CCJ1215

DECEMBER 2015

OVER THE RIVER, THROUGH THE WOODS

Modern cruise control sees hills before you do

CCJ honors the best rolling displays

page 36

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

Vehicle video systems help protect you page 60

page 64

AT I RM

FO

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IN D RE SO ON

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ON

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dECEmbER 2015 | voL 172 | no. 12

CCJ ’s Five Flashiest Fleets

54

journal LEAdIng nEwS, TRuCkIng mARkET CondITIonS And InduSTRy AnALySIS

Most fleets look at a 53-foot trailer as a box to move freight from point A to point B. Others see it as a blank canvas – and an opportunity to advance their company’s brand and product message to the driving public. Fleet graphics nominations for this year’s Five Flashiest Fleets included a blend of for-hire carriers, specialty fleets and – yes, one of our traditional standbys – beer haulers.

Cover design by David Watson

features

60

In the camera’s eye

As the prices of camera systems have fallen, they also have become smaller, sharper and easier to use. A relative smattering of cameras already have found their way into multiple trucking applications, and if current trends in society are any indication, that adoption pace will accelerate rapidly in the coming years as more systems are adopted – both inside and outside the cab.

64

E-log, driver coercion rules cleared for publication … House clears highway bill that would remove CSA scores … ATRI offers glimpse into how crash

Down to the final mile

Technology suppliers traditionally have focused on different areas in the transportation market such as mobile communications, dispatch and routing. But during the past few years, these same companies have taken big, swift strides to own the domain where these different technologies converge. Their goal is to offer the total connectivity package of separate components to fleets through a subscription model.

51

10 News

Innovators: Mesilla Valley Transportation

fault could impact CSA scores … Rhode Island trucking group counters trucks-only toll plan … L.A. truckers strike over misclassification issue

13 InBrief 22 MarketPulse

The Las Cruces, N.M.-based truckload fleet takes fuel efficiency testing to the next level.

commercial carrier journal

| december 2015 3

DEPARTMENTS

ccjdigital.com

technology

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

Editorial

Editor: Jeff Crissey Executive Editor, Trucking: Jack Roberts Senior Editor: Aaron Huff Managing Editor: Dean Smallwood News Editor: James Jaillet Associate Editor: Matt Cole Contributing Editor: Todd Dills

24

Peterbilt adds predictive cruise, 11-liter engine to Epiq spec

26 Test Drive:

Cummins-Eaton powertrain

26 InBrief 30 Test Drive: Mercedes

Benz Metris Midsize Cargo Van

32 32 32 34

Cummins planning to cut 2,000 jobs worldwide Truck makers recalling nearly 11,000 trucks Hino to offer Insight telematics for all new vehicles NACFE study touts downspeeding benefits, disadvantages

36 InFocus: Terrain-based

38 39 39 40

Fleets offer testimonials at Telogis conference

editorial@ccjdigital.com

Trimble creates software suite for oil and gas industry

Art Director: David Watson Graphic Designer: Kenneth Stubbs Quality Assurance: Timothy Smith Advertising Production Manager: Leah Boyd

Panasonic debuts rugged detachable laptop Telogis product lineup enhances connectivity

40 InBrief 42 Vigillo confronts CSA issues

with Just alternative scoring system

44

Omnitracs model predicts serious accidents using HOS data

46 InFocus:

Driver simulators

48

cruise control

EpicVue study finds top retention factors are independence, respect

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

6

68

4

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| DECEMBER 2015

Divide between large, small carriers as wide as ever

80

Preventable or Not?

79

Ad Index

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GLIDER KITS REDEFINED

Bill Downy (Left), Nick Bresaw (Center), Tommy Fitzgerald Jr (Right).

F

itzgerald Glider Kits set out as a family owned/operated company almost 30 years ago to change the Glider Kit market. Long before the Glider Kit business took off, the Fitzgerald family had a trucking company and a service shop of their own that would eventually lead them to where they are today. “We built our first glider kit over 25 years ago. Over time, the industry has developed a real need for more trucks with less complex engines. Some years later, we decided to shift our focus solely on glider kits”, said Tommy Fitzgerald Jr. Today the company is still very much a family business, he added “We really enjoy what we do and are passionate about our work. Everyone here is not just our family. We all work hard for the same goal, and at the end of the day its something we can all be proud of. I believe that this has more to do with our success than anything else.”

Every engine is accompanied by the choice of a 10, 13, or 18 speed Eaton Fuller Factory Reman Transmission.

“When it comes to purchasing a glider kit, we offer more options then anyone else. We have three different engine combinations, and multiple warranty options to go with them. Because of our buying power, we have more trucks on the ground then anyone else in the glider market”, said Tommy Fitzgerald Jr. Even being the leaders in the industry, they still occasionally get asked the very basic question, “What is a Glider Kit”? Luckily, the answer to that question is incredibly simple. A Glider Kit is a brand new truck from the manufacturer without an engine and transmission. All interior, rear ends, and braking systems are pre-installed before they receive the unit.

Today, they are the largest Glider Kit assembler in North America. By Fitzgerald Glider Kits has mastered the process of taking the providing customers with a wide range of popular brands like ‘Glider Kit’ and installing the components to work seamlessly Peterbilt, Freightliner, Kenworth, and Western Star, they have with the new truck. The end result is a brand new glider, single handedly changed the industry’s view of Glider Kits over with an engine and transmission that has been completely the past 10 years. In addition to offering the different brands, rebuilt from the ground up. Couple that with a Nationwide they also have a limited number of special edition trucks like Warranty, and you can see why they are leading the market place for glider kits. the Peterbilt Pride and Class 389 and the Kenworth Icon 900.

Fitzgerald Glider Kits offers customers the option to purchase a brand new 2016 tractor, in any configuration offered by the manufacturer. Next comes the option of several pre emission engines to choose from. The Detroit 12.7 liter 60 series motor has been their flagship engine for a long time running. Along with the optional 5-year/500k mile warranty, the dependability and serviceability of this engine make it very appealing to people looking for Gliders. Just like the different models of trucks, some people desire different engine options. That’s why Fitzgerald Glider Kits also offers customers a factory reman Cummins N14, a reman CAT C15 engine from Thompson CAT.

For many fleets and owner operators, a Glider Kit offers them a different option to consider when looking to purchase a new truck. Because of the older model engines, you have more options when it comes to servicing the unit. Built with parts that are easily accessed across the nation, and generally have a much lower upfront price, the total cost of ownership and operation is considerably less then a brand new truck.

How does Fitzgerald Glider Kits stand behind their product?

Today, they are the only company to offer a full Nationwide Warranty, which allows their trucks to be serviced at independent

Byrdstown, TN shops as well as dealerships. Thus, giving their customers more options for service in case of a problem on the road. “We have been working very hard to build a larger Preferred Service Center Network for our customers. These service centers have agreements, which are held to a higher standard of service for our customers. We are continuing to build this network on a daily basis”, said Bill Downey, who heads the warranty department at Fitzgerald Glider Kits.

Over the past year, Fitzgerald Glider Kits has really expanded their operation. They’ve opened up a brand new plant close to their primary facility in Byrdstown, TN. In the past few years, due to high demand, the average wait time to get a truck was around 6 weeks. Because of the increased production capabilities, they’ve managed to cut that time down by almost half. “Approaching the fourth quarter this year, we wanted to make sure we had trucks available for customers looking for year end expenditures. We currently have over 100 trucks built right now, and available for immediate delivery. It’s been a very exciting year for Fitzgerald Glider Kits. I’m very pleased with how we have been able to grow and most importantly, improve the quality of not only our Glider Kits but also our customer service across the board”, said Nick Bresaw, VP of Operations.

Looking forward, Fitzgerald Glider Kits is projecting more aggressive growth in 2016. Currently, they are averaging 80-90 completed trucks a week. The projected growth will be possible by splitting the workload between facilities. All Freightliner and Western Star Gliders are now being assembled in their new Jamestown facility, while the Peterbilt and Kenworth Gliders are still being assembled in Byrdstown. In total, Fitzgerald Glider Kits employs around 350 people at the two plants and Crossville, where they install the large majority of accessories, as well as a full service center.

For more information, visit www.fitzgeraldgliderkits.com or call: 888.657.3906

Crossville, TN

Jamestown, TN

leading news, trucking market conditions and industry analysis

E-log, driver coercion rules cleared for publication

A

s of this writing, a federal rule to require truck operators to use electronic logging devices to keep records of duty status cleared the White House Office of Management and Budget, paving the way for publication in the Federal Register. This final version of the rule will take effect two years after publication, giving carriers and owner-operators that long to comply with its requirements.

Also, a rule that would impose stiff penalties on carriers, shippers, brokers and others who attempt to pressure drivers to operate beyond federal safety rules has been cleared by OMB and sent back to DOT for Federal Register publication.

The proposed version of the e-log rule was published last March, calling for all drivers currently required to keep paper records of duty status to install and use the devices. The rule also will spell out minimum hardware and software requirements for the devices and also outline several provisions to try to prevent the devices from being used to harass drivers, such as carriers messaging drivers during off-duty time and limits on location tracking.

DOT in its November monthly regulatory report had projected the ELD rule to be published Nov. 30. However, the rule cleared OMB a few days earlier than DOT projected, so it was unclear at press time whether that would change the publication date.

A proposed version of the driver coercion OMB’s clearance of the e-log rule came just rule was published in May 2014, calling three days after its clearance of the driver coer- for an $11,000 fine for each occurrence. cion rule. A proposed version of that rule published in May 2014 called for an $11,000 fine for each occurrence of coercion, which was defined as threatening drivers with “loss of work or other economic opportunities for refusing to operate a CMV” in violation of hours rules or other regulations. The driver coercion rule is related to the e-log mandate.

DOT, in its monthly regulatory update, had projected the driver coercion rule to be published Nov. 23.

DOT projects three other major trucking-related rules to be published by yearend, including a final rule to mandate the use of speed limiters, along with a rule to set standards for entry-level driver training and the Federal Motor Carrier’s Safety Administration’s Safety Fitness Determination rule, effectively an extension of the agency’s Compliance Safety Accountability program.

The Safety Fitness rule was expected to be pubScan the QR code with your smartphone or visit ccjdigital.com/news/subscribe-to-newslished Nov. 24, but its letters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, projected OMB clearance a daily e-mail newsletter filled with news, date, Nov. 13, already had analysis, blogs and market condition articles.

Continued on page 14

10

commercial carrier journal

| december 2015

House clears highway bill that would remove CSA scores

T

he U.S. House on Nov. 4 passed by a 363-64 vote a multiyear

highway bill that would strip the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance Safety Accountability program of its publicly available carrier rankings and require regulators to rework the program.

The House’s Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act also would allow carriers to satisfy driver drug testing rules by using hair samples instead of urine and set up a program that allows states to enter into compacts to let under-21 commercial driver’s license holders cross state lines.

The legislation also establishes so-called “interim hiring standards” for those hiring carriers (such as brokers), a measure critics say could damage owner-operators’ and other small carriers’ ability to secure customers. The provision could be changed later in the legislative process, however.

Other trucking reforms in the House bill include measures to require FMCSA to begin collecting truck operator detention data and further study motor carrier liability insurance minimums, as well as an amendment that clarifies congressional intent of a 1994 freight-focused act that prevents states from enacting laws that interfere with national freight movement.

The House’s bill is similar to the Continued on page 14

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JOURNAL NEWS

INBRIEF 12/15 • XPO Logistics’ $3 billion acquisition of Con-way became official Oct. 30, making XPO North America’s second-largest lessthan-truckload company. XPO is paying for about 81 percent of the outstanding shares of Con-way common stock, which were tendered at $47.60 per share.

All of the acquired operations – Conway Freight, Menlo Logistics, Con-way Truckload and Con-way Multimodal – now operate under the XPO Logistics brand.

• The average loss value per cargo theft incident in the third quarter was $199,467, a 7 percent increase over the second quarter, according to FreightWatch International. A total of 152 cargo thefts occurred in the United States during the third quarter, an 18 percent drop from the second quarter. Food and drinks were the most stolen product type, representing 22 percent of all thefts. While California led all states reporting 20 percent of thefts nationwide, that was a 6 percent decrease from the second quarter.

• During this year’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Brake Safety Week held Sept. 6-12, inspectors placed 2,321 of the 18,817 vehicles inspected out-ofservice for overall brake violations – a 12.3 percent rate, lower than last year’s 16.2 percent overall rate. CVSA and its affiliate inspectors targeted out-of-adjustment brakes and brake system violations during the weeklong campaign.

• Together for Safer Roads is a coalition formed by Ryder, Anheuser Busch parent ABInBev, AIG, AT&T, Chevron, Ericsson, Facebook, IBM, iHeart Media, Pepsico and Walmart . TSR said its members – whose companies’ fleets of cars, trucks and other vehicles drive more than 3 billion miles annually – will share knowledge, data, technology and networks to promote safer roads, vehicles and systems; safer road users; and advocacy and leadership.

• Wal-Mart Transportation driver James Hylan Grise was presented the National Driver of the Year Award by the American Trucking Associations. Grise began his driving career more than 42 years ago, and he’s since logged more than 4.25 million accident-free miles.

He has participated in the Kentucky Driving Championships 11 times and qualified for the National Truck Driving Championships in 2005, 2011 and 2012.

• Truck driver John Ray Carpenter was placed out-of-service by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration after an Oct. 22 accident in which he suffered a medical problem, causing his vehicle to collide with a passenger vehicle, fatally injuring its driver. Carpenter, CEO of Hibbing, Minn.-based Carpenter Brothers Services, which does business as Portable John, admitted he had experienced six previous episodes involving medical problems while driving, some of which resulted in crashes.

• New York State Department of Motor Vehicles security guards LaToya Bourne and Inocente Gonzalez both were sentenced to three years of probation for their involvement in a commercial driver’s license test-taking fraud scheme. An investigation found that Bourne and Gonzalez, along with nine others, participated in the scheme at five DMV test centers in which conspiring CDL applicants paid facilitators between $1,800 and $2,500 for exam answers and test-taking assistance, including use of a Bluetooth headset.

• Knightrider Transportation owners Raj Singh Bhangu and his mother, Sandy Gean Singh, were indicted for fraud. In December 2013, FMCSA had placed Columbus, Ohio-based Knightrider outof-service for failure to comply with safety fitness requirements. In January 2015, Bhangu allegedly created a document on false FMCSA letterhead misrepresenting Knightrider’s authority to operate.

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DETROIT_81059_WS_CCJ.indd 1

| DECEMBER 2015 13

10/6/15 10:54 AM

journal news Continued from page 10 passed, and the rule was still with OMB. The rule to mandate the use of speed limiters on heavy trucks was expected to clear OMB Nov. 25 and be published Dec. 3. This is the rule’s proposed version, so DOT must take comment and then go back through the rulemaking process once again before publishing the final version.

The entry-level driver training rule, also in its proposed form, is scheduled to clear OMB Dec. 18 and be published Dec. 28.

The rule has not been made public yet, so what it will require of drivers and carriers is not yet known.

The rule was produced via a so-called “negotiated rulemaking” in which a committee of drivers, fleets, regulators and other industry stakeholders met several times to flesh out its basic form before handing it to FMCSA to finalize and put into the regulatory pipeline.

The committee’s key recommendations for the rule included requiring 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training time and establishing certified curricula for commercial driver’s license applicants and a registry of driver training providers.

OMB’s rulemaking portal says the White House received the rule Nov. 7.

OMB typically clears rules within 90 days of receiving them, and the rule should be published shortly afterward.

– James Jaillet 14

commercial carrier journal

Continued from page 10 Senate’s July-passed DRIVE Act and would institute similar trucking regulatory reforms.

The bills are not the same, however, with key differences coming in the form of funding

The House’s bill is similar to the Senate’s July-passed DRIVE Act and would institute similar trucking regulatory reforms.

mechanisms and total scope and breadth. The two chambers had to meet via joint committee to reconcile the differences and bring new legislation up for a vote for a long-term bill to reach the White House and then become law.

The Senate voted Nov. 10 to send a dozen

would exclude nearly half a million trucking compa-

senators to meet with 28 House members – 16

nies, a large chunk of which are independent owner-

Republicans and 12 Democrats – to try to hammer

operators and other small carriers. Duncan’s amend-

out a reconciled highway bill. Lawmakers had until

ment sought to fix the exclusionary language.

Nov. 20 to pass either a long-term bill or a short-term

Letters went out Nov. 11 to members of the House

bill, as that’s when the most recent 22-day highway

and Senate conference committee containing the

funding extension was to expire.

signatures of a coalition of businesses and groups

On Nov. 16, a bipartisan bill to extend the authori-

– including representatives from Apex Capital, the

zation through Dec. 4 was introduced in the House.

Western States Trucking Association, the National

“The House and Senate are making good progress in

Association of Small Trucking Companies and six oth-

resolving differences between their respective mul-

ers – asking lawmakers to clarify the provision.

tiyear surface transportation reauthorization propos-

Other amendments defeated in the House prior to

als,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

the bill’s passage included one to strip the bill of its

Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.). “The conference com-

measures to allow states to set up pilot programs for

mittee needs the time necessary to meet in public,

19-21 year-old CDL holders to operate across state

complete negotiations and produce a final measure

lines, and one that would have stripped the bill of

that helps improve America’s infrastructure.”

requirements that FMCSA further study current levels

Shuster said the measure “provides time for that process to occur and for the House and Senate to

of liability insurance required of motor carriers prior to producing a rule to raise the minimums.

vote on the final legislation without shutting down

The House also defeated an amendment that

transportation programs and projects in the mean-

would have allowed states to increase truck weight

time.” The Senate on Nov. 19 approved the patch.

limits to 91,000 pounds within their borders. The

The House’s highway package is a six-year fund-

amendment came from Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.),

ing bill worth $325 billion, but the legislation would

who pushes annually for Congress to take up size and

require congressional action in three years to re-up

weight reform legislation.

the bill’s revenue mechanism. The Senate’s version is

House lawmakers approved an amendment that

a six-year $275 billion package that also would require

fights a 2014 federal court decision. The 9th Circuit

more congressional action in three years to unlock

Court of Appeals – per Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.),

revenue for the bill’s second half.

who brought the amendment – misinterpreted the

After offering an amendment to the House high-

1994 Federal Aviation Administration Authorization

way bill, Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-Tenn.) withdrew his

Act when it decided that California truckers were

change before lawmakers could vote on whether to

entitled to rest and meal breaks, per state law.

attach it. Duncan’s amendment would have clarified

Also, the full Senate directed its highway bill confer-

the portion of the bill that sets “interim hiring stan-

ence committee members to not pursue an increase

dards” for carriers, coming in part due to Congress’

to the current federal combination trailer limit of 28

attempts in this legislation and other bills to strip CSA

feet, following moves this year in Congress to up

data and carrier rankings from public view.

the limit to 33 feet. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and

The bill puts in place three criteria brokers and shippers should use when making determinations in hiring a motor carrier. One of the criterium, however,

| december 2015

Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) spearheaded the motion, which passed the Senate Nov. 10 by a 56-31 vote.

– James Jaillet and Matt Cole

journal news

ATRI offers glimpse into how crash fault could impact CSA scores

I

mplementing some form of crash accountability for carriers legally parked truck, (3) in the Compliance Safety Accountability program – and not other driver ran red light penalizing them for crashes they couldn’t prevent – could have or stop sign and hit truck, a significant impact on their scores and rankings, the American (4) other driver was under Transportation Research Institute concludes in a report the influence of drugs or released last month. alcohol and hit truck, and ATRI’s report also concludes that changing the rankings is (5) truck-assisted suicide by not just an issue of fairness: The Crash Indicator BASIC can pedestrian. cause carriers to lose business, face litigation and higher insurThe 15 carriers studied by Lack of crash accountability ance costs, and have trucks and drivers delayed by more freATRI were all large carriers, or crash weighting in CSA has plagued the program, at least quent inspections. the smallest having between from a carrier and owner-operaIn a review of 15 carriers’ CSA ratings in the Crash Indicator tor perspective.

500 and 1,000 power units BASIC, all but one carrier had their rankings change, and half and the biggest having more saw them change by more than 5 percent, when ATRI weeded than 5,000. Nine of the carriers were truckload fleets, and three out what were deemed to be nonpreventable crashes. Three were less-than-truckload carriers. The other three are listed carriers saw their Crash Indicator ranking change more than as flatbed, tanker and other. The 15 carriers submitted 241 10 percent, and two others saw theirs change by 9 percent and crashes deemed nonpreventable.

7.1 percent, respectively. The biggest change for any single carATRI’s report runs counter to a January-released study from rier was 14 percent. One carrier’s score didn’t change. the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that conThe changes are conservative estimates, ATRI says, as it only cluded the CSA program wouldn’t change much if some form removed five of the most common types of nonpreventable of crash accountability was implemented. FMCSA also concrashes and not all crashes categorized as nonpreventable: (1) cluded implementation of such a system would be costly and December_Ancra Poly Deck Board_7x4.5.pdf 11/9/15 AM little benefit to carriers.

Truck collided with animal in roadway, (2) other 1driver hits 10:39yield – James Jaillet

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

16

commercial carrier journal

Untitled-9 1

| december 2015

11/9/15 9:53 AM

Eaton Powers Up 2015 was a busy year for Eaton® that centered around introducing new transmission technologies that improve fuel economy, driver confidence and application coverage.

“We’re seeing more fleets converting from manual to automated transmissions to help alleviate their driver shortages and improve fuel economy,” said Pavan Pattada, president, Vehicle Group North America, Eaton. “Our broad portfolio of Fuller Advantage® and UltraShift® PLUS series of automated transmissions do just that and are available at all truck OEMs.” To better meet the specification preferences for trucking fleets throughout North America, the Fuller Advantage series was expanded with nine new models. Now available in direct drive, overdrive and small-step overdrive ratios and ratings up to 110,000 pounds GCWR, the Fuller Advantage line now boats a full portfolio of some of the most fuel efficient transmissions on the market.

John Beering, senior vice president and general manager, Commercial Powertrain, Eaton, stated, “We continue to add features to our automated transmissions that enhance their value: from additional split-shaft PTO capability for vacuum and pumper trucks, and fuel saving features such as SmartCoast™ and Neutral Coast, to Blended Pedal and Urge To Move that significantly improve low-speed maneuverability.

“The Cummins and Eaton SmartAdvantage® Powertrain has been extremely well received by our customers,” Beering said. “Being named an Automotive News Pace Award finalist was a real honor and shows that this commercial vehicle technology is recognized as truly innovative.”

The two companies continued to deliver improvements to the driveability and fuel economy areas with the addition of the SmartAdvantage direct drive package. Fleets now can choose the best ratio, either small-step overdrive or direct drive, for their application.

Eaton also simplified its portfolio by eliminating models and expanding applications, making it easier for customers to spec their trucks in the most optimal way.

“In 2016, you will see us launch innovative solutions to meet the needs of our customers,” said Pattada. “The Procision dual-clutch automatic transmission will launch at several more OEMs and is sure to quickly become a hit with mediumduty fleets. Telematics is a hot topic in the industry, and we’re working on a suite of tools that will help fleets optimize the performance of their vehicles, plus a few more surprises.”

©2015 Eaton Corporation.

journal news

Rhode Island trucking group counters trucks-only toll plan

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he Rhode Island Trucking Association last month outRITA’s plan excludes tolling but does increase costs for lined an alternative to Gov. Gina Raimondo’s proposal to truckers. It would create more than $220 million over four repair two dozen state bridges by instituting truck-only tolls to years, which is the amount RhodeWorks would allocate to back $600 million in revenue bonds. repair 453 bridges outside of the 6/10 connector.

Island lawmakers ended their session June 25 without After the fourth year, RITA’s plan will produce annual revapproving Raimondo’s plan. The prior month, the Democrat enue of $25.9 million. The state transportation department governor had introduced RhodeWorks, a 10-year $1.1 billion could bond this revenue for the 6/10 connector, or the entire improvement plan that initially proposed tolling Class 6-8 package could be bonded to include all RhodeWorks projects trucks before it was amended to affect only Class 8 trucks, and listed. only once per location per day.

The association’s proposal could be implemented immediThe House passed a budget without RhodeWorks, while the ately, while Raimondo’s plan would require waiting until 2018 Senate approved a truck tolling bill that dropped fees from $6 to spend $43 million on tolling gantries. It also would: to $3.50. Legislators are expected to revisit the issue when their • Increase diesel tax from 24 to 52 cents per gallon to produce new session starts in January. $10.8 million annually. Connecticut’s gas tax is 55 cents; RITA said the Senate’s plan, • Increase the truck registration The Rhode Island Trucking Association said Gov. which adds rebates and tax credits fee by $500 per year, which would Gina Raimondo’s RhodeWorks plan would require for state businesses, could violate yield $1.6 million annually; and spending $43 million on tolling gantries. interstate commerce laws. The • Ask the state to rescind currently association also has criticized the proposed tax credits, which would Raimondo administration for not revert funds back for bridge and disclosing the proposed tolling locaroad maintenance, resulting in an tions so that local business owners additional $13.5 million annually. could gauge potential impact.

– Jill Dunn

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L.A. truckers strike over misclassification issue

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trikes ended last month at three of the four Los Angeles port companies under protest by truckers, while the city’s Council approved a measure asking port employers to adhere to labor laws for drivers.

Truckers for XPO Logistics,

Intermodal Bridge Transport and Gold Point Transportation ended a joint five-day strike. The Teamsters union, which organized the protests, says these companies have misclassified truckers as independent contractors instead of employees.

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Afterward, the L.A. City Council unanimously passed a resolution asking L.A. and Long Beach drayage companies to comply with labor laws and work with port stakeholders to try and prevent strikes. Meanwhile, drivers from Pacific 9 Transportation continued an indefinite strike that had lasted for several weeks.

On Oct. 30, California Cartage’s warehouse workers ended a short strike just as 14 drayage drivers filed $3.5 million in wage-and-hour claims with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Another 19 of these claims already are being processed.

Before the warehouse strike, truckers had filed 705 wage-and-hour division claims. DLSE responded with 155 orders, decisions or awards, 113 of which were deemed misclassified, resulting in back wages and penalties.

Also, another 21 class-action lawsuits affecting 3,000 current port truckers were pending last month.

The U.S. Department of Labor and the California Attorney General have filed misclassification lawsuits against some of the state’s port trucking companies.

A delegation of striking drivers planned to deliver petitions protesting misclassification to the Long Beach and LA. mayors.

– Jill Dunn

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Truckers striking at Los Angeles ports allege they’ve been shorted pay and benefits due to their classification as contractors instead of employees.

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Even more efficiency Peterbilt adds predictive cruise, 11-liter engine to Epiq spec

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commercial carrier journal

Peterbilt’s Model 579 Epiq enhanced fuel economy spec includes Paccar’s MX-11 engine, a 58-inch mid-rise sleeper configuration and a new predictive cruise control system.

Jack RobeRTs

eterbilt last month rolled out Paccar’s new MX-11 engine as an option on its also-new 58-inch mid-rise sleeper configuration for its Model 579 highway tractor.

The two new options – along with a new predictive cruise control system – round out the Denton, Texas-based company’s Model 579 Epiq enhanced fuel economy spec, which also includes aggressive aerodynamics and Eaton and Paccar’s jointly-developed optimized drivetrain.

Anthony Gansle, Peterbilt’s on-highway marketing manager, says the 58inch sleeper is designed to be lightweight and aerodynamically efficient for superregional and bulk-haul fleets – guys who typically go out for two or three days at a time and don’t need a full-size studio sleeper.

But this is Peterbilt, so smaller doesn’t mean cramped or uncomfortable. The new sleeper offers plenty of room to stretch out, a standard HD TV mounting bracket, a combination work/storage station, an optional mini-fridge and an array of climate and lighting controls.

Up front, it’s pretty much business as usual from a Peterbilt perspective, with the Model 579’s aggressively-sloped hood out front; crisp, clearly presented instrument clusters; ergonomicallyplaced switches and controls; and Paccar’s comfortably plush proprietary air-ride seats.

The MX-11 was designed by Paccar’s DAF subsidiary in The Netherlands,

although the engine is being built for global distribution in Columbus, Miss.

Gansle says that although the new engine was designed primarily with vocational applications in mind, engine design technology has advanced so much over the past few years that regional- and long-distance line-haul fleets looking to maximize fuel economy will want to spec the MX-11. Thanks mostly to advanced electronic controls, “we’re just able to wring so much more performance out of these smaller engines today,” he says.

It took only a minute or two behind the Model 579’s steering wheel to realize Gansle’s point. My MX-11 was the high-power option, cranking out 430 horsepower and 1,550 pound-feet of torque – numbers that would have been in the 13-liter domain not too long ago.

| december 2015

Smaller but Smooth: The 58-inch sleeper is designed to be lightweight and aerodynamically efficient.

advanced electronicS: Many fleets will appreciate Paccar’s new fuel-efficient MX-11 engine.

Predictive cruiSe: Logical throttle adjustments meet terrain conditions without driver input.

With all of that power up front, it’s not surprising that the MX-11 feels robust when you put the pedal down.

Even with 63,000 pounds in the 53-foot trailer behind us, the truck accelerated smoothly and quickly, even on upgrade launches. The engine also is exceptionally quiet: Model 579s already do an outstanding job dampening road and

INBrief

TEST DRIVE: CUMMINS-EATON POWERTRAIN

• Volvo Trucks North America recalled 8,103 model-year 2009-15 VN trucks manufactured between April 14, 2008, and Dec. 23, 2014, that could experience ball joint corrosion due to the seals being compromised, leading to socket separation and loss of steering.

SmartAdvantage, UltraShift Plus, ISX15 enhancements on the way By Jack roBerts

• Cummins is recalling about 3,020 Cummins Westport ISL G natural gas engines sold for use in Navistar and Mack trucks. The engines, manufactured between Sept. 13, 2007, and Sept. 23, 2015, have a turbocharger oil supply line that may contact or interfere with the turbocharger inlet elbow, clean air intake clamp or air-fuel control tube, resulting in an oil leak.

• Navistar is recalling several makes of International trucks because the engine control module may short-circuit, causing the engine to stall without warning. Included in the recall are ProStars manufactured Aug. 5-14, DuraStars manufactured Aug. 7-13, PayStars manufactured Aug. 11-14 and LoneStars manufactured Aug. 10-14.

• Peterbilt dealerships now are taking orders for the 10.8-liter Paccar MX-11 engine, which is available for the truck maker’s on-highway Model 579 and vocational Model 567. Production begins in January.

• Mitchell 1 completed model-year 2015 updates to its TruckSeries software suite, covering repair information, labor estimating and diagnostic trouble code procedures for all makes of medium and heavy trucks.

• Prime Inc. (CCJ Top 250, No. 16) ordered 900 Peterbilt Model 579s equipped with Paccar MX-13 engines and 80-inch sleepers for its Success Leasing affiliate.

• Kane Is Able Inc., a Scranton, Pa.based third-party logistics provider, purchased 30 new Kenworth T680 trucks powered by Paccar MX-13 engines.

• Pressure Systems International last month manufactured its one millionth Meritor Tire Inflation System. As part of the celebration, 31 different trailers from the company’s fleet customers were equipped with a part from the commemorative unit.

26

Continuous improvement

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aton and Cummins last month announced upgrades to their jointly developed and marketed SmartAdvantage optimized powertrain.

Eaton also announced upgrades across its lineup of UltraShift Plus-based automated manual transmissions.

Additionally, trucking industry journalists at the Eaton Proving Grounds outside of Marshall, Mich., were treated to an early test drive of Cummins’ 2017 ISX15 engine, although the company was mum on details.

Chief among the SmartAdvantage upgrades is a new direct drive version designed for fleets that typically operate at lower highways speeds ranging from 50 to 62 mph.

The direct drive option is available with the Cummins ISX15 in 400- and 420-horsepower ratings and 1,550 and 1,750 lb.-ft. torque ratings and is designed to ensure optimal performance at lower rpms when combined with 2.26 or 2.28 axle ratios. The direct drive SmartAdvantage will complement the powertrain’s overdrive version that debuted in 2013 and now is being offered with expanded horsepower ratings.

Ryan Tryzbinski, product strategy manager for Eaton, says the overdrive version’s new 400- and 420-horsepower ratings will give fleets and owneroperators additional options beyond its original 450-horsepower rating. Also, Eaton’s “small step” gearing technology

Chief among the Cummins-Eaton SmartAdvantage upgrades is a new direct drive version designed for fleets that typically operate at lower highways speeds.

commercial carrier journal | december 2015

The Cummins-Eaton SmartAdvantage powertrain for the test drive was spec’d in this International ProStar.

adds a 26 percent step between ninth and 10th gears to maximize downspeeding in the small-step overdrive model by keeping the engine in its “sweet spot” for maximum fuel economy.

Tryzbinski says the expanded SmartAdvantage options are all about giving fleets and owner-operators more choices in how they spec trucks. “Today’s line haul and regional haul fleets are spec’ing downspeed powertrains to maximize fuel efficiency,” he says. “Only the SmartAdvantage Powertrain offers industryleading downspeeding in both small-step overdrive and now direct drive transmission ratios, allowing fleets to choose the best ratio for their application, cruise speed and terrain.”

Enhanced low-speed control Eaton also announced new electronic control systems for all UltraShift Plusbased AMTs, including SmartAdvantage versions, designed to give drivers more precise vehicle control at low speeds.

Tryzbinski says most AMTs, regardless of brand, are too aggressive at low speeds. Drivers often have a hard time metering throttle inputs and can find it hard to

New electronic control systems for all Eaton UltraShift Plus-based AMTs are designed to give drivers more precise control at low speeds.

maintain a consistent, manageable speed in tractor-trailer configurations when backing to connect with a fifth wheel, or in vocational applications running concrete mixers or dump trucks spreading asphalt.

The Blended Pedal system uses a new way of controlling the transmission to counter this problem. Traditionally, when a driver steps on an accelerator pedal, he is boosting the air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber to increase horsepower. But on new UltraShift Plus AMTs, up to 50 percent of initial throttle input now controls transmission clutch actuation, which helps drivers fine-tune low speeds and maintain them more easily to meet specific tasks.

I was able to test the highly intuitive system on SmartAdvantage-equipped trucks – where it is available in reverse gears only – and on 8LL, 9ALL and RT18 vocational Ultrashift Plus transmissions. In all instances, I was able to control the truck’s speed easily and precisely.

The system is so finely tuned that even minuscule throttle inputs immediately yielded tightly controlled rpm and speed adjustments.

In low forward gears, all Eaton UltraShift Plus AMTs now feature a new “Urge to Move” function that integrates with the preexisting “Hill Hold” feature: The transmission holds the truck in place as rpms and torque increase and then slowly starts the vehicle forward at a creeping pace.

The combined systems are impressive: The UltraShift Plus effortlessly held dump trucks loaded with 65,000 28

pounds at a dead stop on 8- and 15-percent grades during my evaluation drives and then easily started the truck moving uphill without any throttle input. The system is so robust that the RT-18 heavy-duty transmission was able to hold and start a Western Star severeduty tractor loaded to 145,000 pounds on the same 15-percent grade.

The system works just as well on downgrades, although gravity, payload and inertia will cause the transmission to kick out of Urge to Move mode and require getting on the brake pedal.

All of these enhancements confirm Cummins’ and Eaton’s “continuous improvement” strategy for SmartAdvantage drivetrains and UltraShift Plus AMTs. All new features and functions will be available beginning next year, although firm production dates have yet to be set.

New Cummins engines A bonus at the Eaton-Cummins event was the discovery that all of the International ProStar tractors available for our test drives were fitted with 2017-compliant Cummins ISX15 diesel engines.

It was the first time that trucking industry journalists were allowed to evaluate the new engines, which Cummins on-highway marketing manager Mario Sanchez-Lara calls “game-changers” for the trucking industry.

Details were few, and we weren’t allowed to peek under the hoods. But my test drives in loaded ProStar tractortrailers showed the engines to be peppy in terms of acceleration, quiet and responsive to throttle inputs.

Instantaneous fuel economy numbers logged by the driver information center also were impressive: 9.7 mpg seemed to be my average result when in cruise con-

commercial carrier journal | december 2015

trol, although I did note numbers as high as 12.7 mpg on slight downhill grades.

Those fuel economy numbers went through the stratosphere when the SmartAdvantage’s SmartCoast function kicked the drivetrain out of gear on downhill grades. This system puts the powertrain in neutral with a corresponding deep reduction in engine rpms to obtain maximum fuel economy. When the transmission senses the end of the downgrade, it reengages the drivetrain as naturally as any seasoned driver.

We’ll have to wait a bit longer to get more concrete details on Cummins’ 2017 engines, but the company is upbeat about its early beta units that now are undergoing real-world testing.

Sanchez-Lara says that when this evaluation phase is complete, Cummins will have logged more than 9 million test miles on the engines in real-world fleet applications. About 20 of the engines will have logged approximately 250,000 miles apiece, and several other units will have about 500,000 miles on them.

Sanchez-Lara says the test fleets are impressed so far, reporting significant improvements in fuel economy, serviceability and maintenance intervals. In some cases, he says, the improvements over current diesel engines have been “eye-popping.”

All of the ProStar tractors available for the test drives were fitted with 2017-compliant Cummins ISX15 diesel engines.

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TEST DRIVE: 2016 MERCEDES BENZ METRIS MIDSIZE CARGO VAN

Cargo-hauling luxury Metris van will make working drivers feel luxurious

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ercedes Benz’s segment-exclusive midsize Metris barely has arrived on U.S. dealer lots, but it’s already sold out through early next year.

Metris product manager Jan ten Haaf says that what sets the commercial van apart is the ease in which its goes where most other working vans rarely have dared to go: low-clearance parking garages and crowded metropolitan roads. The fact that it rides and drives more like the German automaker’s more luxurious sedans is simply an added bonus.

I recently was able to pilot the Metris on a roughly 100mile trek through and around Ann Arbor, Mich., and over a generous mix of urban and rural roads.

Inside, the Euro-style van is full of interior comforts borrowed from Benz’s C-Class, such as LED lighting, the instrument cluster, the steering wheel and a blinker-style gear shift.

Also worth noting are the van’s independent climate control for both passenger and driver and a dash-mounted navigation screen.

The thick steering wheel rests low on the driver and hides two paddle shifters that allow the driver to gear the 7-speed automatic transmission up or down manually while the vehicle is in drive – another nod to the C-Class.

This is an almost hands-free feature for drivers with a trailer in tow; the van features a tow rating of 5,000 pounds.

The lack of a center console allows for ample space between the front seats. There is more than enough storage space built into the dash for paperwork, drinks, charging electronics or third-party navigation tools.

Driver comfort is on an entirely different level in the Metris. Cabin noise was surprisingly low, and the brake pedal rests seemingly millimeters from the accelerator, allowing the driver to easily swap between the two simply by pivoting on his heel. It doesn’t take much foot pressure to get a response from the aggressive brakes, and it only takes a couple of stop signs to figure it out.

But this is a work van, and the push-button sliding cargo doors on either side could not be easier to operate while offering curbside and streetside access to unload 186 cubic feet of cargo space. The 270-degree opening rear doors offer maximum clearance for loading pallets or other large objects.

The extra space doesn’t come at the expense of navigability; the rear-wheel-drive Metris’ turning radius is, simply put, amazing. Mercedes says the van can make a 180-degree turn in 30 feet, and I actually found it to be somewhat less than that; I managed to pull an about-face in roughly 27

30

commercial carrier journal | december 2015

By Jason Cannon

The German engineering behind Metris is obvious when you first approach the vehicle.

feet. You can make a U-turn on many downtown streets without damaging parked cars or trying to execute a tight three-point turn while angry motorists blare their horns in either direction.

Standard performance and safety The company opted not to use the 4-cylinder diesel engine familiar to Sprinter drivers in favor of a 2-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine specifically tuned for Metris. The turbocharged I-4 puts out a respectable 208 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque while getting about 23 mpg.

Up to six airbags come standard on Metris, as does Attention Assist, Crosswind Assist and load-adaptive ESP, which adjusts itself as the van’s load continues to lighten throughout the workday. It’s also part of the reason I found the ride from the fully independent suspension to be tight throughout my test drive.

An optional automatic start-stop feature shuts the engine off once the vehicle comes to a full stop and automatically restarts once the driver releases the brake. This process is seamless and hardly noticeable unless you’re watching the tachometer.

Parking Assist is another option for navigating tight surface roads that call for frequent parallel parking. With a simple push of a button and flip of the blinker, Metris will handle all of the steering wheel work needed to parallel-park.

All the driver has to do is control the gas and brake pedal.

The steering wheel houses optional Lane Keeping Assist, which provides a subtle hand vibration when the vehicle crosses a lane marker on either side. Other options include a rear camera, Collision Prevention Assist and Blind Spot Assist.

Hino to offer Insight telematics for all new vehicles

H

Fontaine recalled its Ultra LT Fifth Wheel connector in September.

Truck makers recalling nearly 11,000 trucks

N

orth American truck manufacturers are recalling trucks equipped with Fontaine Ultra LT Fifth Wheel connectors, which were recalled by Fontaine in September.

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling about 5,800 model-year 2011-14 Columbia Glider, Cascadia, Business Class M2 and Coronado trucks manufactured between April 5, 2010, and June 15, 2013.

Paccar is recalling about 290 model-year 2012-13 Peterbilt 579 and 587 trucks manufactured between Feb. 14, 2011, and Dec. 5, 2012, as well as model-year 2011 Kenworth T700 trucks manufactured between Sept. 21 and Oct. 10, 2010.

Navistar is recalling nearly 3,800 model-year 2011-14 International ProStar trucks manufactured between May 18, 2010, and April 5, 2013; 2012-14 International LoneStar trucks manufactured between Sept. 7, 2011, and March 25, 2013; and 2011-13 International TranStar trucks manufactured between Oct. 18, 2010, and Feb. 20, 2013.

Mack is recalling about 450 model-year 2011-14 Pinnacle (CHU and CXU) trucks manufactured between Sept. 10, 2010, and June 17, 2013.

Volvo Trucks North America is recalling about 670 model-year 2011-13 VAH, VNL and VNM trucks manufactured between June 21, 2010, and Dec. 14, 2012.

– Matt Cole

ino Trucks announced that it will be broadening the scope of its partnership with technology provider Telogis for factory- All new Hino trucks will carry a one-year subscription to installed telematInsight Telematics powered by ics in its Class 4-7 Telogis with purchase. trucks.

Going forward, all new Hino trucks will carry a one-year subscription to Insight Telematics powered

by Telogis with purchase. The truck maker has offered the Hino Insight platform to customers as an option and now is expanding it to create a connected vehicle for all customers.

The expanded telematics platform delivers three services to owners: Insight Telematics powered by Telogis, Insight Remote Diagnostics (Insight RD) and Insight Case Management (Insight CM).

Insight Telematics powered by Telogis delivers realtime data to customers to help them lower total cost of ownership and improve operational efficiencies while saving costs on fuel, maintenance and other expenses. The service also provides specific functionality such as diesel exhaust fluid level and peer benchmarking. Electronic driver vehicle inspection reports also are included.

– Aaron Huff

Cummins planning to cut 2,000 jobs worldwide

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ummins plans to cut up to 2,000 salaried jobs worldwide in the coming months, with about a quarter of those reductions expected from its Indiana operations.

Last month, the company said it has experienced weaker demand and a slump in global sales revenue, leading to the decision to cut almost 4 percent of its total workforce.

Tom Linebarger, Cummins 32

chief executive officer, said the company anticipates cutting 500 jobs in Indiana, although details of the reduction still are being determined.

Cummins has about 8,000 employees at its offices, technical centers and factories in Columbus, Seymour and other nearby southern Indiana communities.

No manufacturing job cuts were announced, although Linebarger said those operations would be

commercial carrier journal | december 2015

reviewed by the end of this year.

Cummins said its third quarter revenue was down 6 percent from the same period last year, with international revenues falling 18 percent, particularly in Brazil, Europe and China.

The cuts among its nearly 55,000 workers around the world will save Cummins between $160 million to $200 million a year, the company said.

– James Jaillet

Cummins said it has experienced weaker demand and a slump in global sales revenue, leading to the decision to cut almost 4 percent of its workforce.

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NACFE study touts downspeeding benefits, disadvantages

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he North American Council for Freight Efficiency released a confidence report highlighting the benefits and disadvantages of diesel engine downspeeding technology in Class 8 applications.

Mike Roeth, NACFE executive director, said the report drew on unbiased experts from across the trucking industry – including OEMs, component suppliers, engine and drivetrain manufacturers and large and small fleets – to paint as comprehensive a picture as possible on how downspeeding is being used in trucking today.

Downspeeding uses high-speed rear axles combined with high-torque lower-rpm diesel engines. With this powertrain combination, a diesel engine revs less at any given highway speed and therefore receives a corresponding fuel economy boost. NACFE found the typical downsped truck saw between a 2- and 3-percent increase in fuel economy compared to tractor-trailers running conventional powertrains.

Roeth said the study determined that there are two basic downspeeding configurations commonly found in trucking today. The first, and most common spec, relies on a direct drive transmission, which delivers higher fuel economy numbers. Some fleets are opting for the second choice, which uses an overdrive transmission with a slightly slower rear axle.

“The key enabler in all cases is the new generation of electronically-controlled automated manual transmissions,” Roeth said. “These transmissions make downspeeding more attractive and practical for fleets today, particularly when they are mated with finely tuned engine parameters to optimize fuel economy and mitigate torque management problems.”

Significantly increased low-end engine torque is one drawback to downspeeding. Roeth said drivetrain component suppliers manage this problem by using larger, more robust axle gearing and driveline components, as well as enhanced electronic engine programming.

The study determined that spec’ing more robust axle and driveline components generally adds between $500 and $1,000 to the vehicle acquisition cost, but also noted that fuel savings offset those numbers. Based on a five-year average of diesel prices, NACFE calculates fuel savings of about $1,500 per year per downsped truck.

Plugging in current low fuel prices yields an annual savings of about $1,000 per year per downsped truck.

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commercial carrier journal | december 2015

Volvo Trucks’ XE powertrain packages are designed to improve fuel efficiency by downspeeding – lowering engine rpm at a given vehicle speed.

Roeth said the study found mixed responses on downspeeding technology from drivers. On the positive side of the ledger, drivers with downspeeding experience complimented the “significantly” quieter ride at highway speeds combined with “snappy” acceleration and lowend power.

On the other hand, the study found that many fleets were reluctant to order downsped trucks, fearing that uninitiated drivers would reject them and either leave or decline to join a fleet equipped with them.

Resell values also remain a worry for fleets, since NACFE found that downspeeding is a spec that works best in long-haul steady-state driving applications.

As a result, current estimates show only about 25 percent of new long-haul tractors currently are being spec’d with downsped powertrains. But based on the report’s findings, NACFE strongly recommends long-haul fleets consider the spec as a way to incur significant annual fuel savings.

“The key for fleets interested in adopting this spec is to work closely with both OEMs and component suppliers to ensure the vehicles are spec’d correctly,” Roeth said. “If that’s the case, our study found they perform very well in their designated application while delivering significant fuel savings to fleets.”

– Jack Roberts

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in focus: TERRAIN-BASED CRUISE CONTROL

Coming of age New technologies improve a trusted driver aid By jack RoBeRts

E

Today’s modern systems use an electronic control module to analyze multiple data streams – horsepower, torque, engine rpms, vehicle speed, load and angle of ascent or descent – to calculate the most fuel-efficient throttle setting at all times.

“Many current-generation optimized drivetrains do that as well, but predictive cruise takes things several steps further,” Dempsey says. The system can “see” up to two or three miles ahead and calculate how to deal with conditions that have yet to come into the driver’s line of sight.

When the system is activated, throttle inputs are made just as a driver would do. On upslopes, it will add power to keep the truck in as high a gear as possible for efficient cruising, and on downslopes, it will put the truck into neutral and allow it to use inertia to coast, facilitating the best possible fuel economy. As the downgrade evens out, it gradually will add power.

“The systems are so much smoother and more efficient than anything we’ve ever had before,” says Anthony Gansle, on-highway marketing manager for Peterbilt, which just introduced its new Predictive Cruise Control System (see page 24). Gansle says the payoffs are real: Peterbilt’s new system is yielding a 2 percent fuel economy boost for trucks running in hilly terrain.

The systems also help improve driver safety and lessen fatigue, Dempsey says. “Now, drivers can focus less on managing fuel economy and pay more attention to traffic and other road conditions for a less stressful driving experience,” he says.

arly cruise control systems were usually vacuum-controlled setups designed to allow drivers to set a vehicle speed and hold it indefinitely. The systems worked well on flat unvarying terrain and gave drivers a much-needed break from making constant throttle inputs.

But the systems had their limitations: They could hold the throttle at only one position, with no way to adjust automatically for changing terrain. Even worse, fuel economy often took a hit: It was not uncommon for a vehicle climbing a grade in cruise mode to suddenly apply full throttle in a futile effort to maintain the preset speed.

Cruise control has come a long way. Fleets today rely on modern interactive systems that maintain safe following distances and serve as the heart of modern integrated drivetrains, with engines and transmissions communicating and working seamlessly together to deliver the best possible fuel economy at all times.

But even at their best, many of today’s conventional cruise control systems still have a hard time dealing with changing road elevations. The most recent generation of systems rely on real-time sensor inputs, and any throttle adjustments to match upcoming hills and downgrades still have to be made by the driver.

By anticipating the terrain ahead using Now, a new generation of predictive GPS, Predictive Cruise cruise control systems use real-time GPS Control ensures that and topographical data to logically and Paccar engines and the truck’s transmiseconomically tackle any terrain. Daniel sion are in the most Dempsey, systems engineering manager efficient operating for Cummins On-Highway, says the new mode to increase fuel economy. systems actually are superior to a human driver.

“Drivers today can generally only see short distances in front of them,” Dempsey says. “They can effectively make speed and throttle adjustments to deal with the conditions in front of them, but they have no way of looking beyond the immediate hill or incline to set the truck up to deal with conditions out of their line of sight.”

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commercial carrier journal

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technology Making the latest technology developMents work for your fleet

by AAron HuFF

Talking transformation Fleets offer testimonials at Telogis conference

T

he Telogis Latitude conference, held in Dana Point, Calif., brought together fleet executives from a diverse group of industries.

Each had a story to tell about how their businesses have been transformed by technology.

ProBuild’s transformation started in 2013 by installing Telogis’ telematics system to track the locations and mileages of vehicles and to capitalize on an opportunity to improve fuel costs and driver safety.

As one of the nation’s largest suppliers of lumber and building materials, ProBuild has 360 locations in 40 states with a delivery fleet of 2,400 vehicles. The Denverbased company started by deploying the Telogis Fleet application with electronic logs and driver vehicle inspection reports.

Telogis is a Software-As-AService-based connected vehicle technology provider. Fleets have the flexibility to use any device they choose to deploy the suite of Telogis applications that include navigation, compliance, telematics, route optimization and work order management, along with mobile integration services.

As part of ProBuild’s decision to deploy a new telematics platform, the company is using iPhones and other Apple iOS devices.

“We had a blue-collar workforce,” said Tom Gustafson, information 38

commercial carrier journal

technology director. “Our industry is not technologically advanced. Whatever we picked, we knew it had better be easy to use, as that’s the only way we were going to get it out to the field.”

The Apple platform fits ProBuild’s long-term vision for mobility and opens up future possibilities to use wearable devices such as By using telogis Coach, a scorecard and gamification the Apple Watch to process application, pacific gas and electric has decreased unsafe credit card payments from driving behaviors by 70 percent in three months. customers, perform vehicle inspections and allow drivers to clock in and out from work, said Tim Kellog, ProBuild’s IT and mobility supervisor.

During the conference, Telogis announced a partnership with Apple intended to deliver multiple benefits to its customers. A dedicated team from Apple already has been helping Telogis enhance the user experience of its mobile apps.

Another fleet that spoke of transformative change is Poolsure, a Houstonbased pool water management company. Alan Falik, a former investment banker, joined the family business in 2009 when the company had 32 trucks and no technology beyond e-mail and spreadsheets. Dispatchers were handing out job orders to drivers on paper each day, with no visibility of what was happening in the field.

In August 2013, Poolsure began using Telogis’ full suite of applications.

One of the main benefits has been the automation of its route planCustomer experienCe: Each ning activities. The company now told a story about how technology has transformed their businesses. can route hundreds of job orders optimally each day and respond software-as-a-serviCe: Fleets proactively to customers’ needs can use any device to deploy the by using information captured by suite of Telogis applications. the monitoring devices it installs working together: Apple is in their pools. helping Telogis enhance the user When the monitoring devices experience of its mobile apps. detect a situation where pools need

| december 2015

Trimble creates software suite for oil and gas industry

Interested In truckIng technology?

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

T

rimble has introduced an integrated software suite for managing the transportation of fleets and equipment servicing well sites in the oil and gas industry.

Trimble’s Oil and Gas Services suite includes a transportation management system; a fleet and asset tracker; oilfield mapping and in-cab navigation; Crude Oil Workflow, which automates paperwork; Radio Frequency Disable, which ensures that all radio frequency devices in trucks are automatically turned off at sensitive perforation sites to prevent potential accidents; document management and imaging; and asset main- trimble’s oil and gas services suite is designed to tenance and manage the transportation management. of fleets and equipment – Aaron Huff servicing well sites.

We’ve been able to capitalize on our efficiencies and our technologies.

Panasonic debuts rugged detachable laptop

P

AAron Huff

immediate service, Poolsure is able to route trucks proactively to the locations to deliver chemicals.

“If you are proactively responding to your customers, it is truly a – Alan Falik, Poolsure game-changer,” Falik said.

Today, Poolsure has 130 employees and 60 delivery trucks and delivers 10 million gallons of bleach annually. Since implementing Telogis, sales have increased by 26 percent, and earnings are up 55 percent.

“There is nobody our size in the pool business,” Falik said. “We’ve been able to capitalize on our efficiencies and our technologies and really take that industry by storm.”

Representatives from Pacific Gas and Electric – the largest natural gas and electric utilities company in the United States – spoke about recent technology projects to improve safety, customer service and its environAs part of ProBuild’s decision to deploy a new mental leadership. telematics platform, the denver-based lumber and By using Telogis building materials supplier is using iPhones and Coach, a scorecard and other Apple ios devices. gamification application for drivers, PG&E has been able to decrease unsafe driving behaviors – speeding, hard acceleration and hard braking events – by 70 percent in three months.

Going forward, the company plans to use Telogis as a mobile hotspot to monitor data collected by various sensors on its vehicles to improve utilization and productivity.

“We are doing certain things now, but we really are planning to do even more in the very near future,” said Dave Meisel, senior director of transportation and aviation.

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

anasonic announced its first fully rugged detachable laptop, the Toughbook 20, suited for field workers that need a mobile computing platform and the ability to reliably capture large amounts of data.

The Toughbook 20 is built for environments such as field services, utilities, oil and gas, transportation and logistics, healthcare, insurance, public safety and defense.

The tablet can be detached and used by itself. The convertible mode allows users to see the display with the keyboard attached and ready when it is needed. Using the built-in handle, the device can operate in carry mode or hanging on a wall, while vehicle mode provides functionality when on the move. The device weighs 3.9 pounds – 2.1 pounds for the tablet only.

– Aaron Huff

commercial carrier journal

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december 2015

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technology

InBrief • Telogis Inc. announced a new lineup of iOS apps designed to enhance the user experience for its connected vehicle and mobile workforce platform by taking advantage of tools and features available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The new apps include Telogis Compliance for government-regulated driving hours (Hours of Service) and mandated vehicle inspections; Telogis Navigation for specialized truck-specific directions; and Telogis Coach, a gamification app for drivers that scores driving behavior, safety and productivity metrics.

• Omnitracs Roadnet Technologies announced Roadnet Anywhere v3.8, the latest iteration of its Software-As-A-Service vehicle routing, tracking, mobile workforce, telematics and fleet management platform. The company said the updated software improves fleet performance tracking with an Insight data visualization application and capabilities to analyze service patterns to support strategic analysis.

• Wex Inc., a provider of corporate payment systems, launched Wex Fleet ClearView, a cloud-based fleet analytics and benchmarking platform that combines fuel and vehicle data to provide an integrated, dynamic view of activities and expenses, allowing users to review activity for cost-saving opportunities and enhance fleet performance, efficiency and total cost of ownership; manage asset performance and expenses to reduce inappropriate spending and card abuse; and eliminate time-consuming manual calculations.

• SkyBitz, a provider of remote asset tracking and information management systems, announced a new Trailer Detention Management Solution designed to enable customers to improve detention awareness, customer relations and trailer turn time. The system automatically monitors and provides a view of all trailers stopped at all customer locations and sends notifications according to set detention rules. The solution also records details for detention billing through integration into transportation management software systems.

• Orbcomm, a global provider of machine-to-machine systems, and Add On Systems, a provider of real-time interfaces and applications for truckload carriers, announced the integration of Orbcomm’s fleet tracking and monitoring system with AOS’s Trailer Monitoring and

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Telogis product lineup enhances connectivity

D

uring its annual Telogis Latitude conference, Telogis announced a number of new products that capitalize on its built-in vehicle connectivity and mobile applications.

Telogis founders Jason Koch and Newth Morris introduced the following new extensions and products: Telogis Logbook: Telogis Logbook was built to support commercial drivers, mobile sales representatives and supervisors and also people in the field that drive a vehicle for Telogis Logbook helps mobile users differentiate personal and business use. The new app makes it simple to personal and business classify mileage as either personal or business and add labels vehicle use. to organize trips by business purpose.

Telogis Equipment for AEMP: Mobile businesses that operate heavy equipment can use this new feature to have visibility of their assets – vehicles, yellow iron and people – on one login, with engine hours and other data coming from the OEM via the standard set by the American Equipment Management Professionals.

Telogis Maintenance Connect: Telogis Maintenance Connect loops service centers into the connected ecosystem to maximize uptime and prevent breakdowns by sending diagnostic trouble codes and other mission-critical vehicle data directly to the designated service center. Companies can leverage connected data by importing standard maintenance schedules from the vehicle OEMs and sharing vehicle information.

Telogis LiveETA: Telogis LiveETA is a mobile application that provides real-time updates of estimated time of arrival for end customers of delivery and service companies. Telogis LiveETA gives mobile enterprise customers the ability to confirm the scheduled appointment time; provide the driver’s location, name and photo; and provide updates on any significant changes.

Telogis Appointment: Telogis Appointment allows customers to query and choose appointment booking windows for new jobs that fit into existing routes. The new versions include Telogis Appointment as an API, a back-office application as well as a customizable mobile application for end customers.

Telogis Navigation Global Edition: Telogis Navigation Global Edition is the latest application version in the Telogis suite of commercial navigation products. Available on Android and iOS, Telogis Nav GE supports North American and various international markets, providing an enhanced navigation experience through tight integration with Telogis Sites to enable site-specific navigation.

Telogis Status: The Telogis Status app is designed for both iOS and Android devices and integrates to work with the company’s existing work order management tools. Telogis Status provides the people who are managing teams in the field with a clear view of time spent on a given job and the individual tasks that make up each job. This level of detail helps to streamline billing, budgeting and payroll by understanding which team members are doing what and for Telogis Status provides the people who are manhow long. aging teams in the field with a clear view of time – Aaron Huff spent on a given job and the individual tasks.

december 2015

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technology

InBrief Management system to capture near real-time trailer data for both refrigerated and dry transport assets. The integration leverages Orbcomm’s GT 1100 dry van trailer tracking and RT 6000+ cold chain monitoring systems to provide data on temperature, mileage, fuel levels, operational condition, alarm events and GPS position.

• QuikQ, provider of a cardless direct fuel connection between truck stop point-of-sale and motor carrier enterprise systems, announced an integration with Fiscal Systems, a provider of point-of-sale systems to independent and national truck stop chains. The integration of the Fiscal Systems POS, which processes commercial fuel transactions at both attended and unattended systems, with the RFID-based cardless QuikQ Fuel Purchasing System is intended to reduce fuel fraud and errors.

• ISE Fleet Services, a provider of electronic logging devices, announced a partnership to offer its eFleetSuite compliance application with CalAmp’s LMU-4200, a next-generation location and messaging unit, and MDT-7 Android-based mobile data terminal. ISE said the partnership provides fleet operators with a configurable end-to-end ELD to manage drivers’ hours-of-service and vehicle maintenance compliance.

• Logistical Labs, a cloud-based supply chain software provider, now offers complete door-to-door intermodal booking as part of its LoadDex mode optimization platform through collaboration with CSX and Thoroughbred Direct Intermodal Services. LoadDex aggregates pricing information for any given route, enabling users to make strategic decisions about pricing and mode selection. Through the seamless programming connection with CSX and TDIS, LoadDex users no longer need separate websites to book intermodal freight, leading to cost savings and added efficiency.

• Azuga Fleet announced that Steritech, a pest prevention service with 60,000 clients worldwide, selected its plugand-play “social telematics” technology that helps identify and reduce driver risk through driver visibility, gamification, rewards and social sharing. Azuga also announced its selection by Uber’s Mexico division to decrease accidents, fuel consumption and maintenance and operational costs.

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Vigillo confronts CSA issues with Just alternative scoring system

T

he Vigillo company announced the availability of its new “Just” program that carriers can use to obtain and present to customers “a true picture of the compliance, safety and accountability of” the fleet. Vigillo said Just offers an alternative to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance Safety Accountability scoring system, lately under fire in Congress. Just claims to address four primary issues for which many in the industry and government have criticized CSA’s Safety Measurement System.

Crash accountability: All crashes, regardless of whether or not the carrier was at fault or the driver could have prevented the accident, currently are used in scoring metrics in the CSA SMS Crash Indicator BASIC. Vigillo said it has established “a network of current and former law enforcement officials who will review all submitted crash reports, photographs and in-cab video.” The system chooses preventability as its standard for inclusion in its custom scoring metrics and “will remove clearly nonpreventable crashes from the Crash score.”

The choice of preventability as opposed to fault is significant, as many consider the preventability standard a more stringent and definable one. FMCSA also determines preventability during compliance reviews of carriers where crash issues potentially could impact a carrier’s safety rating.

Vigillo’s system offers carriers a chance to garner such determinations to potentially share with current or prospective customers and/or use in other ways. Vi- Vigillo said Just addresses four primary issues for which many in the industry and gillo suggests a 48-hour review by its in government have criticized CSA’s Safety “network of current and former law en- Measurement System. forcement officials” would be sufficient to “deem the crash preventable or nonpreventable” in each case.

Geographical, operational enforcement disparities: CSA “treats every mile – city, country, mountain, winter or border crossing – as if it is exactly the same,” Vigillo said.

Drivers are aware of such differences, likewise as they arise from different trailer types and vehicle configurations. Vigillo said Just will “mathematically adjust” CSA scores “to account for state disparity.” Such an alternative methodology was analyzed by the American Transportation Research Institute in its 2014 study of enforcement variability across the nation.

Safety event groups: Vigillo’s Just system claims to refine the way in which carriers are grouped for comparative percentile rankings in the SMS categories of measurement. “Under the current system, carriers are not grouped and compared to similar carriers,” the company said. “Additionally, they are not grouped geographically, or by truck type, or line of business.”

Underinspected carriers: With the SMS as it is, many of the smallest carriers have so few inspections with violations in the system that they often go unranked publicly in any of the SMS BASIC categories of measurement. Vigillo said this “results in 678,147 regulated motor carriers flying under the radar of CSA.” The company categorizes this reality as creating a competitive disadvantage for the 11 percent of carriers that are ranked, and promises with the Just system to “find” unranked/unscored carriers and score “them all, leveling the playing field.”

– Todd Dills

december 2015

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technology

Omnitracs model predicts serious accidents using HOS data

O

mnitracs released an Accident Severity Model that takes data collected from hours of service applications and uses it to identify the highest-risk drivers most likely to be involved in a serious accident. Based on a 10-year study of nearly 208,000 crashes, the Accident

Severity Model accurately predicted 90 percent of severe accidents in the 50 percent of drivers deemed to be at highest risk, Omnitracs said.

The company said the model is designed for any fleet using an electronic HOS management system, regardless of

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size. Until now, the predictive modeling offered by Omnitracs has been limited primarily to large fleets, whose resources and access to volumes of data from multiple sources served as the foundation for advanced analytics-based insights.

“With the ELD mandate imminent, fleets are acutely aware of the need to operate in accordance with current and pending regulations,” said Dean Croke, vice president of analytics at Omnitracs.

“Among the positive outcomes of the increased focus on hours-of-service management is the fact that many in the industry also recognized the critical importance of looking beyond basic compliance to ensure the safe operation of trucks on our nation’s roads.

What many in our industry don’t realize is that it’s possible to be 100 percent compliant with HOS regulations and be sound asleep at the wheel, simultaneously.”

Omnitracs said the Accident Severity Model relies on objective data to measure true performance rather than drivers’ perception of their condition and alertness. The model is designed to predict drivers likely to have an incident based on both loss of control, in which there is a complete disconnect from the driving task, and distraction or lack of concentration. Coming soon, it also will feature two-way technology that pulls data from the HOS application and returns tailored safety measures to the driver, essentially serving as a virtual codriver.

– Aaron Huff

Lytx.com/ActiveVision © 2015 Lytx, Inc. All rights reserved. Lytx® technology is a driver aid only; and is not a substitute for a safe, conscientious driver. It cannot compensate for a driver who is distracted, inattentive, or impaired by fatigue, drugs, or alcohol. It is always the responsibility of the driver to take appropriate corrective action. Never wait for the Lytx technology to provide a warning before taking measures to avoid an accident. Failure to do so can result in serious personal injury or death, or severe property damage.

44

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DECEMBER 2015

Omnitracs’ Accident Severity Model is designed to rely on objective data to measure true performance rather than drivers’ perception of their condition and alertness.

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technology

in focus: DRIVER SIMULATORS

Training as a service While not offered in the cloud, simulation training goes mobile

By AAron Huff

A

irline pilots spend many hours in simulators every year honing their flying skills, and similar technology is available for the trucking industry. But is the cost of this advanced technology prohibitive for small to mid-size carriers?

Just as software developers can offer training products and services through a subscription model with no upfront costs for licenses or hardware, driver simulators have followed suit. The difference is in the delivery: While software can be used anywhere with an Internet connection, driver simulators require a physical presence.

L-3 Driver Training Solutions offers full-motion simulation training through a subscription package. Rather than transport drivers to a training facility, the simulators are moved onsite in a climatecontrolled trailer.

The mobile training centers use the latest simulators, such as a high-fidelity motion bay that replicates the experience of road vibration, sliding on wet surfaces and more. They also have a new visual system to give drivers accurate depth perception and lifelike graphics, says Matt Derby, marketing communications manager for the Salt Lake City-based company.

The mobile training center typically stays onsite for a week as drivers complete courses that use simulation, computer learning stations and online training content. Fleets can choose from 18 different courses, including fuel management, maneuvering and distracted driving. Pricing is determined by the number of courses a fleet selects.

Fleets typically will sign up for a

46

commercial carrier journal

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While training software can be used anywhere with an Internet connection, driver simulators require a physical presence.

couple of courses and train about 40 drivers in a one-week period, Derby says. Two groups of drivers are trained every day, and each training session lasts four hours. L-3 has created four training packages tailored to market needs that include Post-CDL Finishing, Safety Refresher, Post Incident and more. Each training package costs $12,000.

All courses are administered by a professional trainer employed by L-3.

Drivers complete computerized courses first and then use simulators to apply the topics and learning objectives.

Real-life results Don Osterberg, who has retired from a career in driver training, implemented a simulation training program while working at Schneider, one of North America’s largest truckload carriers. The simulation training initially focused primarily on less experienced commercial drivers.

december 2015

A pilot study was conducted using L-3 simulators to train inexperienced drivers to compare results to a control group who went through the company’s legacy training program; both groups had about 300 drivers each.

One result was a significant decrease in accidents for the pilot group: 10 percent of drivers trained with simulators were involved in some type of accident during the first 90 days of work compared to 30 percent of the control group.

The most financially-significant outcome was the reduction in training cycle time from 52.5 days for the control group to 32 days for the pilot group, Osterberg says. A reduction in training time resulted in increased revenue and decreased costs from fewer instructors and dedicated training equipment. The pilot group also had a 20 percent better retention rate through the first 90 days of employment due to an increase in their confidence, he says.

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technology

EpicVue study finds top retention factors are independence, respect

E

picVue, providers of an in-cab satellite TV package de• Providing every driver with a company email address signed for the trucking industry, announced results of a along with an iPhone so they can stay in touch with colsurvey indicating the top reasons drivers choose to stay with leagues and family; and fleets. Among the top retention factors are independence • Sending managers to ethics and leadership training to and respect. ensure drivers get a consistent message.

EpicVue’s study asked fleets what percentage of their EpicVue also spent time at truck stops interviewing 270 drivers have been with them less than a year, 1-5 years, over-the-road drivers to find out what leads to loyalty.

5-10 years and more than 10 years. “While most fleets are Interviewed drivers ranged in age from their early 20s to heavily weighted toward the shorter end, they often have over 50, had an average tenure with a company of 5.73 years good reasons if they’re expanding or hiring students,” said and on average spent 2.61 weeks away from home at a time.

Lance Platt, chief executive officer Three questions were asked: of EpicVue. “Fleets with really good • Other than the paycheck, what do driver longevity, however, were able to you enjoy most about being a profesprovide ideas that seem to work well sional truck driver? in generating higher-than-average • Other than compensation, what is loyalty.” the best aspect of the fleet you drive for?

Some of the ideas Platt has gathered • Other than the money, what from fleets include: makes you most loyal to the fleet • Polling drivers for ideas and company you drive for? feedback and creating programs out “The findings indicate that indeof those ideas; pendence (26%) is what drivers enjoy EpicVue’s retention study found that the top • Having drivers help refine a perreasons drivers stay with a fleet are independence most about their job,” Platt said. and respect. formance management scorecard; – Aaron Huff

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Lytx’s DriveCam Program is designed to identify why accidents happen using the company’s proprietary video event recorder to capture and assist in correcting risky driving habits.

Odds are you aren’t running video equipment on your trucks yet – but you likely will be soon

By Jack ROBeRts

C

ameras are everywhere today.

As the prices of both megapixels and gigabytes has fallen over the past few years, camera systems have become smaller, sharper and easier to use. Although there is a general sense that we’re rapidly moving toward what some pundits have termed a “Surveillance Society,” most Americans would be shocked to learn how many times they already appear on video cameras in the course of a normal day.

A relative smattering of cameras already have found their way into multiple trucking applications, and if current trends in society are any indication, that adoption pace is going to accelerate rapidly in the 60

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coming years as more systems find their way into fleets and individual trucks – both inside and outside.

“An effective video-based safety system can help a fleet make its good drivers better and reveal insights beyond what standard fleet tracking data might indicate,” says Rob Bartels, commercial leader, Trucking, for Lytx, a provider of videobased safety systems. “Telematics data alone may show a swerving incident with rapid lateral motion – no collision, but a flag is raised. An exterior camera might show that the driver swerved to miss a pedestrian, but combine that with an interior camera, and you might see that the driver was texting and that the swerve was

| december 2015

a near-miss caused by distracted driving, generating a coaching opportunity.”

As with most forms of evolving trucking technology, there are multiple forces influencing the growing popularity of vehicle camera systems. “The price of cameras has gone down dramatically, while their overall clarity has improved exponentially,” says Derek Rotz, chief design engineer for Daimler Trucks North America. “Today’s camera systems provide a degree of detail that is many times greater than that of the human eye. Their field of vision is markedly better, as is overall picture resolution.

At the same time, cameras have become smaller and able to record, store and transmit more images.”

Slow adoption in long-haul Still, a variety of concerns – ranging from price, maintenance, privacy issues and outright resistance by drivers – has limited

EQUIPMENT: VEHICLE CAMERA SYSTEMS the penetration of cameras into trucking.

“They are so few in numbers today,” says Jim Angel, vice president of video intelligence for PeopleNet. Angel points to a study indicating overall fleet penetration is still in the single digits: Only about 6 to 7 percent of trucks currently are outfitted with some form of camera-centered vehicle safety system.

“When you look at how camera use in transportation breaks down, there is a great deal of disparity,” says Steve Mitgang, chief executive officer of SmartDrive, a provider of vehicle data and video event recording technology. In food transportation, about 30 percent of trucks are fitted with cameras, while the cash-armored truck business is about 70 percent, and the transit segment is about 50 percent.

“The long-haul segment is in the single digits, but that number is growing rapidly,” Mitgang says.

Cameras already have been available for several years as key components of lanedeparture warning and forward collision warning and mitigation systems. “That will continue to grow,” says Jason Spence, Volvo’s product marketing manager for long-haul trucks. “Safety systems that help to prevent collisions are very cost-effective for our customers, and more customers are opting to add these systems to their trucks to reduce the chances of collisions,

improve insurance costs and reduce the downtime associated with vehicle crashes.”

The numbers back Spence’s assertion up, and Angel agrees, pointing to a recent University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study commissioned by the American Trucking Associations that found that in most automobile-commercial vehicle crashes, the truck driver was at fault only 20 percent of the time. “Carriers can be confident that if an accident occurs, the odds of winning a case in court are in their favor,” Angel says. “But that is difficult to do without hard data backing your case up.”

Any fleet that has been involved in accident litigation can attest to the expense of settlements. The average injury settlement paid out by fleets today is about $195,000, and Angel says he’s seen settlements as high as $500,000. Average claims against carriers for property damage are in the $15,000 to $20,000 range, he says. “If cameras give you the ability to win one or two of these battles in a court of law, their inherent value is pretty obvious.”

That’s why cameras on commercial vehicles make so much sense, says Fred Andersky, director of government affairs for Bendix. “You can pull all sorts of data off a vehicle’s electronic control module in the event of an accident, but cameras are priceless in terms of clarifying what actu-

ally occurred,” he says.

Camera systems give fleets new capabilities when it comes to handling accident litigation, Andersky says. “You’ll know right away if you’re at fault, and if so, you can take care of the matter quickly without going to court,” he says. “If you’re not at fault – and again, we see that drivers are not at fault in 70 to 80 percent of accidents – then you have a really good chance to fight that claim and win in court.”

Game-changing technology Mitgang thinks that camera penetration into long-haul trucking segments will grow quickly because of their usefulness in many different areas. Looking at the overall spectrum, he says there are three basic camera platforms in use: • Cameras tied into vehicle safety systems such as lane-departure warnings or used to supplement radar in following distance systems; • Cameras as driver aids, such as backup cameras or systems that augment or may one day replace rearview mirrors; and • Cameras that assist with litigation exoneration.

Mitgang says fleets typically approach SmartDrive initially with one specific camera system in mind. “But they very quickly realize that cameras are powerful tools that allow them to monitor and manage

SmartDrive says that in food transportation, about 30 percent of trucks are fitted with cameras, while the cash-armored truck business is about 70 percent, and the transit segment is about 50 percent.

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| DECEMBER 2015 61

EquipmEnt: VEHICLE CAMERA SYSTEMS

Studies conducted by Peterbilt during its SuperTruck project show that removing sideview mirrors and replacing them with cameras can increase fuel economy by up to 2 percent.

SmartDrive says it has analyzed nearly 2 billion miles worth of driving related to claims against truck fleets.

a whole range of activities, from driver behavior to fuel economy to maintenance to tire wear,” he says. “Video is a gamechanger in terms of understanding how a vehicle is being piloted when it’s going down the road and opening up opportunities to improve that performance.”

Camera systems deliver both short- and long-term payoffs and can be configured in endless ways to address specific problems, says Angel, who points to a recent Virginia Tech study that found that fleets using video feedback as a driver coaching tool experienced a 25 to 30 percent reduction in traffic accidents. “That’s the long-term return on your camera system investment,” he says.

But there also are other payoffs: Angel cites statistics that indicate 20 percent of commercial vehicle accidents are same62

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lane sideswipes – incidents that forwardfacing cameras may not catch. “We have fleet customers that have set their side cameras to record anytime the blinker is engaged on a truck,” he says. “Limiting or avoiding accidents such as those can have a huge impact on a fleet’s bottom line in the short term.”

Most fleets trying out data- and videocollection systems for the first time are interested primarily in mitigating litigation costs, Mitgang says. “Typically, they’ve been hesitant to try it out, because at the moment, it’s a low-penetration, highanxiety type of technology,” he says.

Making the case Many fleets fear two basic reactions to installing cameras on their trucks: Drivers will hate them, and video evidence will giftwrap a large court judgment against the fleet.

“Evidence clearly debunks both those myths,” Mitgang says. SmartDrive has analyzed nearly 2 billion miles worth of driving related to claims against truck fleets, he says. “What we found was that in cases where video evidence showed the fleet to be at fault, claim amounts were not only lower, but also the case was wrapped up 40 percent faster than a normal litigation case.”

Bendix has found that while fleets in

| december 2015

general like the idea of exterior camera systems, they tend to be split down the middle in terms of internal cameras. “It’s very obviously a fear of ‘Big Brother,’ and there is a lot of resistance based on that,” says Hans Molin, Bendix’s product manager for vision systems. “We really have to work hard to get the message across that ‘We’re trying to protect you.’ But we also see that many accident-free drivers who are careful and proud of their driving records welcome these systems, because they’re interested in any technology that can reduce their risk of accidents.”

If a fleet doesn’t see the whole picture, it may not have the insights to help drivers improve their behavior. “That’s why we recommend leveraging both lenses to help identify the root cause of an incident,” says Bartels. “However, some companies either want to start with, or prefer, an outside-lens-only solution, and we offer that flexibility.”

While the topic of cameras – particularly in-cab units directly monitoring driver behavior – remains unpopular, there are signs the pendulum is swinging toward greater acceptance. “We’re seeing more drivers place their personal cameras, usually GoPro units, in trucks,” says Angel, who warns this can lead to a new set of problems when unauthorized videos of incidents show up on Facebook or YouTube.

“At the very least, fleets want to have control over what sort of images and video is out in the public realm spotlighting their company and reputation,” he says.

“In extreme cases, we could be talking sensitive video relating to an accident that needs to be kept confidential to protect the fleet and the driver in a legal case. On the other hand, we find that drivers who are using their private cameras in trucks are very receptive to the idea of fleet-installed camera systems.”

Drivers who use their personal cameras do so because they feel targeted, Mitgang says. “I often start my talks with fleet drivers about camera systems by asking who uses their own cameras and letting them

EQUIPMENT: VEHICLE CAMERA SYSTEMS sort of guide the start of the conversation,” he says. “But there are a lot of misconceptions out there among drivers that are hard to diffuse.”

Mitgang says in-cab cameras aren’t set up to watch drivers in real time at all times – and he argues that no fleet manager really wants to sit around watching drivers all day, anyway.

“It’s not like we’re going to catch them picking their noses,” he says. “Instead, what we do is set the camera system to look for specific types of activity that let us know something is wrong. When those prompts are received, that’s when the system begins recording an event.”

Those cues vary among systems and often can be optimized by fleets to look for specific things such as hard braking, U-turns, lane changes or speeding. Modern cameras also are sophisticated enough to catch a driver’s fluttering eyelids.

“If it’s 2 a.m. and that driver has been on the road for seven hours and the camera catches his eyes fluttering, we know that’s a dangerous situation because that driver is clearly tired,” Mitgang says. “Those are the types of things that systems can be programmed by fleets to look for.”

More integrated systems coming As camera technology improves and acceptance of such systems becomes more commonplace, it’s likely their capabilities will expand and that they will become easier to use and more integrated on the OEM level.

“I think they’ll be a given on the next generation of truck models,” says Anthony Gansle, Peterbilt’s on-highway marketing manager. “We’re already testing systems that are able to read speed-limit signs at highways speeds and alert fleets if a truck is going too fast. At some point down the road, it’s possible we’ll see legislation that will allow us to use rearview cameras in place of mirrors.”

Studies conducted by Peterbilt during its SuperTruck project show that removing sideview mirrors and replacing them with

cameras can increase fuel economy by up to 2 percent. “That’s a pretty big number when you consider there’s not a lot of room left for aerodynamic improvements on truck designs,” Gansle says.

Angel thinks cameras are going to be one of the next big OEM initiatives, similar to the way telematics have evolved over the

past couple of years.

“I really hope we can get to the point where we have common standards with the OEMs that will allow camera systems to be easily installed on trucks with internal hookups and various mounts already in place,” he says. “I think that’s going to happen fairly soon.”

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Rand McNally’s IntelliRoute navigation app comes standard in its Windows and Android fleet devices such as the HD 100.

A combo package for fleet connectivity

BY AARON HUFF

I

n 2009, Alan Falik left an investment banking career in the oil and gas industry to join the family business, Poolsure, which delivers bleach and other chemicals to residential and commercial pools throughout the Gulf States region.

At the time, the Houston-based company had 32 trucks and no technology beyond spreadsheets for planning and tracking daily work activities.

Dispatchers were building routes manually and handing job orders to 64

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

drivers on paper. Messages sent to drivers through Poolsure’s mobile communications platform were mostly reminders to “make sure this job is done by this time.” At the end of the workday, drivers returned with a handful of papers representing the jobs they had completed.

This lack of real-time visibility into work activities became especially problematic when rush orders arrived.

“When a customer calls in, we need to know what is on our trucks at that time,” Falik said. But dispatchers “had no idea

| DECEMBER 2015

what had happened during the day. Obviously, as we grew, that didn’t work.”

Falik began looking at technologies and found “a ton of different companies out there,” each of which offered part of the total solution. Poolsure began to implement various cloud-based software systems, but it couldn’t integrate them.

Technology suppliers traditionally have focused on different areas in the transportation market such as mobile communications, dispatch and routing.

But during the past few years, these same companies have taken big, swift strides to own the domain where these different technologies converge.

AAROn HuFF

TECHNOLOGY: FLEET CONNECTIVITY

Alan Falik, president of Poolsure, talked about the game-changing benefits of route planning tools during the Telogis Latitude conference.

Their goal is to offer the total connectivity package of separate components to fleets through a subscription model.

Route planning In August 2013, Poolsure selected a suite of integrated applications from Telogis. One of the apps, RouteCloud, automatically builds optimal routes for the hundreds of job orders that Poolsure handles every day.

RouteCloud integrates with the company’s enterprise resource planning system to receive delivery orders and create optimal routes based on cost and service goals. Once the route plan is created, it is dispatched to drivers through a Telogis mobile app that includes turn-by-turn navigation.

RouteCloud receives real-time updates on jobs as they are completed through telematics and data entered into mobile forms by drivers, giving dispatchers central visibility as routes progress.

“Now we have up-to-the-minute information of exactly what is on our trucks,” Falik says. “This has driven us to really be able to offer an advantage to our customers.”

The integrated routing platform also receives information from water testing devices that Poolsure installs in its customers’ pools. If a device detects that a pool needs service, it communicates wirelessly to RouteCloud, which can locate and schedule the best truck

If you are proactively responding to your customers, it is truly a game-changer.

– Alan Falik, Poolsure to make a delivery on the same day or next day depending on the need.

Upon delivering orders, Poolsure sends an immediate notification to customers. The company now is implementing another Telogis app to give customers advance delivery notifications and estimated times of arrival as the day progresses.

“If you are proactively responding to your customers, it is truly a game-changer,” Falik says.

Poolsure also uses RouteCloud to analyze route costs and calculate “what-if ” scenarios for daily and longterm planning. Falik attributes the company’s growth to technology that gives it a customer service advantage.

Poolsure now has 130 employees and operates a fleet of 60 delivery trucks that transports 10 million gallons of bleach annually to more than 6,000 delivery points across the Southeast.

Since August 2013, sales have increased by 26 percent, and earnings are up 55 percent.

“There is nobody our size in the pool business,” he says. “We’ve been able to capitalize on our efficiencies and our technologies and really take that industry by storm.”

and then TMW Systems in 2012 for its transportation management software properties. TMW previously had purchased Appian Logistics for its final-mile route planning applications.

Trimble then completed its Transportation and Logistics portfolio in 2013 by acquiring ALK Technologies to add mapping and turn-by-turn navigation.

Vista Equity Partners entered the race in December 2013 by acquiring Omnitracs and Roadnet Technologies.

Omnitracs supplies mobile applications and hardware primarily for overthe-road fleets, while Roadnet develops routing and fleet management software for private fleets.

Less than a year later, Omnitracs purchased XRS Corp. to broaden its reach to fleets seeking out-of-the cab smart device-based applications.

Before being acquired, Roadnet already had its MobileCast app that runs on handhelds, including smartphones and tablets. The app presents the route and delivery sequence to drivers, along with details about the order and cus-

The movement by technology providers to offer integrated routing systems has hastened rapidly.

Bringing in mobile The movement by technology providers to offer integrated routing systems has hastened rapidly. During the past few years, large investment firms have acquired software companies in rapid succession to unite them and create ready-made united platforms.

Trimble acquired fleet mobility provider PeopleNet in August 2011

In October 2014, Omnitracs acquired XRS to deepen its reach into small-, midsized and private fleets seeking smart device-based applications.

commercial carrier journal

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TECHNOLOGY: FLEET CONNECTIVITY

Blue Tree offers a rugged Garmin tablet with navigation as part of its mobile computing platform.

tomer at each stop.

Since its acquisition, Roadnet continues to deploy new features to its Software-As-A-Service fleet management platform. The Web-based tool offers integrating routing, dispatching, telematics, customer notifications and analytics.

Fleets prefer to use mobility, routing, navigation and transportation management software applications from a single provider to be more responsive to their customers. When these systems are disconnected, fleets are less able to have all of the information they need to make real-time adjustments to their routes and to analyze their cost and performance metrics, says James Stevenson, vice president of sales for TMW Systems.

Truck navigation Once job orders and loads are sequenced optimally by a routing application and sent wirelessly to a mobile app for the driver, the next extension in the integrated chain is navigation.

In October, Omnitracs added navigation to its portfolio, but not through an acquisition. The company developed the new product internally, starting in December 2014 with intellectual property acquired from Roadnet.

The new Omnitracs Navigation app collects truck route data from more than 250,000 customers that use the company’s mobile computing systems and from both traditional and realtime data sources such as traffic and 66

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weather. The app also adds driver feedback to the data-editing process, with updates sent to the unit automatically.

“We want to address the issues with navigation in the trucking industry, the biggest being stale data,” says Rick Turek, chief navigation scientist.

“Driver experience is poorer with old data, and we are focusing our energy on trying to solve that.”

In many ways, navigation is the central component for executing planned routes, as the plan is simplified to a turn-by-turn basis. It also helps when all of the elements in a route plan – distances, road speeds and travel times – are consistent between the office software and the cab, which is another reason fleets prefer an integrated platform.

Since its acquisition by Trimble, ALK has developed an extensive integration kit for its CoPilot Truck navigation app that can be used by any third-party mobile software provider. The integration capabilities allow a developer of electronic logging and telematics applications to use CoPilot as the driver interface while the vehicle is in motion to display dispatch messages, hours of service, driver performance data and other information.

This integration provides information to drivers in pop-up tiles to improve safety by not requiring them to toggle through screens while the vehicle is in motion, says Dan Popkin, ALK’s senior vice president of enterprise solutions.

| december 2015

Expanding navigation Some developers of in-cab and mobile fleet management applications offer navigation that is built into their product platforms.

Rand McNally’s IntelliRoute navigation app comes standard in its Windows and Android fleet devices such as the HD 100, which also enables other applications such as messaging, electronic logs and more.

The app gives drivers the mileage and estimated time of arrival to the next stop, along with workflow functionality that allows fleets to provide specific instructions for each stop.

Back-office employees can send realtime message updates continuously to keep drivers informed.

Blue Tree Systems offers a durable Garmin device to run all of its applications that include messaging, driver performance and HOS Advisor. The Android tablet comes with navigation and lifetime map updates.

The Blue Tree app also can run on any Android device a fleet chooses, and drivers also can install it on personal devices to stay connected for messaging and HOS. Fleets can monitor for out-of-route events automatically by sending the waypoints for planned routes to the Garmin devices as part of the dispatch process, says Chip Powell, director of U.S. operations for Blue Tree.

Magellan is releasing a new feature called Return to Route that automatically detects when a driver deviates The Omnitracs Navigation app collects truck route data from more than 250,000 customers that use the company’s mobile computing systems and from both traditional and realtime data sources such as traffic and weather, as well as driver feedback.

TECHNOLOGY: FLEET CONNECTIVITY from the planned route and calculates a return to the departure point. While long-haul fleets may not need to return to this precise location, service fleets such as school buses and snowplows may need to get back to the original point of departure to not miss required stops along the route, says Mark Perini, vice president of product marketing.

Magellan’s cloud-based Fleet Navigation platform runs on an Android device and integrates third-party content and apps such as HOS through a single user interface.

Adding apps The way drivers and fleet managers interact with vehicle and work information has changed rapidly in the past few years. Rather than rely on a dedicated terminal in the cab or at the office that has access to a limited set of apps, industry suppliers have migrated to Android and Apple platforms to

provide users virtually unlimited access to third-party tools and information.

Drivers also can use their personal devices.

As part of the route planning process, more fleets and drivers are using apps that locate fuel stops to check fuel prices, parking availability and other amenities.

“A lot of stuff becomes pretty important to drivers,” says Jeff Pape, senior vice president at U.S. Bank, which offers the Voyager Fleet payment card and network. This past summer, U.S. Bank launched the Voyager Mobile app used by fleet managers primarily to monitor drivers’ fuel-buying decisions and for drivers to choose their fueling locations.

Fleets can limit the locations to their fuel network or expand them as they see fit. Once drivers perform a search and select a fuel location, the app automatically can open a navigation

U.S. Bank launched the Voyager Mobile app used by fleet managers primarily to monitor drivers’ fuel-buying decisions and by drivers to choose their fueling locations.

application such as Google Maps.

Future plans for Voyager Mobile include a virtual payment option for fuel and other items in lieu of a fuel card, as well as voice activation for drivers to interact with the app while the vehicle is in motion.

Many of today’s technologies work best as a combination package. It’s also becoming difficult for fleets and vendors alike to imagine competing with anything less.

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COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

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DECEMBER 2015

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products new

Truck bodies Wabash National’s line of high-performance dry and refrigerated truck bodies for Class 6, 7 and 8 chassis is suited for final-mile delivery applications and is designed to reduce maintenance costs, enhance productivity and maximize equipment life. The truck bodies are constructed using state-of-the-art bonding assembly technology combined with a patent-pending composite panel to facilitate added thermal efficiency while reducing weight – all without sacrificing strength and durability. The bodies also feature a rear underride guard and incorporate semitrailer-grade components and designs for added performance and longevity.

Wabash National Corp., www.wabashtruckbodies.com, 765-771-5300

Protective device case

Relay bypass master kit IPA’s Relay Bypass Master Kit with Amp Loop is designed to simplify DC motor activation and current monitoring and energize any DC motor independent of key-on systems, such as fuel pumps, cooling fans, blower motors, window motors or any other motor actuated by a relay. The set includes six spade relays compatible with most applications.

Innovative Products of America, www.ipatools.com, 845-679-4500

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commercial carrier journal | december 2015

Ram Mounting Systems’ IntelliSkin protective device case is designed to simplify docking and undocking of various Samsung smartphones and tablets by providing standard charging contacts to help prevent damage in rugged commercial application environments. IntelliSkin features an integrated power connector compatible with any Global Docking System charging dock for fleets using applications for tracking, hours of service, trip inspections, two-way communications and navigation.

Ram Mounting Systems, www.rammount.com, 206-763-8361

products

Drive tire

Portable antenna mount King’s Portable Antenna Mount is designed to be compatible with all vehicles and is customized to fit the company’s Tailgater and Quest portable satellite TV antennas. No drilling is required; the mount is engineered for easy installation with heavy-duty mounting tape to hang on the window or side of the truck and provide a place for the antenna to rest while the vehicle is parked.

It is constructed from a high-performance automotive-grade polymer suited for outdoor use and to withstand inclement weather.

King, www.kingconnect.com, 952-922-6889

Yokohama’s TY527 premium drive tire – available in 14-ply 285/75R24.5 size and 16-ply 295/75R22.5, 11R22.5 and 11R24.5 sizes – is suited for regional, highscrub and long-haul applications for two- and three-axle tractors. The tire’s deep 32/32nd-inch tread depth and construction are designed for long life and added performance.

A directional tread pattern helps reduce block movement and resist heel and toe wear under high torque conditions, while the tire’s stress wear control grooves help alleviate contact pressure on the edge of the outside tread blocks. The company’s proprietary STEM-2 (StrainEnergy Minimization) technology is designed to extend casing life by directing stress forces away from the bead and shoulder areas, minimizing casing flex. Also, stone damage prevention grooves are designed to thwart rocks and debris from reaching the groove’s bottom.

Yokohama Tire Corp., www.yokohamatruck.com, 800-722-9888 commercial carrier journal | december 2015 Rig Dig_CCJ0413_PG108.indd 1

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products

Converter/battery charger

In-cab camera RoadhawkUSA’s RoadhawkHD 1080p full-HD-resolution dash camera is suited for independent drivers and small to mid-sized fleets that do not require data networks but want a level of recorded safety and accountability. The plug-and-play camera has the option of permanent in-vehicle wiring and features loop recording (8 GB card included), date- and time-stamped video with GPS reception and G-force sensors to facilitate accurate recording of impact events. The camera is designed to start recording once the ignition turns on, and GPS locks within one minute of operation; 10 seconds of footage leading up to a detected event or manually triggered event recording is saved automatically and lasts 30 seconds. An optional add-on lock box is available to secure and protect the camera from tampering.

RoadhawkUSA, www.teamresearchinc.com, 770-715-8968

Progressive Dynamics’ PD9130 converter and battery charging system is designed to avoid dead batteries and cold-weather jumpstarts. The converter is engineered to allow batteries to remain charged after it is plugged into any 115-volt outlet overnight or over the weekend. While plugged in, a vehicle’s battery remains at optimal voltage as the converter simultaneously charges the battery and provides an additional 30 amps for any equipment left on.

Progressive Dynamics Inc., http://progressivedyn.com, 269-781-4241

Charging accessories RoadKing’s heavy-duty charging accessories for mobile communication devices are engineered to offer high-output charging power of up to 4.8 amps. A braided 4-gauge cable, a rugged design and an upgraded housing and metal tips all help provide professional-grade durability. Added conveniences include simultaneous dual-device charging capability, an illuminating power-indicating base and cord lengths of up to 12 feet.

RoadPro Brands, www.roadprobrands.com, 717-964-3642

Protect your cargo and your drivers.

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11/19/15 9:32 AM

products

Nominal T-bolts

Stop-tail-turn light

Ideal Clamp’s Nominal Diameter Sized T-Bolts are heavy-duty clamps designed to provide uniform pressure for a positive and reliable seal. Series 30050 is constructed with plated carbon-steel components (T-bolt, nut and trunnion) and 300-series stainless-steel components (band and bridge). Series 30051 is constructed with all300-series stainless-steel components. Both are available in boxes of 10 and in bulk.

Phillips’ Permalite XT 4.0-inch Round Stop-Tail-Turn Light features the company’s proprietary Boardfree technology that uses nine diodes to facilitate brighter illumination. The durable light is designed to resist impact, corrosion, harsh chemicals and UV exposure and features a sleeker, more modern profile.

It is available in both flanged and grommet mount variations and can be mounted in any direction.

Ideal Clamp Products, www.idealtridon.com, 615-459-5800

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

LED work lamp Optronics’ Opti-Brite TLL30FB LED work lamp has a round 3¼-inch-diameter lens and four LEDs. The compact lamp is designed for easy mounting on any vehicle with 4½ inches of clearance and comes with a durable stainless-steel mounting bracket. The lamp features reverse polarity protection and is designed to accommodate both 12- and 24-volt electrical systems.

Optronics International, www.optronicsinc.com, 800-364-5483

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commercial carrier journal | december 2015

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ad index American Truckers Legal Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-525-4285 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Amsoil Distributor-Jim Fleschner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-709-2516 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Ancra International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-233-5138 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Apex Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844-827-7698 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Bitimec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-637-1900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 CCJ Reader Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CCJReviews .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 CCJ’s Innovators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Comdata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-COMDATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Commercial Carrier University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Deckmate @ Gateway Supply LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Detroit Diesel Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313-592-5000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Direct Equipment Supply Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-992-1478 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Driver of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Truckload .org/DriverOfTheYear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Eaton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roadranger .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FC, 17, 43, 57 Emerson Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5124 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Femco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855-336-2687 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Fitzgerald Truck Sales & Glider Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-553-0369 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 Fuel Surcharge Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409-697-2587 ext . 231 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Fumoto Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707-545-7020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Howes Lubricator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-438-4693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845-679-4500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Larson Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-369-6671 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Lite-Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-343-8579 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Love’s Travel Stops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-388-0983 ext . 6761 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Lytx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-419-5861 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 MobilDelvac1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-MOBILDELVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 National Trailer Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-886-4414 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 NTEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WorkTruckShow .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Omnitracs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-348-7227 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 O’Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FirstCallOnline .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 PCS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281-419-9500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 PeopleNet Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-346-3486 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-473-8372 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, BC Peterson Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816-765-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 PPG Commercial Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PPGCommercialCoatings .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 PrePass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-361-PASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 49 Prestone Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-890-2075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 ProMiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-324-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 RigDig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-633-5953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Shell Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-231-6950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, IBC TA-Petro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-632-9240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 59 Truckfridge .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502-863-4536 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Trucking Moves America Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TruckingMovesAmerica .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Trucking’s Future Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TruckingsFutureNow .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Truckstop .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-203-2540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 TSI/SSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-223-4540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Verizon Networkfleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-869-1353 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vipar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-494-4731 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 63 Volvo Trucks North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336-393-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC-1 Western Star Trucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-850-STAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Xtra Lease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XtraLease .com/Rebills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Yokohama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . YokohamaTire .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 commercial carrier journal | december 2015

79

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

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

By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants the metal surfaces.

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

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

Preventable or not?

Doe, maniac merge in Mississippi

A

t 6:30 a.m., fortified by a cup of coffee, John Doe halted his northbound tractor-trailer at a red light within the city limits of Goshdang, Miss. The sun was shining, the road straight ahead was dry and devoid of traffic, and only the songs of birds could be heard – Wait a minute! – until Doe detected the sounds of increasingly loud country music. Glancing at the lane to his right, Doe witnessed the high-decibel arrival of an elderly and battered Ford pickup truck.

Replete with a rear-window gun rack and a good-ol’-boy driver wearing a John Deere cap, the pickup also stopped at the red traffic signal, maintaining a high idle. A moment later, the light changed to green.

Accelerating to 5 mph, Doe saw that the roadway was soon to become a single lane – his lane, he thought.

In turn, the pickup’s driver, aware Seeing that the roadway that the right lane was ending, dewas soon to become a single lane, a pickup driver cided he didn’t want to get stuck pulled wildly in front of behind a slow 18-wheeler.

John Doe’s tractor, damaging Accordingly, the pickup accelerboth rides. Was this a ated heavily, wildly pulled in front preventable accident? of Doe’s tractor and – WHAM!!!

– caused $800 damage to the tractor’s right front fender and $500 damage to the pickup’s left rear fender.

The long arm of the law arrived quickly and cited the pickup’s driver for an unsafe lane change.

Shortly thereafter, Doe’s safety director wrote him a warning letter for a preventable accident, and the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee upheld the judgment. NSC ruled that Doe should have expected the pickup to try and get ahead of him and that he should have watched his mirrors in case he needed to yield quickly.

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 | december 2015 11/9/15 9:07 AM

YOU NEVER FAIL TO DELIVER. NEITHER SHOULD YOUR ENGINE OIL. No matter the weather or how far the haul, you do what it takes to get the job done. Just like Shell Rotella heavy duty engine oils. From the wear, deposits and emissions protection of Shell Rotella T Triple Protection, and the improved fuel economy of Shell Rotella T5 Synthetic Blend Technology, to the excellent high/low temperature protection of Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic, there’s a Shell Rotella engineered to handle your needs. www.rotella.com ®

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