say we’ve been successful yet, but we are trying to do something different,” Orscheln says.

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

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More fleets viewing trucks as primary recruiting, retention tools

BY JASON CANNON

P

ay and home time are likely to forever be atop a driver’s list of wants, but the type of truck they drive and the comforts it offers is becoming a critical tool for fleets to attract and keep drivers in their seats.

Initial results from the ninth annual Best Fleets to Drive For survey, produced in partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association, show drivers increasingly value high-quality equipment, and fleets have taken notice.

“Recruiting and retention issues 54

commercial carrier journal

aren’t going to be solved by a truck, but it can make [truck driving] a little bit better of a job,” says Dave Williams, vice president of equipment for Knight Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 24).

“Anything we can do to make a driver feel more at home, safer, more comfortable and more productive is what we are after.”

Don Hummer Trucking recently ordered 75 Kenworth T680s after the company’s namesake personally tested a rental unit for a month.

“I would never ask a driver to do

| november 2016

something that I wouldn’t do myself,” says Don Hummer, founder of the Oxford, Iowa-based dry van carrier that deploys 215 company trucks and 85 independent contractors. “When I was done driving the truck, it was the first time in my career where I wasn’t thinking to myself, ‘I wish this was there, or this was positioned here.’ ” With customers such as Knight and Hummer increasingly looking for efficiency and comfort features, truck makers have responded by boosting in-cab comforts and giving the truck a

more home-like feel for drivers.

“Ergonomic dashes where they can reach the switches with easy accessibility,” says Chris Stadler, Volvo’s product marketing manager for regional haul applications, listing a focus of cab design. “And some comfort in the living quarters and in the driving seat as well.”

Where OEMs are challenged is taking care of the driver without cannibalizing efficiency.

“What we see with the demand for better fuel economy is that [fleets] don’t want to sacrifice the performance of these engines,” Stadler says.

Jeff Sass, Navistar’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, says adding to cab-friendly specs is the fact that fleets spend upwards of $5,000 per driver to recruit and train them, making retention a top priority.

“Driver retention equals cost of ownership,” Sass says.

Less wear and tear Fleets looking to improve their bottom line and embrace comforts have gravitated toward automated manual transmissions – so much so that 85 percent of all new Volvo trucks leave the assembly line with one installed.

“What we’ve seen and what I’ve experienced is there’s less wear and tear on the body,” Stadler says. “Also, mentally you’re not having to prepare for that next change of shifting when traffic conditions change.”

Fully automated-clutch pedal-free shifting allows drivers to focus on the road rather than the next gear, says Stu Russoli, Mack Trucks’ highway product manager. That leads to reduced fatigue, as drivers no longer have to row through the gears.

“Our mDrive makes it simpler and less intimidating for new drivers to become experienced drivers, which is definitely more driver-friendly,” Russoli says.

Freightliner and Navistar, each of which are building updated trucks in the months ahead, added a one-piece windshield to

Today’s modern truck dashboards include switches and steering wheel and information controls designed to allow drivers of all sizes to work more easily.

their new units along with eliminating the vent window from the doors – moves aimed at boosting visibility.

Denny Mooney, Navistar’s senior vice president of global product development, says the company redesigned the mirrors on its new LT Series to allow the driver to turn his head 15 percent less on the driver’s side and 5 percent less on the passenger side.

“It may not sound like a lot, but after 11 hours of driving and turning your head, it is a ton of driver fatigue,” Sass says.

Kenneth Stiltner, a driver for 37 years who currently drives a ProStar for Baltimore-based Cowan Systems (No. 61), says the new mirror was among his favorite innovations on the International LT truck that eventually will succeed the ProStar as the company’s flagship on-highway product.

“I don’t have to go looking for what I want to see,” Stiltner says. “It’s right there. Putting the gauges where they should be makes a big difference when you’re driving a truck.”

Hummer specs air-release fifth wheels, eliminating the need to manually pull out the fifth wheel handle and protecting his drivers’ elbows and backs. But the body isn’t the only thing than can get battered around after half a day on the highway.

Mental fatigue also is something Hummer has looked to improve with his truck specs by including equipment such as AMTs – which he says will be a standard spec going forward – as well as hood mirrors, bullbars and Bendix’s Wingman System.

“Those are all safety things for the driver,” he says. “It keeps them a little safer and offers some peace of mind.”

Boosting ergonomics Daimler Trucks North America partnered with Teague, a designer of Boeing airplane interiors, to help develop the interior of the new Cascadia, including its lighting, storage and ergonomic features. The result was a wraparound dashboard that includes switches and steering wheel controls designed to allow drivers of all sizes to work without leaning and stretching.

Derek Leathers, chief executive officer of Werner Enterprises (No. 11), says he was struck by the comfort afforded to even the tallest drivers.

“I’m 6-foot-5 and loved getting inside and walking around and experiencing the roominess and some of the new cabinetry and features,” Leathers says.

Max Fuller, chairman and CEO of U.S. Xpress (No. 14), agrees. “The dash layout is cleaner,” Fuller says. “It’s easier

commercial carrier journal

| november 2016 55

COVER STORY: DRIVER SPEC’ING

Oxford, Iowa-based Don Hummer Trucking recently ordered 75 Kenworth T680s after the company’s namesake personally tested a rental unit for a month.

to reach the controls and buttons, and they’ve made some changes to the seats, and now they have two grab handles to get in and out.”

Joe Werth, vice president of new product development for Navistar, says engineers who designed the International LT Series paid close attention to a driver’s wingspan.

“We did a lot of work on primary reach zones,” Werth says. “Focusing on ‘eyes-on-the-road’ time. Trying to avoid the driver having to search for buttons and for information feed.”

Many design features that improve cab comfort and productivity – such as adjustable seats and steering wheels, ergonomic design and improved vis-

Freightliner’s 2018 Cascadia features an upper-door seal and 3M’s Thinsulate insulation technology to shave in-cab decibels.

ibility – now come standard on newer truck models, Russoli says.

“In terms of ergonomics, there is no difference between a fleet-spec and owner-operator-spec Mack,” he says. “Both feature our wraparound dash, which puts the most heavily used functions comfortably within a driver’s reach.”

Hummer, who estimates his driver turnover to be around 30 percent, also specs as many controls as pos-

Quieter ride Noise reduction also has been a focus in the building of new trucks.

Freightliner’s 2018 Cascadia features

Navistar says engineers who designed the International LT Series paid close attention to a driver’s wingspan.

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sible on the steering wheel and includes dual air-ride seats in all of his company trucks.

Back pain is not uncommon for career drivers. Jason Rhoads, director of marketing for Minimizer, says much of the problem starts with a seat’s inability to dampen chassis vibration.

“Studies have shown that exposure to whole-body vibration is associated with several adverse health outcomes,” Rhoads says.

Minimizer’s Long Haul Series seats can be spec’d from the manufacturer and designed to reduce the potential for vibration-related musculoskeletal disorders.

“Low-back pain and driver fatigue were of the utmost concern when developing our 14 standard features to fit every body type,” Rhoads says. “We also built in a revitalizer that stimulates blood flow to the lower extremities, rejuvenating the legs, ankles and feet before leaving the vehicle.”

| november 2016

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COVER STORY: DRIVER SPEC’ING an upper-door seal and 3M’s Thinsulate insulation technology to shave in-cab decibels.

Kary Schaefer, DTNA’s general manager of product marketing and strategy, says a new engine mount design provides better vibration isolation, while the engine tunnel cover now is constructed using Quiet Steel technology.

Mooney says aerodynamic features on the LT Series manage airflow better for a four-sone decrease in wind noise inside the cab.

Stadler says Volvo has made strides in reducing in-cab noise by decreasing engine vibration, a small tune-up that came from the Volvo Group’s 2017 engine package.

“Our updated 2017 Mack MP engines feature a common-rail fuel injection system and other improvements that really cut down on in-cab vibrations and noise, which helps reduce driver fatigue,” Russoli adds.

Passenger car mentality In designing the LT Series, Mooney says feedback from more than 400 drivers indicated they were least interested in automotive styling. However, technologies led by passenger car makers infiltrate heavy trucks by the day.

“When it comes to technology, infotainment and the carry-over from the automotive world, I think you’ll see more and more of that happening,” Stadler says. “Those electronics and technology will transfer over to the commercial world more and more.”

“Satellite radio is an absolute must,” says Jamie Hagan, a driver for Aberdeen, South Dakota-based Hell Bent Xpress. “It makes life way more entertaining. No more constantly losing the channel as you drive across the country, and all the sporting events at your fingertips.”

Hummer agrees, adding he includes an AM/FM radio, a CD player and SiriusXM satellite radio in all of his trucks.

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Volvo has made strides in reducing in-cab noise by decreasing engine vibration, a small tune-up that came from the Volvo Group’s 2017 engine package.

Mack says its mDrive automated manual transmission makes it simpler and less intimidating for new drivers to become experienced drivers.

“On my to-do list for next year is negotiating a fleet program for XMRadio service,” he says.

“Today’s driver environments are far less industrial than in days past, with truck interiors increasingly resembling car interiors,” adds Russoli.

Home away from home In the quest to find and keep drivers, Hummer says it’s important for truck specs to reflect that when the truck isn’t rolling on the highway, it’s probably serving as someone’s primary living quarters.

For Stiltner, that’s “at least 200 nights a year.”

“I’m in that thing for a week,” he says.

“Eating, sleeping …”

All of Hummer’s trucks include a mount for a flat-panel TV and hookup and space for a microwave. All trucks come equipped with a refrigerator.

“That’s a big deal for the drivers,”

| november 2016

he says. “We’ve always been driverfriendly, because I have always driven.

It’s nice to have those conveniences, because that’s your home away from home.”

Hummer also includes power inverters and up to four additional 12-volt plug-ins – two each in the cab and bunk.

“Drivers have all these things they need to plug in,” he says, “It’s nice to have easy access for them in the front and back.”

Interior comforts go a long way toward making trucks more alluring to current, prospective and potential drivers, Russoli says.

“All of these design elements and additional features not only help retain current drivers, but also help to attract new ones, particularly from outside of the trucking industry,” he says.

Reliable technology One of the biggest mistakes a fleet can make, Hummer says, is throwing money at driver-friendly features and failing to maintain them adequately.

He installs no-idle heating systems in each of his trucks, but he had to abandon a similar effort with air conditioning units over problems with their reliability.

“I don’t like adding stuff and it not work,” Hummer says. “It just frustrates the driver. Don’t spec something you’re not going to keep working on the truck.

If you’re going to put it on the truck, it’s got to work.”

He says fleets struggling with turnover likely just need to embrace the benefits of new technologies.

“Most of those guys that are having trouble keeping drivers need to go buy new trucks. Most of those guys are driving old trucks, and they are afraid of new trucks. It’s not 2006 or ’96 anymore. What used to be the real creature features even a couple years ago are standard now.”

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Carriers prepare tech to meet, exceed shipper requirements

BY AARON HUFF

D

uring the last six weeks, Tyler Hayes has reviewed a handful of contracts from major shippers that contain new provisions for complying with the Food Safety Modernization Act and, more specifically, the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule.

Hayes is associate general counsel of C.R. England, the nation’s largest refrigerated carrier (CCJ Top 250, No. 19). The Salt Lake City-based company operates more than 5,000 refrigerated trailers and 1,600 intermodal containers.

In reviewing C.R. England’s commercial transactions and contracts, he is spending more of his time these days on regulatory compliance and food safety.

Other motor carriers and freight brokers that transport temperature-sensitive loads also are starting to see how the Food and Drug Administration’s FSMA and STF rule might impact their operations.

“Those of us in the middle of it are still trying to figure out what it will ultimately look like,” Hayes says. Based on early indicators, he is concerned that “people that are not carefully reviewing their contracts might end up with more liability than they would have foreseen.”

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Motor carriers and freight brokers that transport temperature-sensitive loads also are starting to see how FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act might impact their operations.

New changes FDA proposed the rule in 2013, and a final rule was published April 6, 2016.

Enforcement will begin one year after that date.

By April 2017, shippers will be required to communicate their food safety requirements to carriers in the key areas of equipment, operations and training.

Carriers must have written policies and be able to document compliance.

A failure by a shipper to dictate any of the required steps or failure by a carrier to follow through could result in fines, cargo claims and criminal sanctions.

Carriers with less than $500,000 in average annual revenue are exempt from STF compliance. The rule also adds an extra year to the compliance deadline until April 2018 for motor carriers with less than $27.5 million in annual revenue and fewer than 500 employees.

While this may seem like good news for small carriers, the rule could make it more difficult – and perhaps impossible –

| november 2016

for them to do business with many shippers after April 2017. Small carriers may have no choice but to comply voluntarily.

Shippers have to define their requirements for food safety, and freight brokers have to implement those requirements with carriers. Brokers may have no choice but to avoid doing business with small carriers that haven’t complied.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how this shapes out,” Hayes says. “If you have five people in a transaction chain, but only three of them are subject to the rule, how do you deal with the other ones?”

Another complication from the rule is that freight brokers will be held liable as shippers.

“This alone will cause a boatload of new legal challenges, as most freight brokers don’t have insurance to cover them for these types of losses,” says Sam Tucker, chief executive officer of Carrier Risk Solutions, an Atlanta-based compliance and fleet safety management firm.

TECHNOLOGY: FOOD SAFETY

Operating temps C.R. England’s shipper contracts always have required clean and sanitary equipment and that proper temperatures be maintained. However, some of the new provisions in contracts for FSMA and STF compliance have been broad and unworkable, Hayes says.

As an example, he mentions a contract that contained wording such as this: “If the carrier fails to deliver the product in accordance with shipper instructions, the product will automatically be deemed adulterated.”

The term “shipper instructions” is vague and “opens the door to a lot of things,” Hayes says. “We’ve had to work with some customers to narrow the scope.”

One requirement in the rule is that shippers provide carriers with an operating temperature for loads. Meeting that temperature during transit is a requirement for food safety.

While shippers traditionally have included the temperature in their bills of lading to ensure product quality, the FSMA and STF rule goes a step further.

Violating the operating temperature for a load is defined as more than a quality issue; it is a food safety issue.

“You are always going to get safety if you have quality,” Hayes says. Now the same is true in the opposite direction; if a carrier exceeds the load’s operating temperature, it will have to deal with not only a quality issue but also a food safety issue.

As such, Hayes is concerned that shippers automatically might consider loads adulterated if a carrier fails to keep the operating temperature within a specific range during transit, such as “37 degrees Fahrenheit plus or minus two degrees.”

A load of carrots and a load of mayonnaise do not carry the same food safety risks for operating temperature, but carrots do not become toxic if the temperature falls out of range by a few degrees.

Also, shippers might use a narrow

operating temperature for a load of mixed commodities. What will happen if the trailer temperature for a mixed load of carrots and mayonnaise reaches 40 degrees in transit?

“The narrower the operating temperature, the more potential that the carrier is going to have a cargo claim based on an adulterated load,” Hayes says. “[The FDA] is creating a situation where the shipper is inadvertently designating things as unsafe.”

Gearing up with technology Trailer telematics is a common technology for carriers to comply with shipper requirements and will become the same for FSMA. These systems monitor and communicate data to and from transportation refrigeration units, including temperature and operating conditions.

The STF rule states that carriers need to demonstrate they have maintained requested temperature conditions during transit, but only upon request. Temperature records are not a requirement

for every shipment, Tucker says. Even so, telematics systems can provide such records with a few mouse clicks.

Blue Tree Systems’ single device platform, the BT500, is designed for tractor and trailer telematics applications. In the trailer, the device connects to TRUs from Carrier Transicold and Thermo King to capture and transmit data to Blue Tree’s online fleet management system. The device also can receive inputs from temperature probes and door sensors.

For FSMA and STF compliance, fleet users can create a PDF or spreadsheet report of trailer temperatures during transit and e-mail it to customers on demand.

For more real-time visibility, fleets can give shippers login credentials to the online portal.

As an additional compliance tool, Blue Tree is working to add a trailer washout program. Locations of commercial and noncommercial washes will be added to its online database for automatic recording of time that trailers arrive and depart from wash locations. Fleets will be able to

Salt Lake City-based C.R. England, the nation’s largest refrigerated carrier, is spending more time these days on regulatory compliance and food safety.

C.R. England uses Orbcomm’s trailer tracking and monitoring system that provides aroundthe-clock visibility to its assets without requiring a connection to tractors. commercial carrier journal

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TECHNOLOGY: FOOD SAFETY online portal.

Through data integration with C.R. England’s custom management portal and dispatch system, the company can set trailer temperatures remotely. This feature is used only for trailer precooling purposes, Hayes says.

The Orbcomm system alerts management when equipment is not operating as per its configuration and also helps minimize human error.

“We would always want the document trailer wash activities and audit driver to be setting the temperature since receipts, says Chip Powell, director of U.S. they are going off the temperature on the bill of lading in their hand.” The temperaoperations for Blue Tree Systems. ture on the bill of lading may be different C.R. England uses Orbcomm’s trailer than the booking temperature that the tracking and monitoring system that shipper provides with an order, he says. provides around-the-clock visibility to Thermo King’s TracKing telematics its assets without requiring a connection platform has two-way TRU command to tractors. The system provides twoand control features that allow users way connectivity through cellular and to change temperature set points satellite networks. remotely.

The telematics system has helped the Not all trailer telematics platforms carrier comply with FSMA guidelines by have this ability. While SkyBitz does enabling in-transit temperature moninot integrate with TRUs from Carrier toring, automating recordkeeping and Transicold and Thermo King, its sysproviding proof-of-temperature records tem captures inputs from independent as required.

“With most customers, we will provide them data upon request,” Hayes says. “We have already seen our bigger and more sophisticated shippers want to collect a lot of data. We have agreed to set up data feeds with them.”

Those data feeds include information on the temperature, location and door status (open or closed) of every load, he says. However, few shippers are asking for that much detail.

temperature, cargo and door sensors.

Henry Popplewell, SkyBitz senior vice president and general manager, says the data capture features are enough to satisfy most shippers’ FSMA requirements, and the system also is an economical option for carriers.

Exception alerts Perhaps the most useful trailer telematics features for compliance are alerts that provide early warnings that equipment is not operating properly.

The Orbcomm system alerts management when equipment is not operating as per its configuration. It also helps minimize human error by comparing trailer temperature against the temperature specified in the order.

If a driver adjusts a trailer’s temperature in error, the system immediately notifies operations for a follow-up investigation.

“This type of error may be rare, but it happens, and when it does, it can be very costly,” says Ron Hall, C.R. England’s vice president of equipment and fuel.

Blue Tree’s platform allows users to configure alerts if trailer temperatures exceed the specified range during transit and for mechanical issues such as low battery power, low fuel level or sudden fuel loss, Powell says. Also, fleets that use BT500 telematics devices in both

Remote control Several trailer telematics systems have two-way remote command and control options to allow fleet users to change temperature set points through an 62

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| november 2016

Blue Tree Systems’ single device platform, the BT500, is designed for tractor and trailer telematics applications.

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TECHNOLOGY: FOOD SAFETY TMW Systems is focused on developing new dashboards to provide motor carriers with real-time visibility of their shippers’ FSMA requirements, says Brian Larwig, vice president of optimization. The All of the variables that company offers an intecan be selected for grated suite of enterprise specific commodities management systems for can be preprogrammed into Carrier Transicold’s dispatch, route optimizaAPX Control system. tion, asset maintenance, telematics, recordkeeping and other applications. their tractors and trailers can set up The new dashboards will monitor data the driver’s in-cab display for real-time from each of those systems and provide exception alerts. alerts and visibility. Examples of alerts A driver could be alerted when pickinclude the temperature in a trailer being ing up a “hot” load, Powell says. The out of range for an order, or when a load hot load would be detected if a trailer’s such as fresh produce is assigned to a return air temperature is higher than trailer that has not been washed since its the load’s required temperature setting. previous load.

Before loading, a driver could use the To create the dashboards, TMW in-cab display to verify that the preSystems is working with fellow Trimble cooled temperature matches the opercompany HarvestMark, which developed ating temperature on the bill of lading a traceability and insights platform for and the load’s required temperature. fresh food transportation.

Thermo King’s TracKing web platform Major food brands already use Harnow includes a number of drop-down filvestMark’s platform to go beyond FSMA ters designed to allow users to customize compliance. QR codes are attached to their screen views and alerts, says Gayatri items at the farm source, and as the food Abbott, telematics product manager for products move through the supply chain, Thermo King North America. the information is recorded. An end conOne new feature, dual-screen viewsumer at a grocery store can scan the QR ing, lets users see all trailers in their fleet code with a smartphone see where the on a map on one side, with alarms and food originated and if it’s subject to recall. individual trailer details on the other – all TMW Systems is working with Harwithout leaving the main page. vestMark to create similar types of visiA new interactive temperature graph bility dashboards that carriers can use to lets users zoom into specific temperature provide similar information to shippers, and trailer events for cargo traceability Larwig says. A carrier could show a cusand verification. tomer a dashboard of FSMA compliance metrics for the past year of shipments.

Enterprise tools “Whoever adopts this and takes those Software companies that develop next steps outside the regulations is going enterprise management systems for to have a real advantage in picking up transportation companies see an food volume,” Larwig says. opportunity to help them meet and McLeod Software offers enterexceed FSMA compliance.

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| november 2016

prise-wide transportation management software for motor carriers, brokers and logistics providers. The company has made it a top priority to develop new software features that will help carriers and brokers meet FSMA requirements. About 25 percent of McLeod Software users now transport refrigerated shipments.

“We have the capability now to capture most, if not all, of the information that a trucking company needs to keep track of,” says Tom McLeod, president of McLeod Software. “There is still a fair amount that we can and will do as soon as we know more about the requirements.”

The company will be adding more flexible configuration options to its LoadMaster system for carriers to manage shipper profiles. The new profile features will make it possible to automate the documentation process.

“Trailer wash, driver training and temperature profiles throughout the shipment could vary by shipping location and commodity,” McLeod says. “They could also vary by receiver.”

Some shippers may require a temperature report before they accept a shipment at a receiving dock.

“We think that flexible reporting that you can produce quickly with minimal effort is going to be critical for carriers with temperature-controlled freight,” McLeod says.

HarvestMark’s traceability and insights platform allows a grocery shopper to scan a QR code with a smartphone to see where the food originated and if it’s subject to recall.

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The 2016 American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition held in Las Vegas saw plenty of news from industry insiders and vendors. Here’s a brief roundup of the highlights.

Spear keynote hints at winds of change at ATA TRUCKING REMAINS the backbone of the nation’s freight system,

He said ATA may have to abandon its push for

but threats exist that could hinder the industry’s growth and productiv-

an increased fuel tax.

ity. “Don’t mess with trucking,” said Chris Spear, president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations, in reference to regulatory agencies and anti-truck groups.

“If this is to be the fate of our nation’s fuel tax, then ATA must be prepared to realign our policies with the realities on Capitol Hill, begin-

Spear recently was named the ninth president of ATA, following

ning with a new means for funding our nation’s

Gov. Bill Graves, who led the association for 14 years. Spear previously

infrastructure,” he said. Spear has asked ATA’s

served as ATA’s senior vice president for legislative affairs in 2014-15.

Highway Policy Committee to develop a new

Joining Spear at ATA is a new senior executive leadership team, one

proposal to put before the next Congress begin-

that he said is committed to running the association like a business.

ning next year.

“The state of our industry is strong, but without leadership, unity or

ATA President and CEO Chris Spear made a case for industry unity and called on state associations to move forward and lead on a host of issues.

an aggressive pursuit of results, our future is uncertain,” Spear said. “At

Warnings to regulators, anti-truck groups

ATA, we are building a structure, a team and an agenda that not only

On the regulatory front, Spear said ATA will continue to work with the

provides certainty, but also results.”

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other agencies to ensure existing and pending regulations – Compliance Safety Account-

Protecting trade, improving infrastructure

ability, electronic logging devices, parking and minimum insurance

One major agenda for ATA will be protecting trade agreements such as

requirements, as well as any new regulations – are based on sound

the North American Free Trade Agreement and the more recent Trans-

science and research and actually will accomplish their intended goals.

Pacific Partnership, both of which have come under fire from presiden-

“Trucking is already one of the most regulated and taxed industries

tial candidates during the election season.

“Any attempt to reopen or threaten this longstanding agreement could have dire repercussions on our industry,” Spear said. “And not adopting TPP will undoubtedly push those potential Asian Rim partners

in America,” he said. “In the eyes of some elected officials, we look like a money-filled piñata. I’m here to tell you that those days, these impressions of our industry, are over.”

Spear also took the opportunity to call out anti-truck groups. “If you

toward a future agreement with China. America relies on free trade, and

want to throw the first proverbial punch, you’d better knock us down,

trucking is key.”

because you will feel the one we throw back,” he warned. “ATA will

Infrastructure funding will remain a core concern for ATA, said Spear, adding that the unwillingness of Washington lawmakers to adopt an indexed fuel tax increases safety risks due to a crumbling infrastructure.

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commercial carrier journal

| november 2016

fight your one-line soundbites and baseless rhetoric, and we will publically call out the hidden agendas of other industry groups.”

– Jeff Crissey

EQUIPMENT

ELD mandate boots HOS as top carrier concern

Paccar launching proprietary drive axle, boosting MX power, torque

MORE THAN 65 PERCENT

PACCAR IS TAKING THE NEXT STEP toward an integrated powertrain

of respondents to the most

with the launch of a proprietary drive axle optimized for line-haul applica-

recent American Transpor-

tions. Offering ratios of 2.47 to 3.7, the new axle will be a Kenworth standard

tation Research Institute

going forward.

Kevin Baney, Kenworth chief en-

annual survey listed the looming implementation date of the federal mandate on the use of electronic logging devices as the trucking

gineer, said the unveiling of a drive Carriers’ top concern about ELDs were that they could hinder productivity as full deployment rolls out.

axle gives Paccar two-thirds of the components needed to vertically integrate the company’s tractors.

“This is setting the stage for a Pac-

industry’s top concern.

ATRI’s latest survey features the list of the top critical issues facing the North American trucking industry. Car-

car powertrain,” he said.

Efficiency gains come from

Offering ratios of 2.47 to 3.7, the new drive axle will be a Kenworth standard going forward.

riers’ top concern about ELDs was that they could hinder

a pinion through-shaft and laser

productivity as full deployment rolls out.

welding on the inside, which helps improve friction and reduce weight with

Hours of service, the top concern for the last three years, slid one spot to No. 2 thanks largely to ongoing uncertainty about a final HOS rule.

the elimination of bolt-on components. Lighter weight comes from a reduction of oil inside, fewer components and the through-shaft’s geometry.

Paccar’s MX-11 engine will get a peak torque bump of roughly 100

The cumulative economic impacts of trucking regula-

lb.-ft. from 1,550 to 1,650, whiel the MX-13 will get a horsepower boost to

tions, a newcomer to the list, came in third, which ATRI

510, up from 500. Both of the engines also will feature a single-cylinder air

said reflects the industry’s collective frustration with

compressor.

– Jason Cannon

increasing and costly regulatory requirements.

The lack of available truck parking moved the issue up again this year to fourth place overall, while the state of the nation’s economy rounded out the top five.

– Jason Cannon

Jet Express’ Burch named ATA chairman

Peterbilt touts 579 Epiq day cab spec, updates to remote diagnostics PETERBILT ANNOUNCED the

availability of the Model 579 Epiq spec in a day cab configuration that the company said can provide

KEVIN BURCH, president of Jet

up to a 14 percent improvement in

Express and vice chairman of Truck-

fuel economy. The day cab version

ing Moves America Forward, was

features a three-piece collapsible

elected as ATA’s next chairman.

roof fairing, chassis fairings with rubber skirts and closeouts, front

Burch has been president of Jet Express since 1990 and a commercial driver’s license holder since 2008. He succeeds Pat Thomas, senior vice president for state government affairs at UPS. Burch previously has served as

Kevin Burch previously has served as chairman of both the Truckload Carriers Association and ATA’s Communications and Image Policy Committee.

chairman of both the Truckload Car-

wheel closeouts and fender liners,

Peterbilt’s Model 579 Epiq day cab is suited for fuel-conscious customers in tanker, bulk and regional-haul applications.

a three-piece aerodynamic bumper and a bumper air dam with bumper-to-hood seals.

“The 579 Epiq day cab will appeal to fuel-conscious customers in tanker, bulk and regional-haul applications in what has been an underserved market,” said Darrin Siver, Peterbilt general manager and Paccar vice president.

The 579 Epiq day cab is available with either the MX-11 or MX-13 engine

riers Association and ATA’s Communications and Image

depending on application. Peterbilt also announced the new Paccar drive

Policy Committee. He also works closely with the LEAD

axle will be standard on Model 579 tractors spec’d for line-haul applications.

ATA program. In 2014, he won the Mike Russell Trucking Industry Image Award.

Improvements to Peterbilt’s SmartLinq remote diagnostics system include reasoning technology and the new SmartLinq Service Management solu-

– CCJ Staff

tion, for which the company has partnered with Decisiv. commercial carrier journal

– Jeff Crissey

| november 2016 67

BUSINESS | 2016 ATA MCE ROUNDUP

Kenworth updates TruckTech+, T680 Advantage sleeper KENWORTH ANNOUNCED TRUCK-

develop TruckTech+ Service Manage-

the configuration is aimed at regional

TECH+ SERVICE MANAGEMENT, an

ment. The truck maker will offer the

tank, bulk, flatbed and heavy haulers.

update to its remote diagnostics system

fleet portal for dealers and customers to

that allows fleet managers to monitor

access the service early next year.

the status of a truck service or repair

Other announcements included cab temperature monitoring and auto start/

After introducing a day cab spec for its

stop capability to its power manage-

in real time. It also provides the truck’s

fuel-efficient T680 Advantage in August,

ment system, Cummins ISL G natural

service history, parts catalog and chassis

Kenworth announced the addition of a

gas engine options for the T680 and

information to help technicians diagnose

52-inch mid-roof sleeper option available

T880, and Bendix Wingman Advanced

and solve maintenance issues quicker.

in 2017. Mike Dozier, Kenworth general

system availability for the medium-duty

manager and Paccar Vice president, said

T270 and T370 models.

Kenworth partnered with Decisiv to

Volvo rolling out Active Driver Assist platform VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA introduced Volvo Active Driver Assist, a comprehensive collision mitigation system that combines both radar and

– Jeff Crissey

Mack inks deal with Geotab, unlocking telematics for older trucks

MACK TRUCKS ENTERED INTO A MEMORANDUM

camera capabilities to provide emergency braking and help drivers maintain a safe following distance

OF UNDERSTANDING WITH GEOTAB, a provider of

through alerts and interventions.

end-to-end telematics technology, to enable connectivity

Volvo currently is the only OEM to fully integrate

for older vehicles model years 2010 and older not cur-

the system into its Driver Information Display, so

rently equipped with the company’s integrated telematics

no additional display units or prep kits are needed.

solution, Mack GuardDog Connect.

Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America, said this feature makes the system simpler for both the fleet and the driver.

Volvo Active Driver Assist is always active, combining stationary object detection with stationary vehicle braking and sending audible and visual

The radar sensor has a detection range of 22 degrees wide and 500 feet in front of the truck and detects the angle, speed and distance of the object ahead.

David Pardue, Mack’s vice president of connected vehicles and uptime services, said Geotab will be available for older vehicles and will not replace GuardDog Connect on newer trucks.

GuardDog Connect enables real-time diagnosis of issues, scheduling of repairs and confirmation that needed

warnings if a nonmoving metallic object is detected

parts are in stock and ready to install, all while the truck is

in front of the truck. Braking assist will be applied – at speeds greater than 15

still on the job.

mph – when the system recognizes the stationary object as a vehicle, indepen-

Through Mack ASIST and the Mack OneCall customer

dent of whether cruise control is engaged. The driver will receive a warning

support network, GuardDog Connect also offers proactive

up to 3.5 seconds before an imminent impact with the stationary vehicle, and

communication of decision-critical information to maxi-

if no action is taken by the driver, Volvo Active Driver Assist automatically will

mize customer uptime. GuardDog Connect is standard on

engage the brakes.

Pinnacle, Granite, Titan and TerraPro cabover models.

When cruise control is engaged, Volvo Active Driver Assist also will help the

Mack also announced a new Mack ASIST mobile app

driver maintain a set following distance behind the forward vehicle. Should the

designed to allow customers to manage service and

forward vehicle slow down, Volvo Active Driver Assist will alert the driver and, if

unplanned events.

necessary, reduce throttle to the engine, apply the engine brake, downshift the

Mack ASIST, a cloud-based service relationship man-

Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission and apply the foundation brakes

agement tool, connects fleet customers, dealers, service

and brake lights to help the driver maintain the set following distance gap.

providers, Mack field staff and Mack Uptime Center

Using a front bumper-mounted radar sensor and a windshield-mounted

agents during service and repair events.

camera, Volvo Active Driver Assist offers a series of visual and audible alerts

The free app will feature a link to the Mack Uptime

depending on the forward distance of the front object. Cruise control does

Center based in Greensboro, N.C., which houses person-

not have to be engaged for the Volvo Active Driver Assist system to work.

nel from all customer support functions and connects

Available now for order as an option on new Volvo VNL and VNM models, the

them to customers and dealers through the latest vehicle

system also improves metallic object detection and functionality in hazy, rainy,

communications technology and case management tools.

– Jason Cannon

– Jason Cannon

foggy and snowy conditions.

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commercial carrier journal

| november 2016

BUSINESS | 2016 ATA MCE ROUNDUP

Cummins, Eaton add higher torque to SmartAdvantage powertrain

Detroit aligns with AT&T, Microsoft to enhance connectivity services DETROIT DIESEL AN-

NOUNCED collaborations

THE SMARTADVAN-

TAGE POWERTRAIN

with AT&T and Microsoft to

PORTFOLIO is adding a higher torque capacity, Eaton and Cummins announced. The expanded powertrain offering now includes a new transmis-

deliver enhancements to its Detroit Connect suite of con-

A new transmission model with 1,850 lb.-ft. torque capacity is being offered for linehaul applications operating with GCVW ratings of up to 80,000 pounds.

nected vehicle services. AT&T will provide Internet of Things connectivity for the new Detroit Connect Truck Data Center

Detroit Connect Remote Updates enables over-the-air engine programming and powertrain electronic firmware update capabilities for customers.

sion model with 1,850

platform, and Microsoft will

lb.-ft. of torque for linehaul applications operating with

support Detroit Connect services with the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

Exclusive to the new Freightliner Cascadia, the platform features com-

GCVW ratings of up to 80,000 pounds.

Alex Stucky, Eaton’s commercial powertrain product

munications hardware that will deliver Detroit Connect Remote Updates,

strategy manager, said the 1,850 lb.-ft. rating helps im-

which enables over-the-air engine programming and powertrain electronic

prove grade capabilities and acceleration while broaden-

firmware update capabilities for customers, as well as the ability to inte-

ing the downsped SmartAdvantage powertrain offerings.

grate third-party telematics applications.

The connectivity platform will be available with start-of-production of

The SmartAdvantage powertrain will be offered as a multitorque model that is compatible with Cummins

the new Freightliner Cascadia in January 2017. A five-year standard base

SmartTorque2 functionality available in ISX15 SA and

package will include Detroit Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnos-

X15 SA engines rated up to 500 hp and 1,550/1,850

tics service, access to the new Detroit Connect portal and, later in 2017,

lb.-ft. of torque.

remote updates and third-party application integration.

– Jason Cannon

– CCJ Staff

TECHNOLOGY

Lytx debuts always-on Unisyn video platform LYTX, A PROVIDER OF VIDEO TELEMATICS, introduced the Unisyn platform, a video telematics model designed to provide

rear view, cargo interior, dock/warehouse and interior.

Resulting video and corresponding telematics data can be ac-

added levels of video access and expandability to fleets and field

cessed from the cloud in real time or on demand from virtually any

operations of all sizes and profiles.

cloud-connected device, including iOS and Android mobile devices.

The Unisyn platform works side by side with the DriveCam

Lytx also announced two new triggers – rolling stops and roll

platform for those fleets that wish to take advantage of their

stability – to its DriveCam exception-based video safety program,

complementary benefits – using DriveCam’s exception-based

bringing the total number of triggers to more than 70.

video to help prevent collisions through programmatic coaching,

The company also introduced its Mobile Fleet Tracking Solution,

and Unisyn’s always-on video to track, monitor and act on fleet and

expanding the company’s previous fleet tracking system to include

field operations.

all mobile devices using a responsive HTML5 design. Users now

The Unisyn platform features always-on access to up to

can use a phone, tablet or desktop to monitor a variety of features,

seven days – or more, depending on the user-chosen resolu-

including live fleet maps, geofence administration, vehicle history

tion – of cloud-connected video. Organizations can access,

and vehicle search and list management.

review and manage video from their fleets and field operations when, where and how they want in real time or a few days after an incident has occurred.

A combination of hardware and wireless network technology enables the Unisyn platform to seamlessly integrate and synchronize high-definition video from as many cameras as a client wishes, including, but not limited to, forward-facing, side view, side mirror,

70

commercial carrier journal

| november 2016

– Aaron Huff and Jeff Crissey Lytx’s Unisyn features always-on access to up to seven days – or more, depending on the user-chosen resolution – of cloudconnected video.

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BUSINESS | 2016 ATA MCE ROUNDUP

Pegasus TransTech enters telematics market

Rand McNally launches new fleet management device RAND MCNALLY ANNOUNCED its new DC

200 cellular electronic logging and fleet manage-

PEGASUS TRANSTECH, a

ment device, joining the ELD 50 in the com-

provider of enterprise mobility

pany’s DriverConnect product lineup. The DC

and business process auto-

200 works with Android devices via Bluetooth or

mation for the transportation

Wi-Fi and is aimed at small- and medium-sized

industry, unveiled Transflo Telematics, its next-generation fleet management and electronic logging solution.

Transflo Telematics includes data and telematics software for

Pegasus TransTech’s Transflo Telematics solution features three components – Transflo’s Telematics portal, T7 ELD and Mobile platform.

fleets looking for affordable ELD compliance.

Rand McNally’s DC 200 works with Android devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and is aimed at small- and medium-sized fleets looking for affordable ELD compliance.

Unlike the ELD 50, the DC 200 unit has a built-in multimode cell modem that allows fleet managers to track trucks in near-real time and message drivers. Once paired with an Android device, the DC 200 enables drivers to view logs, driver vehicle inspection reports and more through Rand McNally’s DriverConnect app. The unit also integrates with

fleet managers, an electronic

transportation management software systems to facilitate communication with

logging device that installs in the vehicle, and a mobile

dispatch systems and fleet management.

application from which drivers manage electronic logs and all other workday activities.

Rand McNally is offering two plans for the DC 200. The Compliance Plan offers HOS, DVIR, track-and-trace and new messaging with multidevice support.

Transflo Telematics combines three components – Transflo’s Telematics portal, T7 ELD and Mobile

The Core Plan has all of those features and adds IFTA fuel tax reporting and forms-based messaging in workflow management.

– Jeff Crissey

platform – to allow carriers and drivers to comply with electronic logging regulations.

– Aaron Huff

Help PrePass InfoRM offers safety inspection data

Zonar introduces next-gen tablet ZONAR INTRODUCED its nextgeneration tablet, Zonar Connect, designed to be faster, more

HELP INC., PROVIDER OF PREPASS, unveiled

responsive and more customiz-

InfoRM, a business intelligence tool designed to

able compared to its previous-

provide carriers with the information they need to

generation units. The ruggedized

understand Inspection Selection System scores that

tablet also provides fleet manag-

enforcement agencies use to determine which trucks

ers with a suite of tools to help

to inspect. InfoRM is designed to provide data to help

manage compliance, safety and

fleets quantify safety trends to improve safety scores.

efficiency monitoring.

InfoRM takes PrePass safety and bypass data that is

Built on the Android mobile

available to Help’s customers and aggregates it into a

operating system, Connect

user-friendly dashboard for carriers that includes:

features a host of connectivity

• An interactive map of truck inspection and violation locations by state, city and highway; • Search by VIN number, site, violation and equipment to identify clusters and trends; and • Historical views of inspections and violations with the ability to export data and integrate it into other fleet management tools.

– Linda Longton

commercial carrier journal

options, including Bluetooth, WiFi, LTE cellular, near-field communication and RFID. Battery performance is 10 days of standby and three hours of continual use. The Connect tablet charges in its in-cab cradle.

Connect is connected even when outside of the cab, allowing the driver to submit completed documents and electronic driver vehicle inspection reports to dispatch without returning to the cab. It also connects vehicles, drivers and fleet managers with critical information such as vehicle health, efficiency, hours

Help’s InfoRM is based on PrePass safety and bypass data and is designed to help fleets quantify safety trends to improve safety scores.

72

The ruggedized, faster Zonar Connect tablet provides fleet managers with a suite of tools to help manage compliance, safety and efficiency monitoring.

of service, performance, data capture, compliance, safety and asset utilization.

The Connect tablet is compliant with current HOS regulations, and Zonar can update the tablet software over the air when the electronic logging device mandate takes effect at the end of 2017. The tablet also integrates with Zonar’s Ground Traffic Control, allowing fleets better visibility of assets on the road.

– Jeff Crissey

| november 2016

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BUSINESS | 2016 ATA MCE ROUNDUP

Noregon launches integrated vehicle health, safety solution NOREGON LAUNCHED TRIPVISION,

Fleet dispatchers are presented

a product the company said leverages

with actionable fault information and

its vehicle maintenance data back-

aggregated health/safety scores and

ground into a real-time health and safety

recommendations to determine vehicle

management solution. TripVision is avail-

readiness more easily. All pertinent

able through major telematics providers

information is designed for an easy-to-

and is designed to provide a detailed

consume format with customizable fault

real-time view into every vehicle in the

management options to meet a fleet’s

entire fleet through any Internet-con-

specific needs.

– Jason Cannon

nected device.

Noregon’s TripVision presents fleet dispatchers with actionable fault data and aggregated health/safety scores and recommendations.

J.J. Keller, Vigillo form partnership

Velociti introduces proactive onboard technology health monitoring system

J.J. KELLER & ASSOCIATES

VELOCITI ANNOUNCED VELOCICARE, its

AND VIGILLO announced a

partnership to provide a new analytical solution to identify unsafe behavior in drivers and assign appropriate training. The companies’ Prescriptive Analytics Solution uses the data that Vigillo gathers from more than 500,000 truck drivers to diagnose driver behavior that may

new subscription-based maintenance support The companies’ Prescriptive Analytics Solution uses unsafe driving data gathered by Vigillo to assign driver training courses from J.J. Keller’s Training On Demand library.

lead to unsafe operations.

program for onboard technologies, including remote system health monitoring, hardware repair and replacement and system upgrades.

Similar to vehicle remote diagnostics systems offered by truck OEMs, VelociCare’s proactive system health monitoring feature automatically monitors real-time

Velociti’s VelociCare subscription-based maintenance support program is designed for onboard technologies, including remote system health monitoring, hardware repair and replacement and system upgrades.

information about the performance of the supported technology and allows expedited resolution of any situation

Violation data can be combined with onboard

based on the severity of the issue and the customer’s preferences.

event data to create a driver behavior profile. The

The VelociCare package also includes web-based project management

resulting map of risky behavior is matched with

with real-time updates of any pending repairs; system troubleshooting by

subject matter from J.J. Keller’s Training On De-

Velociti’s tech support call center; inventory storage, shipping and staging;

mand library of interactive driver training courses to

user training; and extended warranties.

– Jeff Crissey

– Aaron Huff

remediate unsafe behaviors.

Fleet testing shows Guardian solution reduced drowsy/distracted driving SEEING MACHINES UNVEILED DATA

Testing with the three U.S. fleets,

SHOWING its Guardian driver monitor-

involved in long haul, food delivery and

ing system reduced distracted driving and

construction, found:

fatigue in tests with three U.S. fleets. The Guardian technology uses sensors and image processing to track micromovements of drivers’ eyes and head to identify fatigue

• Microsleep events (where the driver’s eyes are completely closed while driving) were reduced by 71, 75 and 100 percent; • Cell phone distractions were reduced by 77, 97 and 100 percent; and

or distraction in real time.

When the system detects any of several events such as drowsiness, controlled eye closure, glancing down or away or using a

• Distraction events at high speed were reduced 43, 49, and 83 percent.

The Guardian system does not record

cell phone, the driver receives in-cab audio

and store video and only shares the infor-

and seat vibration alerts, immediately inter-

mation with the fleet if there is an event.

– Linda Longton

vening to prevent an incident.

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commercial carrier journal

| november 2016

The Guardian technology uses sensors and image processing to track micromovements of drivers’ eyes and head to identify fatigue or distraction in real time.

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Yokohama’s BluEarth 709L fuel-efficient ultra-wide-base drive tire has an advanced compound engineered to resist heat buildup and a 24/32-inch tread depth for added low rolling resistance. A specialized directional tread pattern promotes added traction in wet or snowy conditions without sacrificing rolling resistance, while a Z-block design helps create multiple biting edges for more grip during acceleration. Tie-bar connectors promote block rigidity to help reduce heel-toe wear, while seven circumferential grooves help evacuate water from beneath the tread to boost road contact. A zero-degree belt is designed to create a consistently stable footprint for long, even wear and extended service life, while funnel-shaped grooves helps prevent stones and other debris from reaching the groove’s bottom. The tire is available in size 445/50R22.5 and is verified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program.

Yokohama Tire Corp., www.yokohamatruck.com, 800-722-9888

Lightweight flatbed Utility’s lightweight 4000AE flatbed trailer is an evolution of the company’s 4000A model, with a standard 47,000-pound coil-haul package and a 3- and 4-inch aluminum crossmember design, contributing to a 536-pound weight reduction from the base model and a 627-pound reduction from a coil-haul model. Each crossmember sits in a patent-pending saddle that does not use mechanical fasteners to connect it to the steel main beams. For added stability, three tubeshaped outriggers are located on each side and are connected to the aluminum crossmembers, aiding in even load distribution to the steel main beams.

Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co., www.utilitytrailer.com, 626-965-1541

Trailer air disc brake Bendix’s ADB22X-LT air disc brake for trailers has a 23,000-pound brake rating and weighs 40 pounds per tandem axle lighter than its companion ADB22X air disc brake, helping to deliver increased payload capacity. The brake features a pad designed with 8 percent more wearable volume and an improved wear rate, while its internal self-adjustment mechanism helps support longer service life through reduced brake drag. A virtual absence of brake fade or degradation of stopping power helps increase reliability.

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, www.foundationbrakes.com, 866-610-9709

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commercial carrier journal | november 2016

PRODUCTS

Logistics bracket

The Exact-A-Track logistics bracket is designed to be mounted to existing vertical or horizontal e-track sections of a logistics trailer or straight truck box to secure freight from moving forward or backward and also deck freight at virtually any position. The bracket is engineered to be mounted horizontally among two existing vertical posts on both sides of the trailer as high or low as needed to secure the freight; a logistics load bar then can be locked into the brackets to secure the freight, leading to virtually zero movement of the freight and helping to reduce both insurance freight claims and collisions due to un-

stable freight. The brackets, when paired with logistics tracking and bars, are designed to accommodate 52 pallets with dimensions of 48-by-48-by-48 inches, while a 24-foot straight truck box can accommodate 24 pallets.

Over The Road Logistics Solutions, www. otrlogisticssolutions.com

Bluetooth headset

ToughTested’s ProComm wireless Bluetooth headset is a ruggedized but flexible water- and dust-resistant neckband with earbud cords, a noise-canceling microphone and external speakers. The neckband and earbud cords feature an exterior jacket with a braided nylon interior wrap made with Dupont Kevlar fiber for added durability. The earbuds attach magnetically to each other or the body of the unit, helping to prevent wear and tear to the cords from frequent coiling.

Mizco International, www.toughtested.com commercial carrier journal | november 2016 Radiator Works_CCJ0416_PG.indd 1

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PRODUCTS

Trailer skirt Wabco’s OptiFlow TrailerSkirt is a lightweight, rigid aerodynamic side skirt for trailers that features a proprietary one-bolt mono clamp technology to facilitate quicker installation. The skirt is designed to enhance fuel economy and is approved by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board.

Wabco, www.wabco-auto.com, 866-668-7221

External cleaner pre-filters Freedom’s external cleaner pre-filters are engineered for installation over the top of the intake grille, which helps prevent large particles of debris such as grain chaff, rubber, dirt and sand from getting into and clogging the air filter element.

The reusable pre-filters are treated with a hydrophobic water-repellant process to help keep out rain, ice and snow. They can be fastened over the intake with elastic to facilitate quick, easy installation and are cleaned easily with soap and water.

Freedom Air Filters, www.freedomairfilters.com, 877-454-6565

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commercial carrier journal | november 2016

PRODUCTS

DEF drain valve Fumoto’s DEF Valve is engineered to provide a convenient mess-free experience when draining diesel exhaust fluid.

The valve is made of stainless steel to help prevent corrosion and contamination, and a red-colored indicator is designed to alert a driver and technician when the DEF and valve are frozen, helping to prevent damage to the valve and tank.

Fumoto Engineering of America Inc.,

GPS unit for truckers

fumotousa.com/def-valves.php, 800-918-3406

TomTom’s Trucker 600 GPS unit has a 6-inch screen and 16 gigabytes of memory that allows added space for map updates to be installed on the unit. TomTom offers free lifetime map updates and TomTom Traffic through the mobile phone app that communicates via Bluetooth to the GPS unit. Also with Bluetooth connectivity, drivers can log into TomTom MyDrive either on the mobile app or a web-based browser and plan their routes, which then are sent to the unit.

TomTom, www.tomtom.com

Lighting family additions

Phillips’ Permalite XT family now includes a 4-inch round reverse light and a ¾-inch round hard-wired light for multiple applications. The 4-inch round clear reverse light with the company’s Boardfree technology and nine diodes comes in either flange- or grommet-mount and is designed to be mounted in any direction. Constructed of ABS and acrylic material, the lights are engineered for added durability and to resist impact, corrosion, harsh chemicals and UV exposure. The integrated male 3-pin AMP connector is sealed and greased to help keep corrosion-causing contaminants out.

The ¾-inch round hard-wired lights, suited for locations where space is restricted, include their correlating mounting grommet and are constructed with a polycarbonate lens and a sealed housing to help protect the three diodes inside from outside contaminants and moisture. They are available with a variety of lens colors and wiring configurations for single- or dual-function marker, clearance, auxiliary and license applications.

Phillips Industries, www.phillipsind.com, 800-423-4512 commercial carrier journal | november 2016 Kiene_CCJ0916_PG.indd 1

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An Employee-Owned Company

AD INDEX American Petroleum Institute . . . . . . . . . . .DieselOilMatters .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Navistar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .InternationalTrucks .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-17

American Truckers Legal Association . . . . .800-525-4285 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

NTEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WorkTruckShow .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

BestPass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .518-621-5879 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

O’Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FirstCallOnline .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Bitimec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877-637-1900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Omnitracs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-348-7227 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

CCJ’s Innovators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

PCS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281-419-9500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chevron Partner Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CCJDigital .com/Partner-Solutions/Chevron . . . . . . .24-25

PeopleNet Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . .888-346-3486 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Cummins Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CumminsEngines .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-473-8372 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

Detroit Diesel Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313-592-5000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Phillips 66 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Phillips66Lubricants .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Direct Equipment Supply Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-992-1478 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PPGCommercialCoatings .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Drivers Legal Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-417-3552 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Pride & Polish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .prideand polish .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Eaton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roadranger .com/Reman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FC, 71

ProMiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-324-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Eberspacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-387-4800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Quartix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .855-913-6663 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

EpicVue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .844-EPICVUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Radiator Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .877-RAD-WORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

ExxonMobil Partner Solutions . . . . . . . . . . .CCJDigital .com/Partner-Solutions/MobilDelvac . . .40-41

Shell Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-231-6950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84, IBC

Fitzgerald Collision & Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . .931-450-4450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

TA-Petro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-632-9240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Freightliner Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .503-745-8000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC

TCA Driver of the Year Contest . . . . . . . . . . . .Truckload .org/Driver-Of-The-Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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

Technology & Maintenance Council . . . . . .703-838-1763 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Great Dane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .773-254-5533 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

TMW Fleet Maintenance Management . .800-401-6682 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Howes Lubricator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-438-4693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Total Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-323-3198 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

JVR Safe-T-Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .818-363-7199 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Truckstop .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-203-2540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Kalmar Ottawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OttawaTrucksNA .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

TSI/SSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-223-4540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Kanawha Scales & Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-231-1679 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Vipar Heavy Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vipar .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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

VIS Service Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-847-8721 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Lytx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-419-5861 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Western Star Trucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-850-STAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Mack Trucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MackTrucks .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Wreaths Across America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WreathsAcrossAmerica .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Minimizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-248-3855 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

XTRA Lease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .XtraLease .com/Rebills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

MobilDelvac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MobilDelvac .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Zamzow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zamzow-Tarp .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

commercial carrier journal | november 2016

83

Smurdley’s Pizza Palace

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

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

By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants the metal surfaces.

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

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

PREVENTABLE or NOT? Doe’s P&D pummeled by pizza-panicked Polk

A

t high noon, comforted by a family-size bag of tasty celery sticks in the passenger seat, John Doe was driving his straight pickup-and-delivery truck eastbound on a sunny stretch of three-lane one-way Porkpie Parkway near Ferndock, Ala. Rolling along in the center lane, Doe noticed that the left lane was polluted by a haze of blue smoke. A forest fire, perhaps?

Nope. The smoke was billowJohn Doe was driving in the ing from the rusty tailpipe of Joe Bob Polk Sr.’s slow-moving 1955 center lane of a three-lane one-way highway when his Buick Roadmaster sedan – a twostraight truck was struck tone sorta-blue vehicle celebrating by a four-wheeler merging 182,763.9 miles of faithful service from the left lane. Was this with an unquenchable thirst for moa preventable accident? tor oil. Doe closed his driver window in self-defense and remained in the center lane, preparing to pass Polk’s antique conveyance.

At the same time, Polk spied a sign that announced that Smurdley’s Pizza Palace was about two blocks ahead on the right. Temporarily demented by an all-consuming craving for one of Smurdley’s pepperoni and double-cheese creations, Polk zoomed into the center lane without using his turn signal. Unfortunately, the center lane was occupied by Doe’s truck, which incurred some minor damage to its left rear wheel well.

Polk’s ride escaped unscathed.

Since Doe contested the preventable-accident ruling from his safety director, the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee was asked to render a final decision. NSC quickly ruled in Doe’s favor, noting that he could not have anticipated a wild lane-changeover by the pizzacraved Polk.

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

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

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

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

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

Visit ROTELLA.com, call 1-800-237-6950 or write to The ANSWER COLUMN, 1001 Fannin, Ste. 500, Houston,TX 77002.

The term “Shell Lubricants” refers to the various Shell Group companies engaged in the lubricants business.

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

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