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DECEMBER APRIL 2018 2018

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

Investing for the future

In its own pursuit of the American dream, family-owned VTS Transportation has found remarkable success by continuing to choose the most advanced trucking solutions to keep their drivers satisfied and costs low.

BY: JOHN POPE In 2006, Vlad Vinnichuk was working construction for big-box retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, not liking the way the economy or, more importantly, his career path was going. Having recently immigrated to the United States with his family from the Ukraine, he believed he saw the possibility for a more promising future. “I told my father that I wanted to get into trucking, and two weeks later I had my CDL and I got to work.” Vinnichuk drove relentlessly, saved up, and soon bought his first truck, which he found to be too noisy and uncomfortable for longer runs.

He then test drove a Volvo truck and from that point on there was no turning back.

Working as a full-time driver, Vinnichuk drove across America, realizing both the beauty of his adopted home and his dream to do more for himself and his family. “I had the ambition to expand on what I was doing, thinking how I could turn this new life into a real business — hire more drivers, buy more trucks.” He kept driving and saving and the next

year he bought another truck. It then became his goal to buy a new truck and hire a new driver each year. By November 2012, he and his father were able to start their own business, VTS Transportation. They had five trucks, all being Volvo.

For Vinnichuk, a successful business starts with how you make your employees feel. As a driver himself, he understood first-hand how hard life on the road can be and how important it was to have the best in equipment and technology. By investing in Volvo Trucks from the start, he made a choice not to compromise on his drivers’ comfort, safety or quality of life. It sent a message to his team right away that their needs mattered. “If the people you work with feel important, if they feel like family, they will make the business successful. Simple as that.” His instincts proved correct, as the reliability and performance of his trucks and drivers continued to win new customers, allowing Vinnichuk to

VTS recently purchased eleven new VNL 760s, each equipped with the fuel-efficient D13 Turbo Compound engine.

expand his operation to eventually include more than 100 trucks and drivers.

In 2017, concerns about rising costs brought Vinnichuk to the Volvo Trucks Customer Center in Virginia for his first look at the new VNL with a D13TC engine. “The experts there walked me through the advances they had made, the changes in design, the innovations behind the turbo compounding technology. I was impressed by the whole package, but what it came down to for me was two simple promises: More efficiency.

More power.” Available only for the VNL, the D13TC uses a waste heat recovery system to save fuel by capturing lost heat energy, improving fuel efficiency up to 7.5 percent — all while improving the engine’s performance and driver productivity. Vinnichuk left the facility with an order for eleven VNL 760s, each with a D13TC engine.

Quick Look Started: 2012.

Owner: Vlad Vinnichuk and Anatoily Vinnichuk.

Employees: 150+.

Based in: Roseville, CA.

Hauls: Meat & Produce for Costco & Walmart.

Fleet details: 141 Trucks. 44 VTSowned (95% Volvo), the rest are owner-operated.

who started with him in 2012 are still on the road for VTS. In fact, when it comes to the typical challenges of the trucking industry, such as high turnover or finding new drivers, Vinnichuk says he’s never had a problem.

“All drivers are really looking for good equipment. And they can’t do better than Volvo trucks.”

For VTS, with over 140 trucks on the road across the United States, continued growth has meant finding ways to increase efficiencies and save on costs. “Fuel is our second largest expense, hands down,” says Vinnichuk. “So when Volvo told me that their new engine could significantly improve my fuel efficiency, I knew this technology would be the future of our business.” With the integration of the D13TC, Vlad saw an average of ten cents per mile savings from previous models. “I couldn’t believe how well the engines performed, but I’ve learned not to doubt Volvo when it comes to performance or results.” In such a competitive marketplace, some owners might be reluctant to talk so openly about Ed Sus has been a driver for VTS since 2010, the immediate returns from the D13TC. Then again, Vinnichuk is not like hauling produce from California to Kansas most owners. “I have relatives and friends all over the country in truckand Missouri. He was attracted to driving for ing, and I will explain to anyone who will listen about the great savings Vinnichuk because of the great reputation the from the D13TC, how much our drivers love the truck.” company had. “I heard that they take care of In less than a decade, Vlad Vinnichuk went from hanging sheetrock to the drivers. They give you the mileage. They becoming the president of a successful, quickly growing transportation give you whatever you need to be happy on company. As he reflects back on what his family has built and the sucthe road and at home too.” Since starting at cess they’ve had with VTS, there is only gratitude in his voice. “America VTS, he’s only ever driven Volvo trucks and, is a place with endless opportunities. I came here with no English, no as a believer himself, was more than willing to be one of the first to try higher education. I worked my way up and learned the important lesson out the new VNL. The truck did not disappoint, with Sus immediately of treating people with respect and fairness.” That respect has meant impressed by the personalization made possible by the new features. better wages for his drivers, company-wide cookouts at his home and “Whether it’s the steering wheel, the cupholdcontinued investments in the trucks they drive. ers, the dashboard, everything inside is adjustBut Vinnichuk doesn’t like to dwell too long able and customizable.” When asked about the on the past. He has his eyes set on the road impact the D13TC engine has on his driving, ahead, with the long-term goal of being the he is quick to point out how much quieter, largest trucking operation in California. “Most more powerful, the new truck is. “For me, the of the big companies are all in the Midwest VNL 760 is number one. It looks good. It’s quibecause of all the regulations and costs here. et. It’s comfortable. It’s easy to drive. I love it.”

But this is our home, and I want to make our Sus was not alone. Vinnichuk says the life and our business work here.” What has response to the new trucks was just astouncertainly helped make his business work is ding, not only improving driver satisfaction, the loyalty he shows his employees and his but decreasing his already low turnover rates. willingness to support a truck manufacturer “A couple of our drivers who had been doing that brings innovation to the industry. When this for awhile were planning on quitting the asked if Volvo Trucks could make any changindustry altogether, but when they got the es to the VNL, Vinnichuk remarks, “They could Founded in 2012 by Vlad Vinnichuk and his new Volvo trucks, they suddenly changed their send me more.” It sounds like a simple enough father, Anatoliy, VTS’s fleet has grown to over minds.” You can hear the pride in his voice joke until he points out that he’s already made 150 trucks, with 44 owned by the company and the rest owner-operated. when he mentions that almost all of the drivers plans to order fifteen more. ■

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DEPARTMENTS

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technology

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Editorial

20 21 21 22

Fleet managers share ideas for winning driver culture Nikola planning truck for European market Trailer makers support rear underride guards International debuts CV Series medium-duty vocational truck

28 29 29 30

22 InBrief 24

Paccar plans to boost R&D spending on next-gen trucks

32

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

Verizon Connect targets ‘customer experience’ Noregon updates JPro diagnostics tool Transport Pro unveils freight tracking service Durabook delivers tough semi-rugged computer ITI, Netradyne launch automated training program

25 InFocus: Airless tires

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26 Test Drive:

32 InBrief

Peterbilt Model 567 Heritage

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SMC3 tool instantly prices volume LTL freight rates

Fleet Advantage updates ATLAAS analytics software platform FourKites tool uses ELD data to predict capacity for shippers

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Preventable or Not?

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COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| DECEMBER 2018

Editor Jeff Crissey’s column

A sports car stuck behind a slowmoving city bus tried to squeeze in front of John Doe’s truck in the opposite lane, but the car didn’t have enough room. Was this a preventable accident?

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LEADING LEADINGNEWS, NEWS, TRUCKING TRUCKINGMARKET MARKET CONDITIONS CONDITIONSAND AND INDUSTRY INDUSTRYANALYSIS ANALYSIS

FMCSA EPA wants allows to review, after-hours simplify move to park while loaded truck emissions regulations

T

he heU.S. Federal Environmental Motor Carrier Protection Safety Agency Administration last month announced finalized plans changes to toguidance explore overhauling around theemissions 150-air-mile-radius regulations foragriculture heavy-duty hours-of-service trucks and engines, exemption aiming and foruse greater of the simplicity personal andconveyance national uniformity provision. to help resolve Both theproposed issue of outlier changes states were such putasforward California ahead that of have theinstituted Dec. 18 compliance stricter deadline regulations for the thanagency’s EPA. electronic logging device mandate and pitched as providing Andrew clarity Wheeler, and additional EPA acting flexibility administrator, for drivers. announced the Cleaner Trucks Initiative, The newsaying interpretation the agencyofintends when ittois“take legal atocomprehensive use a truck forreview personal of existing conveyance requirements allows use to whether root out the inefficiencies” truck is loaded whileorstill not. “[ensuring] Perhaps more heavy-duty significantly, trucks the guidance are clean and answers remain a common a competitive question wayof towhether transportit’s goods.” appropriate to use personal conveyance The program status is aimed to at curbing emissions of nitrogen oxide and particulate get matter, to a albeit safe parking by taking a differspot ent approach, or rest locaWheeler said. “For tion the past aftertwo hours decades, are requirements exhausted [have] beenbyadded a shipin piecemeal per fashion, or receiver. resulting in overly complex requirements “The movement that do little to actually from improve a shipper the environment,” he said. orWheeler receiver said to the the goal is to deploy nearest technologies safe resting already developed but The agency said the program is aimed at curbing area not yet may in use. be identi“Through the Cleaner emissions of nitrogen oxide and particulate fied Trucks as personal Initiative, we can provide the matter, albeit by taking a different approach. conveyance,” trucking industry textwith regulatory cerof tainty the so clarification they can do what they do best — innovate, create and deliver,” he said. reads, The “regardless American Trucking of TheAssociations, Owner-Operator new interpretation of when it isIndependent legal to use a Drivers truck for personal conveyance allows use whether the truck(EMA) is loaded not. whether Association theand driver Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association all or announced exhausted support forhis theor initiative. her hours “EPA’s of service, proposed as long Cleaner as the Trucks CMVInitiative is being provides moved solely the opportunity to enable thetodriver move to obtain from a the prescriptive-based required rest at compliance a safe location.” program Personal to one conveyance that is performanceused this way should be based,” annotated said Jed in Mandel, the log. EMA president. “By doing so, we can achieve deeper real-world PersonalNOx conveyance reductions, alsoimplement is newly allowed modernwhen in-useacompliance safety official protocols requires anda driver streamline to move current during redundant an off-duty regulations.” period.EMA Such represents a use should major be truck “no farther and than the engine nearest manufacturers reasonablesuch andassafe Cummins, area to Daimler, completeNavistar, the rest period,” Paccar and theVolvo. text reads.

Regarding Bill Sullivan, the ATA 150-air-mile-radius executive viceexemption, president FMCSA of advocacy, clarified said thethere’s definition a of the radius need toasharmonize extending from emissions the commodity’s regulations source. to create Haulers a federal using the standard. exemption “As but who an industry extend beyond engaged theinradius interstate wouldcommerce, not need toATA start hours strongly recording favors until a single they reach the national edge of emissions the radius, the agency pathway said. as Such opposed drivers Scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit ccjdigital.com/news/subscribe-to-newsreturning to a patchwork empty of can stop letters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, hours state standards,” recording upon rea daily e-mail newsletter filled with news, entering Sullivan the said. radius. analysis, blogs and market condition articles.

– James – Todd Jaillet Dills 8

commercial carrier journal

| december 2018

ATRI asking fleets Registry hack to share ELD medical data for delays research database certificate rule

TT

he American Transportation

Research Institute, a nonprofit he Federal Motor Carrier

research arm forAdministration the Americansaid Safety Trucking Associations, is to asking last month it intends postpone fleetsthe to share data fromoftheir elecimplementation a system tronicmeant logging devices initshopes of to streamline communicreating an ELD cations withdatabase. state licensing agenATRI it will collect wareciessaid regarding drivers’ and medical housecertification the data as a means to constatus. duct research and add scientifically The multifaceted rule, part of valid which analysis toeffect studies it undertook in January 2015, takes.requires The group saidtothe data will FMCSA electronically be kept anonymous. transmit to state licensing agen“The

by ELDs ciesnew the data resultsgenerated of drivers’ medical can provide a wealth of insight certifications; FMCSA receivesand that research supportfrom to our industry,” information medical examinsaid Andrew co-president ers. StateBoyle, agencies then will send for Boyle Transportation and ATRI the results to the Commercial boardDriver’s member.

“ButInformation we clearly License need System a trusted third-party facilitator to make other states to manage and monitor how the aware of drivers’ exam results. information is used. is to the uniquely However, dueATRI in part suitedongoing to serveoutage that role. the right of theInNational context, ELDsofcan provide the realRegistry Certified Medical worldExaminers data needed to guide future following an attempted regulations and initiatives.” hack, FMCSA says it will postpone To the learn more andthat to parrequirement it submit ticipate, go to http://atri-online. information to state agencies for org/2018/10/24/atri-eld-clearingthree years, until June 2021. house-data-collection-interest/.

– Matt Cole – James Jaillet

FMCSA said “an incident that occurred in early December ATRI said 2017” ELDs ledcan to interruptions provide the realworldin data developing needed tothe guide electronic future regulations transmission and initiatives. process.

commercial carrier journal

| july 2018 9

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JOURNAL NEWS

Short-haul concrete pumpers get waiver to work 14-hour day

T

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration granted a waiver to allow concrete pump operators using the short-haul logbook exemption to work a 14-hour day rather than 12 hours.

The American Concrete Pumping Association requested the waiver in June for all concrete pump operators. ACPA asked the agency to give concrete pumpers the same flexibility as ready-mixed concrete truck drivers who operate under the short-haul

exemption.

ACPA added in its request that allowing concrete pumpers to return to their work-reporting location within 14 hours instead of 12 hours harmonizes hours-of-service rules for concrete pump drivers with the rules for drivers of the trucks that supply the concrete.

In its decision to grant the waiver, FMCSA said most drivers are allowed a 14-hour driving window “with no evidence of adverse effects” and noted

Virginia infrastructure plan could include I-81 tolling

T

he Virginia Department of Transportation revealed a draft plan that would add tolls on Interstate 81 across the state for both trucks and passenger cars.

The plan, unveiled in late October, is intended to generate funds beyond the state’s annual transportation budget for improvements to the 325-mile stretch of interstate.

A study into how to provide the needed $2 billion was ordered by the Virginia General Assembly, and it originally mentioned charging only trucks for potential tolls.

The draft plan Virginia transportation officials are includes tolling considering tolls on I-81 to help fund both commerinfrastructure improvements. cial trucks and passenger cars using “time of day” tolling that would charge higher rates at peak travel times and lower rates overnight.

The study calls for charging commercial trucks 17 cents per mile, which would be $55.25 to travel the entire state across I-81. The study shows 11.7 million trucks travel along I-81 each year.

While the proposal is a draft plan, the Commonwealth Transportation Board was expected to finalize it during meetings Dec. 4-5 and forward it to state lawmakers for consideration next year.

– Matt Cole

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commercial carrier journal

| december 2018

In its decision to grant the waiver, FMCSA said concrete pump drivers only drive for a small portion of their workday.

that concrete pump drivers only drive for a small portion of their workday.

The waiver went into effect on Nov. 1 and will expire on Oct. 31, 2023.

– Matt Cole

Nearly 5,000 trucks sidelined during CVSA brakes-focused inspection spree

J

ust over 14 percent of inspected trucks were placed out of service for brakes violations during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Brake Safety Week inspection spree in September.

According to CVSA, inspectors across the United States and Canada inspected 35,080 commercial vehicles Nearly 5,000 trucks during the blitz and placed 4,955 out were placed out of service for brakes vioof service. lations during CVSA’s Inspectors focused on vehicles that Brake Safety Week in require antilock braking systems and September. how well they were maintained. Of 26,143 air-braked power units inspected that required ABS, 2,176 (8.3 percent) had ABS violations. Of 17,857 trailers inspected that required ABS, 2,224 (12.5 percent) had ABS violations. Of 5,354 hydraulic-braked trucks inspected that required ABS, 234 (4.4 percent) had ABS violations.

CVSA returned to the weeklong Brake Safety Week this year after conducting a one-day Brake Safety Day in 2017. The percentage of trucks with brake-related violations was about the same this year (14.1 percent) as last year (14 percent).

During CVSA’s International Roadcheck 72-hour inspection blitz in June, brake violations were the top vehicle out-ofservice violation (28.4 percent).

– Matt Cole

JOURNAL NEWS

INBRIEF 12/18

In the early stages, both synthetic and conventional oils start out as crude oil. Unlike conventional motor oil, synthetic oil goes through a process where it is refined and distilled before being broken down into individual molecules. This process purifies the oil and makes it possible for engineers to customize the crude oil’s molecules and provide better protection than conventional motor oils deliver.

Advantages of Synthetic over Conventional Oil: • Improved performance • Keeps engines cleaner • Offers improved deposit control • Enhanced performance in extreme temperatures As engines have become more technologically advanced, so have the motor oil products designed to support them.

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• UPS Freight (CCJ Top 250, No. 1) announced that its roughly 12,000 drivers represented by the Teamsters Union voted to ratify a five-year labor agreement offered by the less-than-truckload company Oct. 25. The election warded off a potential drivers’ strike that prompted UPS Freight to try to clear its network had an agreement not been reached.

The company’s parcel delivery segment, which employs roughly a quarter-million drivers, already had reached a deal with the Teamsters.

N/A 2.25” x 9.5” -.25” Commercial Carrier Journal August 2018

When it comes to your engine’s performance, the motor oil you select will have a big impact.

Understanding what synthetic oil is, its differences with conventional motor oil, and how it affects your engine’s performance can help you choose the right oil for your vehicle.

• XPO Logistics (No. 5) drivers in Cinnaminson, N.J., voted 19-4 to become members of Teamsters Local 107 in Philadelphia. They joined XPO drivers in Trenton, N.J.; King of Prussia, Pa.; Aurora, Ill.; Laredo, Texas; North Haven, Conn.; Los Angeles and Miami who previously voted to become Teamsters.

• Schneider National (No. 7) Chief Executive Officer Chris Lofgren will retire in April 2019, and Mark Rourke, executive vice president and chief operating officer, will replace him following his selection by the Green Bay, Wis.-based company’s board of directors. Lofgren has been Schneider’s CEO for 17 years. Rourke, 54, has been with the company since 1987 and has served as COO since 2015.

BLEED: TRIM: LIVE: PUB: Dates:

What is Synthetic Oil?

JWT/Atlanta SHELL Rotella 1/3 Page VERT 1168545_A255_ CCJ_Third_Aug2018 “ROTELLA ROUNDUP”

ROTELLA ROUNDUP

• Hair testing guidelines must be updated, as mandated in a law signed by President Trump aimed at curbing abuse of opioid drugs.

The 2015 FAST Act highway bill called for the recognition of hair-sample drug tests for truck drivers as an alternative to urine-sample tests, but only after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services produced testing guidelines. DHS has yet to produce the guidelines.

Comments, questions or ideas?

Email us at RotellaRoundup@JWT.com

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commercial carrier journal

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CAPTION:

AGENCY: CLIENT: SPECS: AD CODE:

• The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month renewed the exemption for CRST Expedited (No. 17) that allows commercial learner’s permit holders who have passed the commercial driver’s license skills test to drive teams without a CDL holder in the front seat until returning to his or her home state to receive a CDL. The renewed exemption is valid through Sept. 24, 2023. The agency said if there is a deterioration of CRST’s safety record, it can revoke the exemption at any time.

• Averitt Express (No. 27) announced an onthe-job-training diesel mechanic program for military veterans and family members with Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. The program offers paid clock hours, raises based on experience

| december 2018

7/11/18 10:48 AM

level and an option for a four-day work week and is part of the Cookeville, Tenn.-based carrier’s commitment to hire 1,200 additional veterans by 2020.

• USA Truck (No. 70) acquired Carnesville, Ga.-based Davis Transfer Co., a family-owned Southeast regional truckload carrier with about 265 tractors; terms were not released. USA Truck said Davis last year posted $50 million in revenues with an operating ratio in the upper 80s. Davis, founded in 1959, will operate independently of USA Truck as a wholly owned subsidiary, and Todd Davis will join USA Truck as a vice president.

• Groendyke Transport (No. 110), an Enid, Okla.-based tank truck carrier, acquired the tank truck assets of Tallahassee, Fla.-based McKenzie Tank Lines; terms were not released.

Groendyke, which has about 950 drivers, will add 200 more along with 14 terminals, giving it more than 40 terminals in 15 states. The company said it expects revenues to increase by more than $40 million in 2019 to about $280 million.

• Milan Supply Chain Solutions (No. 236) acquired J&B Services Inc., a Pontotoc, Miss.based regional transportation and logistics provider; terms were not released. J&B operates a network of company drivers and has customers in the lighting, furniture, food and automotive industries. Milan, based in Milan, Tenn., said the acquisition provides a further geographic reach, increased brokerage capacity and an expanded driver pool.

• Ryder System expanded its Ryder Last Mile services in 11 North American markets. The company said the growth of its home delivery and white-glove installation offering strengthens its e-commerce fulfillment capabilities, reduces delivery timeframes and brings appliance delivery and installation to new markets.

• Cargo theft tracking firms CargoNet and SensiGuard both reported a year-over-year decrease in theft volume during the 2018 third quarter and an increase in theft value.

SensiGuard recorded 157 thefts in 2018’s third quarter worth an average of $160,858, an 11 percent decrease in thefts and a 31 percent increase in value, with electronics accounting for 20 percent of all thefts. CargoNet recorded 188 cargo thefts with an average value of $143,949, with food and drink being the moststolen items. Both reports ranked California and Texas Nos. 1 and 2 as the states with the most cargo thefts.

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JOURNAL NEWS

Democrat lawmakers ask DOT to deny ATA's petition on California breaks

A

group of Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate on Oct. 31 filed a letter with the U.S. Department of Transportation asking it to deny a request by the American Trucking Associations to exempt carriers from California labor laws requiring meal breaks and paid rest breaks for employees.

ATA in early October petitioned DOT to intervene in the ongoing conflict over California’s stringent laws, which a federal court in 2014 ruled apply to trucking companies and their drivers. ATA and other groups, however, have argued that the 1994 Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act stipulates that federal laws regarding transportation supersede conflicting state laws.

The California laws require a 30-min-

ute meal break every five hours on duty and 15-minute paid rest breaks every four hours. ATA and the Western States Trucking Association have tried to have Congress intervene for several years with no success. The two groups argue that the break laws open the door for other states to adopt their own break laws, which could create varying laws by which interstate carriers must operate.

The lawmakers in their Oct. 31 letter, however, argued that DOT intervention could “have a dramatic impact on the rights of states to protect the public safety, to maintain highway safety and to provide for the well-being of commercial truck drivers.” They also argued that DOT does not have the authority to intervene.

The letter was signed by Reps.

Peter DeFazio, Bobby Scott, Eleanor

The California laws require a 30-minute meal break every five hours on duty and 15-minute paid rest breaks every four hours.

Holmes Norton, Grace Napoitano, Jared Huffman, Julia Brownley, Alan Lowenthal, Mark DeSaulnier, Mark Takano and Robert P. Casey. DeFazio is a ranking member of the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Norton is a ranking member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee.

Joining them from the Senate were Patty Murray, Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein, Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey.

Claire McCaskill, who lost her reelection bid, also signed the letter that was addressed to DOT Secretary Elaine Chao.

– James Jaillet

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commercial carrier journal

| december 2018

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JOURNAL NEWS

Beef, bee organizations seek 16-hour on-duty period, 15-hour drive time

A group of organizations asked FMCSA to allow drivers hauling livestock, bees and fish 16 hours of on-duty time and 15 hours of drive time per shift.

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group of organizations representing cattle farmers and honey bee producers filed a petition with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration asking the agency to allow drivers haul-

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commercial carrier journal

ing livestock, bees and fish 16 hours of on-duty time and 15 hours of drive time per shift.

Current hours-of-service regulations limit livestock drivers to 14 hours on duty and 11 hours of drive time after a 10-hour off-duty period, but the clock starts only after such drivers have left a 150-air-mile radius of the livestock’s loading location, such as a ranch or auction.

The petition would retain the 10-hour off-duty period but extend workdays from the current limits. These hours limits also would begin only after a driver hauling livestock leaves the 150-air-mile radius. Drivers wanting the extended allotment of hours would need to complete training on pre-trip planning and fatigue management.

Groups signing off on petition include the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Livestock Marketing Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association and National Aquaculture Association. FMCSA published the petition in the Federal Register and began accepting public comments.

Livestock haulers have been exempt from electronic logging device compliance so far, with the most current waiver allowing them until Dec. 7 to continue to run on paper logs. Congress could extend that date until the end of September 2019 by passing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2019 funding bill, which includes the waiver.

“We are concerned that the 11- and 14-hour rules were not drafted with livestock haulers in mind and … place the well-being of livestock at risk during transport and impose significant burdens on livestock haulers, particularly in rural communities across the country,” the organizations wrote. – James Jaillet

| december 2018 2/27/18 9:43 AM

JOURNAL NEWS

Congestion cost trucking industry $74.5B,1.2 billion hours in 2016

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he U.S. trucking industry lost are concentrated mostly on a small $74.5 billion and 1.2 billion portion of the National Highway hours in 2016 because of congesSystem, with 86.7 percent of contion on highways across the country, gestion costs occurring on just 17.2 according to research released last percent of highway miles. These month by the American Transportasegments cost the trucking industry tion Research Institute. more than $155,000 per mile in 2016 ATRI’s “Cost of Congestion to and are located mostly in urban areas. the Trucking Industry” update Congestion in rural areas decreased found that congestion costs grew by from 2015 to 2016. $377 million in 2016 compared to The top states by total cost of 2015. Researchers used GPS data, congestion were Texas with $6.3 travel time and more to determine billion, Florida with $5.6 billion, the financial and time costs to the California with $5 billion, New trucking industry.

York with $4.3 billion and New The 1.2 billion lost hours are equiva- Jersey with $3.3 billion. The top 10 lent to 425,533 trucks sitting idle for most congested states accounted for an entire year, ATRI said. Also, conmore than half (51.8 percent) of the gestion cost each truck on the highway national congestion costs to truckan average of $6,478 throughout 2016. ing, ATRI noted.

- Print Ad (Maverick - When Steve Williams) Submitby - CCJ ATRIGeneral noted Awareness that congestion costs broken -down thecopy.pdf cost

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| december 2018

Texas, Florida, California, New York and New Jersey accounted for the highest congestion costs in 2016, according to ATRI.

per the total National Highway System miles per state, Washington, D.C., led the way at $1.3 million per mile, followed by New Jersey at $542,941 per mile.

Pennsylvania saw the largest decrease in congestion costs yearover-year, with costs falling by $203.5 million in 2016, a 6.6 percent decrease from 2015.

1 2018-11-02 8:55 AM– Matt Cole

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Attitude reflects leadership Fleet managers share ideas for winning driver culture

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ttitude reflects leadership, Captain.” – Julius Campbell, “Remember The Titans” “Remember The Titans” is one of my favorite sports movies. Beyond just being a great movie, it’s a good instructional tool for how teamwork and a mission-driven collection of people can power through obstacles and overcome even the most impossible circumstances.

Building a winning culture was the focus of a panel at last month’s CCJ Solutions Summit in Phoenix, with emphasis placed on ensuring drivers are included in the teamwork concept.

Many times, the office staff doesn’t do much to make drivers feel like part of the family.

“You can have an open-door policy, but it takes a lot for the driver to want to cross that threshold,” says Emory Mills, director of safety and driver administration for Oklahoma City-based FTC Transportation.

FTC’s is more of an “open cab door policy.”

Leadership routinely uses town halls and ride-alongs to touch base with their drivers, and by climbing into the truck, they’re offering the driver a home-field advantage in an environment where the driver is relaxed and more likely to speak freely.

“They’ll bring up things they normally may not have thought of,” Mills adds.

BUILDING A CULTURE: Fleets should ensure drivers are included in the teamwork concept.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY: Driver turnover will happen, but fleets should find out why.

SAFETY RESULTS: Reduced turnover driven by happier employees is just an added benefit.

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| december 2018

The nomadic lifestyle of a trucker makes it easy for them to feel like an outsider since they’re not connected daily to the office and the staff members stationed there.

Communication, regardless of the venue, is key. Debbie Landry, director of driver services for Superior, Wis.-based Halvor Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 201), says the carrier has deployed a customer relationship management system that logs conversations between the office and drivers. Landry says this allows multiple people the benefit of being looped into an earlier conversation they weren’t part of, cutting redundancy and easing the flow.

One key part of human resources is understanding that people, for many reasons, will leave your company. Nina Jolly, human resources manager for Knoxville, Tenn.-based TLD Logistics Services Inc. (No. 215), says her carrier breaks down turnover to find out why.

“It actually changes from year to year,” she says, noting that over the past two years, the reasons have migrated from equipment-related to home time.

FTC has formed a committee with five of the company’s 30 drivers.

They meet with the president and all the company’s directors to discuss everything from new equipment to company Christmas gifts. Monthly

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

a fleet’scommittee safety recipe for failure: meetings The expectation bring all departments that a new hire together, should laying hit the out shopall the good floor with and a level bad. of expertise comparable to employees with several years of seniority; “We feel a lack like of the a mentoring more knowledge program; weand share, a management the more we team can that prevent doesn’t from happening, understand today’s” generation.

Mills says.

On average,Ait pat costsonmore the than back$8,000 goes atolong find and way,hire a technician.and many Having a person fleets offer dedicated a rewards to onboarding prothat employee gram – ingraining to their top them drivers, in yourbut culture do those – is critical. drivers actually know how to win? Mills “Does that says kidher not company know whatrevamped he’s doing, its or does Driver he just do it different of the than Yearthe scorecard way you mostly do it?” Arrants because said. it New technicians was perceived often closely as follow a popularity a manufacturer’s contest recommendation awarded or procedure annually — to the “thetextbook teacher’s way. pet.”

However, inNow the “real thatworld” it’s score-based – where speed andand drivers uptime are of moreunderstand emphasis than how process they–can the perception influence their may be that the new ability employee to win,isitslow actually or lacking feelsskill. more like Baptizingan new accomplishment. hires in “your way” is an ongoing part of their careerJolly development says if drivers and anare important employees, part of reducing turnover, they should Arrants besaid. treated like all the other Tabbed asdepartments, the “participation and trophy” she chided generation, practices Milof lennials have offering gotten adrivers bum rap a benefits in the workplace, package Arrants that said, addingdiffers that it from takes athe willingness benefits of offered the employer to otherto learn how tooffice-based manage the personnel. group.

“They only “There want twoisbasic no plan things, one ” heand said.plan “They two want a clean, safe work environment, butfor more driver thanand anything office,” else, she they says, want addto feel like they’re part of the family. They’re ing that very talented, TLD has andimplemented they are loyal,abut Nurse they expect a few things from you.”

Chat program that allows drivers on the Unlike the generations before them, roadmost to call Millennials and speak value with personal a medical time more professional than money who,and if needed, as such may canbecall unmotivated in a prescription by overtime to apay, drug Arrants store said. in the Incentives driver’s such vicinity. as compensation time in lieu of overtime pay may become anLandry increasingly saysimportant Halvor has benefit outfitted in attracting trucksyoung with exercise talent, he equipment said. and Competition has established amongafleets health forand new wellness technicianperson, talent isan fierce, Ironman and simply athlete, showing who willup accompany at a career day drivers isn’t going to thetogym. cut it,That Arrants hassaid. inspired weight-loss challenges “Recruit inamong the beginning the drivers. [of theThe school company year], not also thespecs end,” he trucks said. with “Don’t wait a refrigerator, for a career which fair where allows you’llthe be driver one of 45 some others. flexibility Go to the inschool what when and school where starts. they ”can eat.

Getting None ofinvolved this sounds earlierallinthat the student’s revolutionary, education butalso it’s helps paying shape hugetheir dividends. Mills potential careersays path, the Arrants expense said. the company The deeper hasyou invested can imbed in such yourinitiatives operationhas in amore local technical than paidprogram, for itselfthe in more safetylikely gains. that Reduced school will turnover produce driven thebyskillset happier youemployees need, and the at Halvor, more likely FTC you’ll andbe able TLDtoare hang justonadded to its graduates. benefits.

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

Nikola to showcase Nikola planning truck hydrogen tractor for European market

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ikola Motor Co.’s hydrogen-electric announced will develsemi-truck take center stage early opment hydronext yearofasa the cornerstone of a three-day gen-electric truck for event the company will use to showcase its Nikola's TRE European markets.

The capabilities and technologies. hydrogen-electric company taking isres“NikolaisWorld” set for mid-April 2019 in truck will have ervations the nowcity forthat the serves500 Phoenix, as the company’s to 1,000 hp, 6x4 orApril 6x2 conNikola TRE (“Three” headquarters.

The firstintwo days, 16 and figurations and Norwegian).

Produc- for Nikola 17, are invitation-only reservation a range of 500 to tion is setsuppliers, to begin media in holders, and investors.

The 1,200 kilometers depending on 2022-23. final day, April 18, will be open to the public.

Testing is projectedversionoptions.

A pre-production of the company’s to begin in NorwayNikola Two will share day hydrogen-electric around Nikola also is in the prelimione with2020. the unveiling of a 2.3-megawatt nary planning stages its NZT European hydrogen station andto thelocate Nikola 4X4. manufacturing facility.

Demonstration drives and hydrogen filling currently is working willNikola take place the next day. Onwith AprilNel 18,Hythe drogenisofinvited Oslo totoprovide hydrogen stations public see the zero-emissions for the and United States. Nikola’s trucks NZT in action. European stations are planned come online starting Registration to thetofree event will open onin 2022. 3.

Jason Cannon Cannon line Dec. ––Jason

Self-driving truck Trailer makers support maker expanding rear underride guards

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uSimple, he Insurance a self-driving systems provider, has Institute been for testing its Level 4 Class 8 autonomous Highway trucks Safety infound Arizona for more than a year and that recently the eightbegan largesthauling freight for-profit with Northcommercial American carriers trailer in Qualifying the state. trailers have manufacturers Earlier this year, exceed TuSimplerear expanded its guards that testing federal facilities underride in Tucson from prevent 6,800 the to of a 50,000 guard standards square feet, and and nextunderride year, the commidsize car in pany qualify plans for the to grow institute’s its footprint further.50To full-width, support ToughGuard its development award. program, percentTuSimple overlap and 30 percent projects The companies it will create 500 jobs across a variety overlap crashes. of whose fieldstrailers ranging qualify from engineering to autonomous for thetruck awarddriving are Great and office management.

The Dane, Tucson Hyundai expansion Translead, has Manac, a projected Stoughton total economic Trailers, Strick impact Trailers, of $1.1Utility billionTrailer over the Mannext five ufacturing, years. Vanguard National Trailer and Wabash The company National.also plans to expand its U.S. autonomous IIHS said these fleet to companies 200 trucks represent in 2019.about TuSimple 80 percent saidofthat trailers withon 500the trucks roadworldwide, in the it United will have States. the world’s largest autonomous truck fleet.

––Jason JasonCannon Cannon

commercial commercialcarrier carrierjournal journal| |december october 2018

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INBRIEF • Michelin North America increased U.S. prices as much as 8 percent for all commercial tire brands, products and services effective Dec. 1. The company cited ongoing investments to better serve customers, increased operating costs and other market factors.

• International announced a high-efficiency spec for its LT Series truck that delivers up to an 8 percent gain in fuel efficiency over the standard spec. The LT MPG Package includes an aerodynamic chassis package, predictive cruise control, an air dam and bumper seal, a roof fairing and extenders, chassis skirts and energy-efficient wheel covers.

• Peterbilt will offer two new ratings for the Paccar MX-13 engine for the 2019 model year. Peterbilts spec’d with the 12.9-liter engine will have the options of 455 hp with 1,650 to 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque and 405 hp with 1,650 lb.-ft. of torque.

• Kenworth introduced the Paccar Powertrain Fuel Economy Package that combines the MX-13 engine rated at 405 hp at 1,650 lb.-ft. of torque, Paccar’s 12-speed automated transmission, Paccar’s 40K tandem rear axle and enhanced Kenworth predictive cruise control technology. The MX-13 features a new torque curve engineered to improve fuel economy in linehaul and regional-haul applications by lowering the engine’s horsepower rating while maintaining its torque.

• Kenworth introduced new vehicle electronics for its T680, T880 and W990 equipped with Paccar MX-13 or MX-11 engines that enable the truck maker to integrate new options while also simplifying wiring, increasing control system feedback to drivers and leveraging diagnostics tools to help speed service and repairs. Kenworth also announced new colors and interior stylings for the T680, T880 and W990 models.

• Kenworth added a factory-installed twinsteer configuration to its T880S vocational model lineup. The T880S Twin Steer features a set-forward front axle with a 61-inch axle spread to help maximize payload and a short 114-inch BBC designed to allow larger bodies to be installed farther forward and closer to the cab. The 61-inch axle spread also meets Western Canadian tandem-axle requirements for ready-mix applications.

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commercial carrier journal

International debuts CV Series medium-duty vocational truck

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nternational last month debuted its CV Series truck, the company’s refreshed entry for the medium-duty vocational segment.

Available in regular and crew cab, in 4×2 and 4×4 configurations and in wheelbases from 141 to 243 inches, the Class 4/5 CV Series has a 6.6-liter diesel engine under its forward-tilting hood that puts out 350 hp and 700 lb.-ft.

International’s Class 4/5 CV Series truck has a 6.6-liter diesel engine that puts out 350 hp and 700 lb.-ft. of of torque matched to an torque matched to an Allison 6-speed transmission.

Allison 6-speed transmission. A right-side power-takeoff mount is available.

That setup gives the truck the capability of handling a maximum GCWR of 37,500 pounds, and the new driveline is a power upgrade over the outgoing TerraStar’s 6.4-liter MaxxForce 7 and its 300 hp and 660 lb.-ft. of torque.

For four-wheel drive, the CV Series uses a Meritor heavy-duty gear-driven transfer case, a departure from the chain-driven transfer cases typically found in the heavy work truck segment.

Its single high-strength frame rail – 50,000-psi-yield strength – was designed for upfitting, while a painted chassis is intended to combat corrosion.

HuckBolt chassis fasteners – a feature shared across the International Truck platform – are engineered to provide better clamping force without re-torqueing and not come loose under duress.

Seven wheelbases are available for regular cab models and three for crew.

The truck’s straight frame rails don’t use rivets on the top flange, providing a clean area from cab to axle that helps make it easier to mount a variety of bodies. To provide flexibility for upfitting options, the CV Series offers a dual battery box mounted under the cab, multiple fuel tank options and optional exhaust outlets.

An air-ride rear suspension, designed to provide a smooth ride and height adjustability, is available for users in search of driver comfort, as are multiple infotainment options such as an 8-inch color touchscreen with navigation and – for the first time in an International truck – Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

“The CV Series has been compared to a field office with perks,” said Michael Cancelliere, Navistar’s president of Truck and Parts. “Our philosophy is that driver comfort is critical to get the job done smoothly and efficiently, and the CV Series brings that philosophy to life.”

– Jason Cannon

| december 2018

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Paccar plans to boost R&D spending on next-gen trucks

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s powertrain electrification continues to surge in prominence, Paccar announced plans to boost research and development spending by upwards of $30 million next year.

The DAF CF Electric, LF Electric and CF Hybrid trucks currently are entering field testing with European customers. Harrie Schippers, Paccar's chief financial operator, said the company looks forward to customer demands for electric and hybrid powertrains in applications such as refuse and urban delivery operations.

“Longer term, electric vehicles will be competitive in more applications,” Schippers said. “While we are preparing for the long term by making investments in alternative powertrain technologies, we do expect diesel to remain the most efficient powertrain technology in heavy truck applications for the foreseeable future.”

Schippers said for 2019, Paccar anticipates R&D spending of $300 million to $330 million versus $300 million to $310 million this year, and capital investments could surge another $100 million.

“These investments will develop the next generation of Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF trucks, enhance Paccar’s December 2018_VAD_7x4.5.pdf 1 9/4/18 3:29diesel PM

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and alternative powertrain technologies and add additional capacity and efficiency to the company’s manufacturing and parts distribution facilities,” he said.

Ron Armstrong, Peterbilt co-developed its fully electric Paccar’s chief execu- Model 579 demonstration tractor with tive officer, said “the TransPower, a company that specializes in battery-vehicle integration. economics of diesel just makes sense, and they’re going to continue to make sense for a long time. It’s going to be the dominant power source for long-haul trucking, certainly. There’s obviously going to be opportunities that will develop in urban areas that may bring about hybrids or electric vehicles, and we’re prepared for those.”

Armstrong said Paccar has a full suite of vehicles for all-electric, heavy-duty and light-duty applications in North America and Europe. “We’re well prepared for the places where it makes sense,” he said.

– Jason Cannon

in focus: AIRLESS TIRES

Rolling to the future?

Nonpneumatic tires not ready for trucking yet

BY JASON CANNON

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everal tire manufacturers are developing nonpneumatic tires that eliminate the need for air by using a spoke or web design and the tire’s own tread band to optimize load-carrying capacity.

“Unlike conventional tires, nonpneumatic tire technology includes the complete assembly to meet application requirements, meaning the tire, web and wheel are designed as one assembly,” says Jon Kimpel, executive director of new mobility solutions for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.

Bridgestone’s Air Free Concept uses a structure of resin spokes stretching along the tire’s inner sides.

Since NPTs don’t fluctuate in pressure, they could extend tread life simply by eliminating over- and under-inflation. But much work and experimentation lies ahead.

“We are still exploring the total lifecycle of a nonpneumatic tire solution,” Kimpel says. “The intent is to leverage retreading, as it extends tire life and delivers a lower total cost of tire ownership for fleets.”

NPTs currently are being deployed only in low-speed and off-road equipment such as skid steers, zero-turn mowers and golf carts.

“It will take extensive product and process development to make a nonpneumatic tire and wheel a viable cost-effective option for the [trucking] industry,” says Brandon Uzarek, Accuride field engineer.

Cons and pros Among the drawbacks to NPTs – and one of the reasons they only are approved for low speeds – is they generally offer poor traction, and without air

to dampen shock from the road, they also offer a poor ride quality.

However, Michelin’s X Tweel is designed to perform like a pneumatic radial tire through the use of flexible-yet-rigid rubber spokes in place of the standard wheel.

“The Tweel Airless Radial Tire is a top-loaded tire, meaning that it performs similar to a bicycle tire or a suspension bridge,” says Mary Ann Kotlarich, director of commercial public relations for Michelin North America. “The spokes disburse [road] forces all the way around the tire radially much the same way air does in an air-filled tire.”

The tire’s construction pulls the spokes downward and from the outside of the structure to implicate the shear beam, hanging the load from the top and creating a large footprint, “which ends up being a very low-contact pressure footprint, providing good traction and mobility,” Kotlarich says.

Other NPTs such as foam-filled or solid tires found on forklifts are bottom-loaders and carry the load from the hub to the contact patch. “They get very high contact pressure, which results in poor traction and not a very good footprint,” Kotlarich says.

Toyo, which has been researching airless tires since 2006, says NPTs also present some issues related to interior and exterior noise, ride quality and stability. The company says those issues are improving as it continues to revise its no-air concept tire.

Hankook says its iFlex NPT already has passed testing in five categories: durability, hardness, stability, slalom and speed.

In the speed test, an electric car equipped with iFlex tires reached 80 mph.

Michelin’s X Tweel is designed to perform like a pneumatic radial tire through the use of flexible-yet-rigid rubber spokes in place of the standard wheel.

Time for trucking?

As NPT technologies are refined, they are likely to roll out to heavier applications, but that is a long process and several iterations away.

“The focus [of Michelin’s X Tweel] will continue to be in the off-road environment where tire satisfaction is low due to interrupted mobility or poor performance,” Kotlarich says. “We are currently accumulating experiences and driving miles with X Tweel Airless prototypes fitted on cars. Heavier-weight and higher-speed applications for trucks remain as a target.”

The associated cost and safety benefits of NPTs would be valuable to commercial fleets, Kimpel says. “With no air pressure maintenance and a robust design, a nonpneumatic tire can offer increased uptime,” he says.

Among the drawbacks to NPTs on a commercial truck is the unpredictable nature of exactly how much weight sits on each axle under load.

“In a perfect world, each wheel on the axle would share the load equally,” Uzarek says. “That is not always the case. Tread depth, inflation pressure, distribution of the load, wheel and tire design and road conditions can cause the load to be distributed differently to each wheel.”

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INBRIEF

TEST DRIVE: PETERBILT MODEL 567 HERITAGE

• Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks both expanded their Over The Air software and vehicle parameter capabilities for trucks equipped with 2017 greenhouse-gas Mack and Volvo engines and factory-installed connectivity hardware. The parameter kits now include fuel performance and offer three options: performance, balanced and economy. The system is designed to enable customers to set the parameter for the desired outcome with a single selection.

• Volvo Trucks North America, in partnership with global analytics firm SAS, enhanced its Remote Diagnostics capabilities to allow for more precise analysis and decision-making. Volvo said SAS helped refine its uptime-enhancing Remote Diagnostics through greater processing power to the data behind diagnostic codes.

• Navistar announced its Service Essentials Program that partners members of its dealer network with technical schools to help develop diesel technician students.

The Lisle, Ill.-based truck maker said the program’s offerings will include software and interactive training courses that cover engine diagnostics, vehicle health reports, electrical systems and control module programming. The program also will provide access to informational tools for parts and service.

• Paccar Parts opened a new 160,000sq.-ft. parts distribution center in Toronto to increase parts availability and maximize uptime for customers across eastern Canada.

• Continental released the first update of its ContiConnect digital tire monitoring platform. The web portal now has more functions, including the ability to customize alert thresholds and see compensated “cold”air pressure. The new features are a result of Continental’s collaboration with fleet managers and industry experts to enhance the platform’s capabilities.

• Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., a Caterpillar subsidiary, announced an investment in Fisker Inc., an electric mobility and technology company developing e-vehicles and proprietary battery technologies; terms were not released. Caterpillar said Fisker’s solid-state batteries offer bulk electrodes with high energy densities, enhanced safety, faster charge times and lower costs.

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commercial carrier journal

The 567 Heritage looks like a classic, but with its smooth on-road mannerisms, it certainly doesn’t feel like one.

Old school, new rules Pete’s modern Model 567 boasts ‘Heritage’ look

BY JASON CANNON

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eterbilt debuted its Model 567 Heritage two years ago as a modernized throwback to the working trucker. With its bling-heavy and blocky exterior, the vocational workhorse mixes classic Pete styling with modern comforts and efficiencies.

My test unit for a rainy, roughly 60mile jaunt from Columbus, Mississippi, to just outside nearby Starkville featured Paccar’s MX13 with an output of 510 hp and 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque. I’ll get a few cowboy points deducted for the Eaton UltraShift Plus automated manual transmission, but at least it was an 18-speed.

| december 2018

Steering was tight and easy, and shifting was seamless with precision timing.

The transmission’s Electronic Clutch Actuator makes for smooth engagement.

The Skip Shift feature automatically jumps over unnecessary gears as the truck builds speed, helping increase acceleration to achieve cruising speed quicker and more smoothly. It also lets the driver begin acceleration in the best-possible start gear based on load and grade.

Another benefit of the UltraShift is that it takes the gear shifter off the floor. Replacing the stick with dash-mounted selector buttons opens a

drivers who want to play long-haul cowboy but don’t want to sleep fireside in the tent. The interior includes leather seats, accent stitching and wood-finish trim.

The truck is available as a daycab or with a 72- or 80-inch sleeper. It is configured with a 121-inch BBC set-for-

ward front axle to optimize payloads and weight distribution.

The Model 567 Heritage is a comfortable way to embrace the most modern parts of trucking while still acknowledging its heritage, represented in no small part by Peterbilt’s classic rigs.

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lot of room between the front seats for a cooler and allows easier access to the refrigerator and the sleeper.

Old-school-cool trucks typically feature split windows, but the Model 567 Heritage uses a panoramic single-piece windshield that provides a superior field of view.

Air disc brakes on the front and rear, the SmarTire tire pressure monitoring system and SmartLinq remote diagnostics add modern elements of safety and efficiency.

The factory-installed SmartLinq provides drivers with an instant look at the truck’s health, with detailed diagnostics and recommended actions available through a companion mobile app and a web-based portal. The system monitors more than 750 engine and aftertreatment diagnostics codes.

The chrome-laden exterior is a truck stop showstopper that includes a chromed air intake bezel and hood latches; a mirror-finish bright bumper, sun visor, grille bars, exhaust stacks and mirrors; and polished rocker panels, quarter-fender closeout panels, fender brace and brackets, battery boxes and fuel tanks. Headlight pods make bulb replacement easier while also contributing to the modern classic look.

With its ultra-plush premium cabin, the 567 Heritage appeals heavily to

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Find your nearest TruckForce® Service Center in the US or Canada by visiting www.truckforceservice.com Supported by these and other quality brands:

The limited-edition Heritage Brown interior is rounded out by a two-tone sleeper back wall embroidered with the Heritage logo.

For information on becoming a TruckForce® Service Center, call 800.494.4731 TruckForce® Service Center is a registered mark of VIPAR® Heavy Duty

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

‘Customer experience’

Verizon Connect funneling asset management investments

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lobally, Verizon Connect plans to install 800,000 of its telematics units in vehicles this year and 1.4 million in 2019. Over the last nine months, Quanta Services has installed the units in 24,000 of its trucks and plans to continue for the remainder of its 53,000-vehicle fleet.

Quanta provides engineering and construction services for electrical utilities.

Between September 2017 and September 2018, the fleet used Verizon Connect’s technology to reduce its miles per trip from 10.66 to 9.64, increase its fuel economy by 21 percent and cut its engine idle time by 12.7 percent.

With 13.6 million work-related trips completed and 5.5 million hours of engine idling in this period, “a small percent improvement is big money in the fleet business,” said Dave Meisel, Quanta’s executive vice president of operations.

Meisel spoke at Verizon Connect’s annual Latitude business conference held in late October at Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif.

Executives from Verizon Connect told PAYING OFF: Verizon Connect’s investments are allowing customers to deploy technology faster and easier.

COMMERCIAL CLIENTS: The company is the largest provider of built-in telematics and mobile applications.

PLANNING AHEAD: Verizon Connect is investing in companies that are developing future technologies.

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attendees that investments in the past two years are paying off as customers large and small are deploying advanced asset and mobile resource management technology faster and with less friction.

Customer experience Last March, Verizon Connect was Andres Irlando, CEO for Verizon Connect, addresses attendees at the annual Latitude launched as the unified branding business conference held in Dana Point, Calif. for companies that Verizon had acquired through its former business unit, Verizon Telematics. With the additions of Telogis and Fleetmatics in 2016, Verizon Connect became the largest provider of built-in telematics and mobile applications for commercial vehicles.

Verizon Connect’s telematics units are installed at OEM factories through partnerships with 15 vehicle manuJason Koch, senior vice president of product strategy for Verizon Connect, discusses the facturers, including Hino, Fuso, John company’s focus on machine learning.

Deere, Volvo, Mack Trucks and Dodge Ram. The company presently is working with OEMs to factory-install its new ELD-certified devices.

At this year’s Latitude event, company representatives discussed recent investments focusing on the “customer experience.” Over the last two years, Verizon Connect has grown its customer support team by 110 percent.

“This is an industry that historically has been made up of startups that built incredible platforms and solutions but had limited resources and bandwidth to invest in the customer,” said Andres Irlando, chief executive officer for Verizon Connect.

The customer experience “is the difference so many of you are seeing in the investments we’ve made,” Irlando said. “We will be the leader in customer experience in this industry. I guarantee that.”

Another major focus is machine learning, said Jason Koch, senior vice president of product strategy. The company has developed a new application that identifies patterns in data for a decaying vehicle battery versus a low battery.

Another new application monitors the health of telematics units to identify those that are making errors or omissions in reporting data.

december 2018

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

system Updated mayproducts show that at midnight, the unit is still a quarter-mile away from the Other unloading updatedspot. offerings announced at Latitude include a new asset-tracking “We are very device carefully for trailers watching and how other it is unloaded” powered and to determine nonpowered when assets. The device provides near-real-time alerts appointin the event containers actually are available for pickup location-based to set realistic delivery of significant changes theasasset’s temperature, tilt, isvibration, shock, ments, Prince said.

“Ourtojob an intermodal provider to make sure a great humidity, pressure. number oflight little and things happen on time and correctly.”

The ability to monitor cargo conditions can be useful for high-value trailer loads. With secure data encryption, settings can be configured over Predicting trailerwireless capacity the air. making The device can be recharged via USB and has a low-power processor When deliveries, drivers often lose productive time unloading or to extend its battery life.trailers to take to their next load appointments. If no searching for empty A Workforce Mobile application been enhanced with a rich user experiempty trailers are available onsite,has office personnel may begin cold-calling ence to viewinupcoming mark jobs trailers. as complete, coordinate with the back customers the area tojobs, locate empty office obtain customer signatures in one U.S.and Xpress (CCJ Top 250, No. 16) all equips itsplace. trailer fleet with SkyBitz’s Another development is the Verizon that expands tracking system embedded with cargoConnect sensors. Marketplace One of the nation’s largestthe functionality of the the current Verizon Connect platform for deploying truckload carriers, Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company uses theintegratinfored third-party applications. platform offers ordering and actimation it receives to predictThe when trailers will one-click be unloaded and ready for vation ofsaid newAaron products fromthe Verizon partners in fuel,ofmaintenance, customer pickup, Wood, company’s manager trailer management. relationship management and other categories.

The SkyBitz system is integrated with U.S. Xpress’ custom transportation As part of the Verizon Marketplace, new vision and camera management system andConnect with ESRI’s mappingasoftware that Wood uses to category was launched.

Some products in this category use visiontimes technology set up geofences for tracking arrivals, departures, turnaround and to capture followingbydistance andlocation lane departure and can provide proofregions. of trailer inventories customer and geographical planning delivery, monitor and grant access to the vehicle.

“The big thing cargo that bites us anddriver any carrier is when we have loaded trailaccess to videowhere clips is via applications suchout,” as Verizon ersMobile going into markets weavailable do not have loaded freight he said.

Connect Coachisand Spotlight.

U.S. Xpress managing trailer counts in each planning region to maintain the balance of capacity across its freight network. The company Proof of concepts also uses secondary carriers and railroads to reposition its trailers in its Irlando and other Verizon executives also discussed benefits that fleets can network. expect with theyears new 5G Whereas 4G LTE can support up In the three U.S.network.

Xpress has been using thenetworks SkyBitz trailer tracking to 300 individual on agone cell tower, the 5Gto network Verizon recently system, its trailerdevices count has from 17,000 about that 14,000 by increasing launched can 10,000 percapacity cell. in its network, Wood said. efficiency andsupport managing the devices available Irlando said fleets expect longer battery life fromattheir mobilethat devices.

With SkyBitz, U.S.can Xpress also can identify trailers locations have The moved extra bandwidth of 5G will support autonomous vehicles, not for an extended period.

These events could signalintelligent possible metransportation enhanced supply chains and smart chanical defectssystems, on trailers that are causing drivers to notcities, hook he up.said.

Also at the Latitude event, Verizon previewed a low-cost asset-tracking U.S. Xpress also increases trailer capacity by monitoring their use by tool in the final stages development.

In-vehicle and third-party carriers andofshippers through interchange mobile handheld devices willone be able to trailers communiagreements.

“We know when of our starts cate with Wood low-energy Bluetooth attached to tools moving,” said. The system tags tracks where trailers and devices such as generators, air compressors and are picked up and dropped and how many miles they other allowing to track movedequipment, so the company can fleets bill carriers forand themanage authortheir tool inventory at use jobsites. ized or nonauthorized of its trailers.

AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal.

E-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call (801) 754-4296.

Obstacle detection Noregon updates JPro diagnostics, repair tool system for big trucks

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ear oregon View Safety announced debutupdates ed its RVS-125 to its in-shop SensestatdiagnosWireless tics Obstacle and repair Detection Noregon’s updated system, System designed JPro JPro Professional Professional, to warn truck and Rear View Safety’s RVSbuilds upon the softshared drivers of details potential ware’s 125 Sensestat Wireless bidirectional Obstacle Detectionand tests for mediumabout obstacles a new behind SoftSystem is designed heavy-duty vehicles. ware-as-a-Service their vehicle with for easy installation application, a detection range the on heavy-duty trucks, with no need to install Vehicle of up to Insights 8 feet. The Portal. excess cabling. system The updated is engi- JPro Professional offers expanded neered to provide functionality across most major engine the driver manufacturers, both audibleas and well visual as tests warning to improve indicatorsbraking to avoid system backing evaluation. accidents.VIP offers Theaccess wireless to ECU same-day is engineered or historical to be data from waterproof vehicles and through includes built-in multiple configurable antenna reports installation and options. the ability A to user export can connect data to to back-office a Sensestat-equipped systems. trailer by pressing the monitor’s sync button.

– Aaron – Aaron Huff Huff

Transport unveils In-motionPro scale freight service weighstracking each axle

T A

ransport lliance Scale Pro,dea web-based buted a truck transscale portation engineeredmanagement to weigh software each axleprovider and printfor a nonasset receipt without logistics requirproBrokers can viders, ing a driver introduced to stop.Load The provide updated Beacon, Alliance aAxleWeigh freight trackIn freight visibility to their customThe Alliance ing Motion service Truck designed Scale isto ers via Transport AxleWeigh In allow built to itsweigh freightindividubrokerPro’s web portal Motion Truck age al axles customers by driving to share over or through direct Scale is preconEDI connectivity. for easy freight the scalevisibility at 3 mph from re- its figured installation and TMS gardless platform of truck directly length can be installed with or configuration. shippers and freight managers. on a gravel Load Designed Beacon for easy offers two methods ofelimidriveway, natingthat the need tracking. use, a driver One, stops an app-less at service works for ramps. with the controller cell phones, andcan triangulate the driver’s location enters hisand truck’s provide I.D. load location updates. number, The second and the tracking controller method will calculate is a directthe integration gross, tare and withnet a carrier’s values. The electronic scale features logging devices factory-calibrated for brokersload thatcells facilitate and ajust-in-time preproand grammed high-value indicator. shipments. – Aaron Huff

commercial commercial carrier carrier journal journal || september december 2018

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technology

SPONSORED INFORMATION

This call may be recorded for quality control purposes

W

e have all heard “this call may be recorded,” every time you call the cable company or almost any business that has a call center. Have you ever wondered why they say that? It is required by various federal/state laws when recording conversations. Federal and many state laws permit you to record the conversation if one person consents (that one person could be you). The other states require all persons recorded to consent.

Why do you need consent? At its most basic level, recording calls and conversations is all about the parties’ expectation of privacy.

People have a right, in certain situations, to believe that their phone calls or conversations are private.

Consent can be acquired by written permission or by verbally notifying the people in the conversation that you are recording. Consent can also be obtained by doing something as simple as placing a recorder on a table and telling the other party you are recording the conversation. Failure to object effectively waives any opposition to the conversation being recorded.

So which states require that you get permission from all parties involved before you can record a conversation? Currently 11 states require both parties to consent before you start recording a conversation: California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. However, I suggest checking the status of consent for recording in the state where you will make the recording as laws often change.

At the end of the day, if you are going to record a conversation it is best to get all parties’ consent prior to recording. It will make your life a lot easier. If they ask why you want to record the conversation you can always say it is for “quality control purposes.”

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DLP_CCJ1218_PG.indd 1

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Durabook delivers tough semi-rugged computer

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urabook Americas introduced the Durabook S14I, which it describes as its most durable semi-rugged computer yet. The S14I is suited for field service, public safety and government applications such as asset management, diagnostics and maintenance.

The Durabook S14I is suited The computer is engineered for field service, public with a 4-foot drop rating and safety and government an ingress protection rating of applications such as asset management, diagnostics 53 (IP53), making it suitable for and maintenance. use in locations where rain or dust may be a regular occurrence. The device also has an operational temperature range of -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is designed with high-end computing power and graphics capabilities, enabling field workers to tackle complex tasks regardless of location or conditions. The new device also features Windows 10 Pro that features a layered defense to help protect against, detect and respond to security threats.

The computer features DynaVue technology that creates increased clarity and viewability in challenging lighting conditions without sacrificing battery life, allowing mobile workers to maintain productivity. It is designed to be used with a stylus for applications such as signature capture; with a glove so field workers can interact with the S14I without modifying their workflow; in the rain without concern of false readings or unpredictable responses; and with a finger using the 10-point multitouch capacitive display.

The lightweight S14I also features an integrated carrying handle for ease of transport, a waterproof keyboard, a fingerprint scanner, a quick-release hard drive built to allow sensitive data to be secured in a safe environment, and a hot-swappable/ bridge battery design to help facilitate nonstop field work.

Connectivity is provided by an Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 9260 WiFi card with a maximum speed of 1.73Gbps; and Bluetooth 5.0, which delivers eight times more bandwidth than Bluetooth 4.2 and has the ability to connect with multiple devices at once.

The Durabook also includes a Sierra Wireless EM7565 4G LTE module, certified on the Verizon network, which provides enhanced LTE speeds, bandwidth and network performance for mobile workers beyond the range of a WiFi signal.

– Aaron Huff

december 2018 11/12/18 9:12 AM

technology

INBRIEF • Vnomics, a provider of driver-friendly onboard fuel optimization systems that combine real-time driver coaching and fuel efficiency insights, received two new patents for its True Fuel system: one for assessing the operational efficiency of a vehicle operator to determine a desired behavior based on vehicle efficiency and for presenting real-time feedback; and the other for providing adaptable in-cab coaching for drivers based on their vehicle’s maintenance health and age.

• Fleetworthy Solutions, a provider of transportation compliance services, added online safety training from CarriersEdge to its portfolio of technology offerings designed to help fleets and drivers operate safely, efficiently and legally. CarriersEdge courses will be available as augmentations to Fleetworthy’s DOT Risk Management Bundle. Users can access the courses through Fleetworthy’s Comply 2.0 cloud-based software platform.

• Orbcomm, a provider of machine-to-machine and Internet of Things systems, announced a partnership with Drivewyze, a mobility-based weigh station bypass provider, to integrate Drivewyze’s PreClear Weigh Station Bypass offering with Orbcomm’s in-cab telematics platform.

• Isaac Instruments, a designer and manufacturer of telematics products designed to enable truck fleets to improve performance, productivity, compliance and safety, and Trimble, a provider of enterprise mobility systems for the transportation industry, announced an integration that allows users of Isaac’s offerings and Trimble’s Reveal business intelligence and analytics tool to generate reporting, business intelligence and analytics by blending Isaac’s telemetry and Trimble’s transportation management software system operating data, including TMW.Suite.

• Cooltrax, a provider of cold chain visibility and food safety products, announced an integration of its Internet of Things platform with CarrierWeb, a provider of telematics and fleet management systems. Cooltrax and CarrierWeb customers now can access telematics and product temperature data using a single sign-in for quick, convenient visibility into both data sets.

• Trimble announced the integration of its TruckMate transportation management software system with SMC3’s Cost Intelligence System to enhance TruckMate’s less-than-truckload users’ visibility into activity-based costing, analysis and reporting through CIS. Trimble said customers can use CIS’activity-based costing tool to determine the true costs of moving each shipment so they can continue to enhance their most profitable areas and evaluate those that aren’t.

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december 2018

ITI, Netradyne launch automated training program

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nstructional Technologies Inc., a provider of training products for the transportation industry, and Netradyne, a developer of artificial intelligence technologies focusing on driver and fleet safety, launched an automated training system that uses driver trends based on nonurgent alerts generThe automated training system uses driver trends based on ated by Netradyne’s DriverI safety program, nonurgent alerts generated by which are translated into course assignNetradyne’s DriverI safety proments by ITI’s Sentix Pro LMS system. gram, which are translated into course assignments by ITI’s Sentix “The computer vision and AI of the NePro LMS system. tradyne system automatically generate data about driver behavior for every second the driver is on the road, not just when there’s a big jolt or a near-rollover,” said Dr. Jim Voorhees, chief executive officer for ITI. “Those deep trends give us more to work with in terms of assigning more relevant courses. Plus, with measurable events, clients can demonstrate the effectiveness of the training.”

The system pulls 19 measurable factors from the DriverI system, including following distance, hard braking, overspeed, traffic light violations, U-turns, Gforce maneuvers and more. Clients can set thresholds that trigger assignments.

“ITI’s extensive training catalog created an opportunity to our customers to provide individual best practices training,” said Adam Kahn, vice president of fleet business for Netradyne.

– Aaron Huff

SMC3 tool instantly prices volume LTL freight rates

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MC3 announced it has expanded its suite of less-than-truckload freight rating tools used by shippers, brokers and carriers with a direct-to-carrier volume LTL pricing application programming interface. Delivered through the SMC3 Platform, the API can be used in SMC3’s volume pricing API conjunction with SMC3’s RateWare XL contract was developed in response to rating tool. customer demand, with spot pricing becoming critical due Supply chain stakeholders use volume pricing to tight market capacity. rates to get spot quotes for shipments that don’t fit within normal LTL or truckload parameters.

With the new service, SMC3 customers pay the going rate for the space their freight actually uses, not a previously agreed-upon LTL contract price.

The volume LTL freight can move on a carrier’s backhaul or empty lanes and be priced at spot-market rates, which can save shippers money, the company said.

SMC3’s volume pricing system API was built for integration into transportation management software systems. The company said new customers average one week of integration time.

– Aaron Huff

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technology

INBRIEF • Project44 announced an exclusive multinational partnership with Gatehouse Logistics intended to deliver comprehensive transportation visibility across North America and Europe. The companies say the collaboration will provide secure and authorized access to 90,000 carriers in North America and 85,000 carriers in Europe; accelerate the speed to realize ROI by working with a single visibility provider for all shipments regardless of location; and leverage a global visibility platform powered by secure real-time information.

• Ryder System made its RyderGyde app available to its more than 36,000 commercial rental customers, allowing them to use a smart device to rent a commercial truck from any U.S. Ryder Rental location, contact Ryder Roadside Assistance, compare real-time fuel rates and schedule shop service.

• Omnitracs announced that Chattanooga, Tenn.based Covenant Transport Services (CCJ Top 250, No. 38) will install Omnitracs’Intelligent Vehicle Gateway telematics and the Omnitracs Navigation app across its fleet of 3,500 trucks over the next 12 months to provide a single-source user experience and LTE connections across fleets.

• Maven Machines announced that Waco, Texas-based Central Freight Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 80) selected its dispatch and electronic logging device systems to manage its lessthan-truckload fleet operations. Maven said the move unifies Central’s multiple internal systems, streamlines operations and enhances visibility for all stakeholders, including customers, drivers, dispatchers, freight planners and executives.

• SmartDrive announced that its video-based safety program with Extended Recording was selected for fleetwide deployment by H.O. Bouchard, a Northeast-based tanker hauler specializing in heavy transport of energy fuels and industrial raw materials. H.O. Bouchard said the SmartDrive Safety Score – an indicator designed to objectively assess safe driving performance and compare drivers, sites and organizational units – will enhance its coaching and feedback efforts.

• Orbcomm announced that Chief Express, a Seagrove, N.C.-based dry van truckload carrier, selected its in-cab and trailer monitoring systems for fleetwide installation. Orbcomm’s end-to-end technologies are designed to provide wireless connectivity through its hardware and integrated cloud-based analytics platform and information management engine for fleet management.

• MiX Telematics announced that an oilfield services company is installing its mobile asset management system across its 750-vehicle fleet.

The company is using MiX Fleet Manager for driver safety and hours-of-service monitoring.

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december 2018

Fleet Advantage updates ATLAAS analytics software platform

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leet Advantage – a provider of truck fleet business analytics, equipment financing and lifecycle cost management – announced enhancements to its Advanced Truck Lifecycle Administrative Analytics Software.

The newly-launched platform, ATLAAS Unified, is designed to allow private fleets and for-hire carriers to create their own custom view with the informaFleet Advantage’s enhanced ATLAAS Unified tion that interests them most: financial data for chief platform is designed to financial officers, vehicle performance for fleet manallow private fleets and agers and maintenance data for repair personnel. for-hire carriers to leverClients can manage their fleet using ATLAAS Uni- age intuitive dashboards instead of spreadsheets. fied, with views on operational costs, maintenance and repair data, replacement vehicle savings, vehicle servicing and histories. ATLAAS Unified also offers visibility into a truck’s tipping point at which it reaches economic obsolescence, when it costs more to operate the current vehicle than to replace it with newer equipment. Clients can view a list of vehicles for which they would experience gains to their financial bottom line by disposing of an older truck and replacing it with a newer unit.

The new platform also now is mobile-responsive for on-the-go fleet management, said John Flynn, chief executive officer for Fleet Advantage. – Aaron Huff

FourKites tool considers ELD data to predict capacity for shippers

F

ourKites, a provider of applications for shipment tracking and analytics, announced Predictive Capacity Management, a product built for sharing capacity between like-minded shippers and carriers.

FourKites is designed to predict and dynamically match capacity for loads using electronic logging device-based historical and real-time tracking data and algorithms that determine where and when trucks will be available. The company can see where the trucks are and predict where they are going and when they are returning, said Matt Elenjickal, FourKites’ chief executive officer.

FourKites also uses its accumulated data to predict with a high degree of accuracy how many driving hours that trucks will have available in each lane when it matches freight, Elenjickal said. Real-time conditions including delays at stops, traffic congestion and disruptive weather events are considered.

Once a freight match is accepted by both the shipper and carrier, the information is sent to the shipper for tendering to the carrier through traditional means such as EDI. PCM can be used within the FourKites trackFourKites’ PCM gets its capacity ing portal and is designed to allow shippers to send load information directly from their from private, dedicated and larger TMS systems to match with capacity. for-hire fleets. – Aaron Huff

Kin-Slider QR TM

30-Second Curtain-Side Vehicle Access System with Quick Release

E-commerce is having a dramatic impact on shippers, and Kinedyne’s Kin-Slider 30-second curtain-side access technology improves loading and unloading efficiency while speeding up delivery times.

TM

The Kin-Slider QR is a 30-second curtainside vehicle access system that provides a faster and more efficient alternative for fleets with chassis-mounted truck bodies using rear- or side-mounted roll-up doors or traditional curtain-walls. The lightweight Kin-Slider can be added to virtually any truck body when ordering from an OEM. TM

The Kin-Slider opens and closes at both ends of the truck body, and cargo can be fully accessed throughout the length of the vehicle. The curtain can be unlocked, opened, closed and re-locked within just 30 seconds.

Side admission alone can increase cargo access between 300 and 1,000 percent on some vehicles.

In its 50th year, Kinedyne is continuing to develop new technologies that help supply chains control cargo from the first moment to the last mile.

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Better Cargo Securement The most advanced and widest array of cargo securement products for virtually any application.

• Flatbed Solutions • Interior Trailer Solutions • Webbing Solutions • Load-Rated Curtain Solutions

Greater Cargo Capacity High-density cargo loading technologies that maximize asset utilization for dry vans, reefers and curtain-side trailers.

• Double-Decking Solutions • Cargo Storage Solutions • Space Utilization Solutions • Load Optimization Solutions

Faster cargo access also gives delivery vehicles greater flexibility and latitude when making deliveries in dense urban cores, on neighborhood cul-desacs and everywhere in between.

The Kin-Slider QR is a revolutionary 30-second curtain-side vehicle access system with an all-in-one latch release that requires only one hand to operate.

Faster Cargo Access Blazing-fast cargo access technologies that mean more time, more stops, more cargo and more profit up to the last mile.

• 30-Second Curtain-Side Solutions • 30-Second Sliding Roof Solutions • Traditional Curtain-Side Solutions • Last-Mile Access Solutions

www.kinedyne.com

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Each month, CCJ editors select and recognize a for-hire or private fleet for solving common problems with out-of-the-box solutions.

As an Innovator: • You become part of a select group of people that convene each year to network and discuss new ideas, challenges and solutions. • You are honored with a full article in Commercial Carrier Journal magazine for your innovation.

If you would like your fleet to be considered for the CCJ Innovators program, visit ccjinnovators.com to learn more and submit your nomination.

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Downspeeding requires all components to be on the same page

BY JASON CANNON

D

ownspeeding isn’t a new concept in trucking, but it wasn’t until recently retired Volvo Trucks engineer Ed Saxman named it in 2011 – coinciding with an explosive industrywide adoption of the automated manual transmission – that it started to take off.

The AMT’s growth in popularity was a major factor in helping to propel downspeeding into the dictionary of trucking fuel efficiency.

“An AMT is capable of making shifts at the appropriate time to keep the rpm low but also to keep [the truck] drivable, so when the driver really does need to accelerate, it’s able to do that,” says Mike Garrison, Eaton application engineer.

Garrison says the AMT looks at a wide variety of real-time driving factors to optimize the shift strategy and balance performance with fuel economy to give the driver performance when needed but keep rpms low the rest of the time to save fuel.

Behind the AMT, a taller rear gear ratio lessens engine speed and improves fuel efficiency. Axle ratios have been getting faster with a lower numerical value, Garrison says.

“For overdrive transmissions, common axle ratios were in the mid and low 3s,” he says. “Today, with a lot of these linehaul downspeeding specs, it starts with a 2. That’s changed quite a bit.”

Growing popularity Nearly 25 percent of the rear ends 54

commercial carrier journal

Meritor sold in 2011 came with a 3.55 axle ratio. By 2016, that sales figure had dropped to about 5 percent.

Across 40K, linehaul and 6x4 applications, a 2.64 ratio has climbed from about a 7 percent order share to about 13 percent in that same timeframe, notching its place as the leading ratio in Meritor’s product suite.

“The axle ratio’s range shifted toward faster ratios due to downspeeding,” says Carlos Pinotti, Meritor’s senior director of rear drivetrain engineering. “By the end of 2016, 2.64 and 2.47 ratios represented 25 percent-plus direct-drive and overdrive transmissions.”

A 2.47 ratio is the biggest gainer over that five-year span, climbing from less than 3 percent to a nearly 10 percent order share.

Garrison says the engine’s output torque has improved in recent years, helping to further enable downspeed-

| december 2018

ing by making torque available deeper in the rpm range.

“When you cruise down at lower and lower rpm, one of the things that allow that is the torque that is available down to those levels,” he says. “Years ago, the torque curves were kind of rounded and not flat, which meant peak torque was only available in a tight rpm band, where now it’s very flat across a wide rpm range.”

The availability of torque lower in the power band means fleets that previously never considered a faster axle ratio on new equipment possibly could switch painlessly.

“Engine technology has changed, and they’re putting more torque in the engine at the lower rpm,” says Steve Slesinski, Dana’s director of global product planning for commercial vehicles. “Whatever ratios you were spec’ing on previous powertrains likely

EQUIPMENT: DOWNSPEEDING need to change anyway. Don’t just say, ‘I’ve always run a 3.55 ratio. I want that in my next truck.’ ” Why downspeed?

A downsped driveline lets the engine operate at its most efficient rpm while also generating the minimal horsepower required to maintain a 65-mph cruise speed.

“There are a combination of factors for the engine fuel efficiency improvements,” says Pinotti, citing reduced engine friction due to lower piston speed and reduced heat transfer and flow losses due to lower gas velocities and improved thermodynamic efficiency.

The lower the rpm, the more fleets can reduce mpg-sucking drains on the drivetrain and boost engine efficiency.

“As you bring that engine rpm down 100 rpm or more, that reduces the friction and the parasitic losses, and all that translates into fuel savings,” Garrison says. “The slower that engine is turning, you’re not running the water pumps, accessory drives and all those things nearly as fast, not to mention fewer cycles per minute.”

Reduced heat and friction leads to less component wear, potentially extending the engine’s overall lifecycle.

“If you’re running that engine at 1,150 rpm versus 1,399, that’s a lot less times the pistons have to travel up and

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 receives a corresponding fuel economy boost.

down over its life, so the reliability is better,” says John Moore, powertrain product marketing manager for Volvo Trucks North America.

Volvo’s XE13 package that debuted in 2011 reduced rpm at cruise from about 1,370 to about 1,150. Newer iterations of downsped drivelines routinely cruise near 1,050 rpm.

Every 100 rpm is worth about 1.5 percent in reduced fuel consumption, so being able to maintain highway speeds at 1,150 rpm versus 1,370 constitutes a fuel savings of more than 3 percent.

“Downspeeding is about reducing the amount of trips the piston takes up and down the engine, which reduces friction,” Moore says. “This is actually where we’re saving the fuel.”

Working together Similar to an aerodynamic package, all the pieces of a downsped driveline have to be chosen carefully to work in unison.

Engine downspeeding means a reduced input shaft speed with increased torque to deliver the same power to move the vehicle, which Pinotti says places increased load demand on the driveshaft at both highway speed and startup.

Slesinski says that as driveshaft speed slows down at highway cruise speed, the amount of torque going through both the driveshaft and axle system increases.

“Nobody cares about the driveshaft until it breaks or comes out of the vehicle,” says Tom Bosler, Dana’s global driveshaft product management leader.

Bosler says at the maintenance level, fleets that don’t specify a driveshaft compatible with a downsped driveline will see U-join failures about 36 percent sooner.

“If you take a truck that was running at 1,450 rpm down to about 1,125, that rpm change of 325 rpm results in a 36

A downspeeding overdrive model has been added to the Eaton-Cummins SmartAdvantage powertrain lineup, with a 1,550/1,850 lb.-ft. torque rating compatible with rear axle ratings down to 2.47:1.

percent change in driveshaft and rear axle life,” he says.

Scott Steurer, Eaton application engineer, says group collaboration between component suppliers, such as the Eaton-Cummins venture, has helped meld efficiencies through the driveline.

“The end result is the automation and the engine are talking more frequently and better and making better shift decisions,” Steurer says.

There are a lot of variables in play with downspeeding, including engine specification, type of transmission and rear axle ratios. However, much of the heavy lifting lies with the truck’s transmission.

The integrated driveline allows the system to calculate what Moore calls “perfect shift points” based on the truck’s load, road grade and required torque. Software options are flexible for application-specific needs and to promote performance or fuel economy.

“A variety of shifter packages go along with that,” he says.

While the transmission’s software is optimized for downspeeding, the unit itself is mostly a stock AMT. “The transmission knows how to hold the gears as long as possible to get the best payback on the fuel efficiency,” Moore says. “We never could downspeed with a manual transmission, because a driver, every time he hit

commercial carrier journal

| december 2018 55

EQUIPMENT: DOWNSPEEDING Meritor’s 14X HE targets linehaul customers seeking fuel efficiency and has superfast ratios down to 2.15 for aggressive downspeeding.

It also offers an 1,850 lb.ft. torque rating and an 80,000lb. GCW rating.

an overpass, would have to downshift to get over the overpass without losing too much speed. The driver would have to continually be shifting. If he got into some hilly terrain, that’s all he would be doing is shifting constantly. [A manual] doesn’t hold gears very well.”

After the transmission, selecting the proper rear axle ratio is vital, Moore says. When the Volvo XE package debuted, it featured a rear axle ratio of 2.64, a gearing previously not found matched with an overdrive AMT. “That was typically a direct-drive ratio,” Moore says.

Should you downspeed?

Downspeeding is best suited for truckload over-the-road applications that spend a lot of time in top gear.

“A typical stop-and-go application isn’t going to benefit much more from having performance or capability,” Pinotti says. “You don’t need to achieve a given cruising speed range. You need performance. You need startability much more than a cruising speed in a downsped range.”

Moore says if fleets want to determine if downspeeding is suited for a given segment, they should set a target on the engine’s optimized rpm range.

“Write down what your speed is, write down what your tire size is, and then come up with the correct rear axle ratio that matches the engine’s sweet spot,” he says. “It’s all about making all the components come together to give 56

commercial carrier journal

you the right engine rpm for the speed and tire size you’re working with.”

Garrison says for fleets that reward drivers for top-tier mpg performance, a downsped truck can be an attractive retention tool.

“Drivers care about fuel economy, especially if they’re incentivized around it,” he says, adding that the balance between performance and fuel efficiency is important. “Drivers also don’t like getting passed going up hills or being limited to 62 miles per hour.”

Fleets that run few on-highway miles or don’t spend long stretches in top gear won’t find the same fuel economy benefits as the long-haul segment, but Slesinski says there are some benefits to be had.

“Potentially, downspeeding could benefit other vocations, because overall, in general, you’re running the engine less rpm over its lifetime,” he says. “Fewer revolutions over a period of time should in fact be better for the components.”

| december 2018

Moore says that an engine running at a lower rpm translates to a quieter cab in almost every application.

Specifying a downsped setup also can be a tricky proposition for trucks that are used in multiple segments.

Steurer says larger fleets have a luxury in being able to target specific jobs that take advantage of a truck’s performance, while smaller fleets often need a more general specification capable of running a mixture of highway, rural and urban routes.

Garrison says another challenge is driving speed. While the trend in downspeeding is to look at cruise rpm, the operating road speed can vary significantly from state to state, making it tough to optimize specifications when drivers frequently cross regions.

“People really need to understand what speeds they are going to run and how are they going to handle these slower states,” he says. “That really can make a difference in them realizing the kinds of benefits they are looking for.”

Dana’s 2.47:1 axle ratio is designed to support engine downspeeding for linehaul trucks.

The ratio is suited for regional-haul applications that travel interstates, secondary roads and urban streets.

What’s your engine’s optimal rpm? (tire revolutions per mile X output ratio of transmission) X (rear axle ratio X desired speed) / 60 John Moore, powertrain product marketing manager for Volvo Trucks North America, says to take the result of the above equation and match it to the desired position in the engine’s sweet spot range: the low rpm side of the range for optimum fuel efficiency, and the high side for performance.

★ National Wreaths Across America Day ★ SATURDAY, DEC. 15, 2018 Lanes are still available to haul veterans’ wreaths to their final resting place on the headstone of one of America’s heroes.

Not able to haul a load this year? That’s OK - there are other ways to get involved! You can...

Sign up to be a Rolling Ambassador at trucking.wreathsacrossamerica.org/rolling-ambassadors/ Sponsor veterans’ wreaths for the Virtual Convoy at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/WAATRK Or volunteer to place wreaths at a cemetery in your local community!

Without the support from carriers, professional drivers and the trucking industry as a whole, Wreaths Across America would not be able to deliver on its mission to Remember, Honor, Teach.

Thank you ALL for your ongoing support!

trucking.wreathsacrossamerica.org

Remember

★

Honor

★

Teach

New developments close the loop on risk management

BY AARON HUFF

M

otor carriers have been distancing themselves from traditional approaches to training drivers. Onesize-fits-all programs are on the way out and increasingly are being replaced by technology that identifies the needs of individual drivers and delivers custom training content in an automated closedloop process.

As part of this evolution, driver training also is becoming financially rewarding. Not only are companies raising the bar on safety, they also are using data and their training platforms to create incentives for drivers.

Advancements in driver safety systems also make it possible to identify more complex patterns such as fatigue, distraction and traffic violations, allowing fleets to train drivers without adding more hardware and alerts to their work environment.

Online training Online training is used widely to improve fleet efficiency and the learning experience for drivers. Like many carriers, Premium Transportation Logistics – a Toledo, Ohio-based nationwide ground transportation and logistics provider – assigns training to newly hired drivers for orientation.

PTL uses Luma’s Drive First training collection and online learning management system. The collection has more than 100 individual learning modules called eNuggets that cover a 58

commercial carrier journal

MiX Telematics’ in-cab video system, MiX Vision, captures video footage of risky driving behaviors. Fleets can use the company’s Insight Agility reporting feature to create customized reports and dashboards that compare driver behaviors before and after training events.

variety of safety, compliance and orientation topics. The eNuggets can be customized to include company-specific policies and procedures.

“Drive First has made us more efficient in delivering training and documents to drivers who mostly access the platform on their smartphones,” says Jeff Curry, PTL president.

Luma offers Drive First as a monthly subscription based on a carrier’s estimated usage with no long-term contracts.

Many drivers hired by Contract Transport Services come directly from commercial driver’s license schools. New drivers go through a three-week training program that is augmented by interactive online courses from CarriersEdge. CTS

| december 2018

also assigns quarterly online courses to update drivers.

Using CarriersEdge courses quarterly to replace live meetings is “so much more convenient for our drivers and our training staff,” says Paul LeRoy, director of safety for the Green Bay, Wis.-based fleet.

“Drivers can go through the training modules when it’s convenient for them — at home, in their cab during a break or at one of our terminals.”

Drivers retain more information from online training, LeRoy says. “We can monitor how our drivers have done on each module,” he says. “If there is an area they didn’t score well on, we can review the test with them and help them with additional information.”

TECHNOLOGY: ONLINE DRIVER TRAINING

Stay Metrics offers online training from Luma as part of its driver engagement platform. The collection has more than 100 individual learning modules called eNuggets that cover a variety of safety, compliance and orientation topics. The eNuggets can be customized to include company-specific policies and procedures.

CTS has custom training modules in the CarriersEdge platform to help drivers operate compressed natural gas-powered tractors. Half the fleet is CNG now, with plans to become 100 percent by the end of 2019. CTS also distributes a semiannual companywide address and other live training broadcasts through the platform.

GetGo Transportation has been using online Pro-Tread driver training courses from Instructional Technologies Inc. for two years. Rob Wayne, director of safety and recruiting for the Millbury, Ohiobased fleet, assigns training to new hires during orientation and afterward on an as-needed basis “when we see something happen,” he says.

A driver that receives a maintenance violation during a U.S. Department of Transportation roadside inspection would have to complete a course on pretrip inspections, Wayne says.

Driver coaching By using video-based safety and telematics systems, fleets can focus on

each driver’s training needs. CTS tractors are equipped with Lytx’s DriveCam video event recorders.

“Our coaching involves showing the driver the specific behavior that was captured on the DriveCam and how modifying their behavior can result in a safer and less stressful day,” LeRoy says.

When coaching drivers, the best approach is to get the driver to agree on the behavior that needs to change, says Del Lisk, Lytx’s vice president of safety services. The DriveCam program tracks when the driver initially was coached on that behavior and if the behavior repeated itself.

“It may be that coaching is not enough,” Lisk says. “Generally, through use of our system, if a driver is not changing behavior despite coaching, training would be the next step.”

For events that result in an incident or accident, CTS assigns a CarriersEdge training course to drivers to make sure they understand basic safety standards, LeRoy says.

Video-based safety and telematics systems compile driver behavior data into predictive scores for crash risk and to measure how drivers respond to training events.

Fleets can use SmartDrive’s Coaching Effectiveness Score to assess the effectiveness of coaching and training. The score indicates when a driver was coached or

completed training, says Jason Palmer, SmartDrive’s chief operating officer.

Similarly, if a group of drivers took a defensive driving training class, SmartDrive can offer insights into each driver’s performance after training, Palmer says.

Fleets that use Trimble’s Video Intelligence Solution can measure the effectiveness of driver coaching and training by tracking the number of miles between “trigger” events such as sudden starts, hard stops and activation of vehicle safety systems.

A carrier with 100 drivers may average an event every 600 miles, says Trimble’s Jim Angel. “Over time, they’re measuring the effectiveness of training and coaching in terms of increased miles between those events,” he says.

MiX Telematics’ in-cab video system, MiX Vision, captures video footage of risky driving behaviors. Fleets can use the company’s Insight Agility reporting feature to create customized reports and dashboards that compare driver behaviors before and after training events, says Adam Bruttell, Mix Telematics’ vice president of North American sales.

Closing the loop About one year ago, GetGo began using Netradyne’s DriverI camera vision safety system that detects a wide range of safe and unsafe driving behaviors and scores drivers.

New drivers for Green Bay, Wis.based Contract Transport Services go through a three-week training program that is augmented by interactive online courses from CarriersEdge that use text, graphics, photos, real-life illustrations, interactivity and short quizzes to deliver material. commercial carrier journal

|

december 2018

59

TECHNOLOGY: ONLINE DRIVER TRAINING

Instructional Technologies Inc., a provider of training systems and content, released a Pro-Tread Mobile App designed for carriers to give drivers options for when, where and how to complete training.

Custom, compulsory and company-specific training from ITI can be completed on a mobile device or computer. Available through the Apple App store and Google Play for Android, the app uses the same login used for Pro-Tread online training, access to assigned courses and available libraries.

With ITI’s Sentix online LMS platform, training can be assigned to drivers based on individual behaviors identified by third-party systems such as DriverI, says Aaron Purvis, ITI’s chief technology officer.

GetGo currently is working with Netradyne and ITI to define the fleet’s preferred thresholds for driver behaviors that will trigger the training assignments, Wayne says.

Purvis recommends that fleets coach drivers in person for critical events and assign training for noncritical behaviors that accumulate over a short period, such as a month. Sentix could assign automatic training to the 10 percent of drivers in a fleet that have the most speeding violations.

The Sentix LMS can track when drivers completed training and the results that follow. If a driver repeats the behavior, “we make sure we are adjusting the message,” Purvis says.

Fleets can use EBE Technologies’ LMS to assign custom or third-party training 60

commercial carrier journal

J.J. Keller’s training and development products cover a broad range of topics and are available in a variety of formats, including Training On Demand, DVD, pay per view and video books. The company says its training programs are backed by regulatory experts and use the latest techniques and technology.

content from their video and telematics safety systems to drivers based on trigger events such as hard braking, excessive idling or low mpg.

For some events, a fleet may assign a video with a quiz, while others may require a sit-down session with a fleet manager or sending drivers a link to a training website, says Cindy Nelson, vice president of EBE marketing and its Driver Solutions Group.

Training incentives Fleets may require drivers to complete training following a critical safety event.

Requiring drivers to complete routine monthly or quarterly training may not be as easy to enforce.

CTS’ training is part of its performance pay program and has six areas of concentration. Drivers have to complete their quarterly training assignments to get the maximum points.

Drivers that complete the assignments earn an extra 4 cents per mile, a significant portion of the total 6-cents-per-mile bonus available, LeRoy says.

GetGo pays drivers a 3.5-cents-permile bonus for not having accidents or violations that count against the fleet’s Compliance Safety Accountability score.

Wayne is considering making training part of GetGo’s bonus program. If

| december 2018

drivers do not complete assigned training by a certain date, they could lose the bonus, he says. GetGo’s base pay rate is 46.5 cents per mile, so with the 3.5-cent bonus, drivers make 50 cents per mile and can earn an extra 3 cents with a hazmat endorsement.

“It is in their best interest to complete the training to not lose any money,” Wayne says. “We are promoting a safe culture.”

Wayne also is interested in an additional reward for safe driving. The fleet’s Netradyne system creates a composite score for drivers that includes both safe and unsafe behaviors.

“We have drivers coming in weekly asking ‘What is my score this week?’ ” Wayne says. Drivers start with 1,000 points and lose points for unsafe behaviors. If drivers keep their scores above 850 for 90 days, they could earn an extra financial bonus starting in January 2019, he says.

Combined approach Advancements in driver safety systems instantly can detect complex patterns of risk such as fatigue, distraction and traffic violations. However, adding more alerts to a driver’s work environment may not be the best way to improve behaviors.

TECHNOLOGY: ONLINE DRIVER TRAINING SmartDrive has analyzed visual and audio alerts from vehicles equipped with the company’s advanced driver assistance systems across 3 billion driving miles. It found 15 percent fewer collisions in vehicles equipped with a driver feedback mechanism.

While smart sensors are becoming more capable of detecting indicators of dangerous driving such as fatigue, “technology providers must remain vigilant in limiting the safety risk of the technology itself,” Palmer says. “Smart sensors may present a safety issue if they provide the driver with too much feedback while driving.”

Purvis sees a future where training content becomes integrated with advanced in-cab sensors. If a driver runs a stop sign, an instant notification could be sent to a telematics system that says “pull to the side of the road.”

Rather than have a driver take a time-consuming training course, ITI

could send a quick 30-second voice recording to explain the risks of the specific behavior, Purvis says.

Angel doesn’t see a need for more incab sensors. With the integration of Pulsar’s Trucking Fatigue Meter technology, Trimble’s Safety Analytics dashboard uses a driver’s hours-of-service and Onboard Event Recorder data to detect fatigue.

If the driver is approaching a yellow or red fatigue score, “we validate it by

looking at OER data that indicates fatigue, such as risk-based driving events like sudden stops,” Angel says.

Results from fleets that use SmartDrive’s program show that face-to-face coaching and training are more effective than in-cab feedback alone for improving driving skills, Palmer says.

“The best approach is to incorporate multiple tactics to improve safety,” he says.

Lytx’s DriveCam program uses video event recorders and data analytics to determine when a driver was first coached on a particular behavior and if the behavior repeated itself.

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commercial carrier journal

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61

EDITOR’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A ROUNDUP OF NEW TRUCK AND PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE AT THE AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS’ 2018 MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION, HELD OCT. 27-31 IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.

BY JEFF CRISSEY, JAMES JAILLET AND AARON HUFF

DEFLECKTOR RELEASES LOCKING WHEEL COVER

LYTX DATA IDENTIFIES WHERE, WHEN COLLISION RISKS ARE THE HIGHEST

Deflecktor updated its

Lytx’s “State of the Data” report identifies the riskiest

Hardspot aerodynamic wheel

times of the week and places to drive in the United

cover with a new locking wheel

States. Between January and September, the com-

cover feature. The locking

pany captured 16.1 million behaviors and 6.9 million

Hardspot cover users a keyed

risky events on Lytx-equipped trucks operating in

mechanism with an intuitive

over-the-road trucking operations and plotted the

positive-feedback loop designed to confirm security upon locking.

Deflecktor’s locking Hardspot cover comes preassembled to help simplify initial installation.

The trailer mounting system uses the same Hardspot cover as the tractor mounting system.

geographic location and time each event occurred.

According to Ryan Brandos, Lytx data analyst, Wednesdays have the greatest collision risk, while Fridays have the highest rate of near collisions. Of observed driver behaviors, driver distraction rates are highest on Fridays, and fundamental traffic violations are most common on Thursdays.

SMARTDRIVE, GEOTAB DRIVE CONVERGENCE IN VIDEO, TELEMATICS

and Brandos correlates ESPN’s “Monday Night

SmartDrive, in partnership with

season from the end of August through December,”

Geotab, announced a new

he said. “During that four-month window, risks are

option for converging vehicle

170 percent higher on those Tuesdays compared to

devices, wireless subscriptions

the rest of the year.”

Drowsy driving frequency is highest on Tuesdays, Football” telecast as a potential factor. “The NFL

and data onto a single platform and unified data stream.

The new offering is intended to eliminate redundancy across hardware, cellular connectivity, GPS modules, electronic control units and cabling. The companies say fleets will be able to

The SmartDrive SR4 platform is an integration hub that connects to multiple cameras, electronic control units, sensors and various OEM and third-party advanced driver assistance systems.

select best-of-breed applications without incurring additional costs associated with managing and maintaining multiple onboard devices.

SmartDrive’s SR3 or newest SR4 hardware will be the single onboard data collection hubs that power the company’s video safety and analytics platform with Geotab’s telematics and compliance offerings. The display unit for the integrated SmartDrive and Geotab offering can be mobile phones or tablets.

62

commercial carrier journal

| december 2018

Lytx has collected data from 116,000 video event recorders from several hundred fleets in its trucking client database.

SPECIAL REPORT | ATA MC&E

FLOWBELOW SLIDING SUSPENSION AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE EARNS SMARTWAY CERTIFICATION

EBE LAUNCHES INFOSTREAM REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SERVICE

FlowBelow

cess applications provider for the transportation

Aero announced

industry, announced the formation of InfoStream,

that its latest

a new company established to provide manage-

Trailer AeroSlider

ment services for regulatory compliance.

Stage 2 system was verified by the U.S. Environmental Protection

FlowBelow’s AeroSlider system is designed to work with other trailer-mounted aerodynamic devices.

EBE Technologies, a workflow and business pro-

InfoStream offers a full suite of service offerings, including driver qualification management, drug and alcohol testing, U.S. Depart-

Using web-based dashboards and mobile products, InfoStream targets the delivery of relevant information to fleet managers and drivers.

ment of Transportation physicals and asset management, as well as consulting

Agency’s SmartWay program. The company said

services for driver qualification audits, Compliance Safety Accountability reviews,

the system achieved 1.93% fuel savings during

mock audits and risk assessment.

a recent test done in accordance with SmartWay test protocols. FlowBelow said the system adds a

InfoStream is designed to leverage EBE’s driver management technologies and also will offer services to customers outside of EBE’s umbrella.

0.70% fuel savings improvement over its Stage 1 AeroSlider System. to the sliding trailer suspension and travels

VOLVO INTRODUCES XCEED FUEL ECONOMY PACKAGE FOR VNL 760, 860

with it. The AeroSlider consists of multiple

Volvo Trucks announced Xceed, a new fuel

components positioned between and behind

economy package available for its VNL 760 and

the trailer wheels to help control the airflow

VNL 860 tractors for carriers operating dry van and

around the trailer wheels and the wake behind

refrigerated trailers. Volvo said the package can

the trailer.

increase fuel economy by upwards of 10 percent

The Trailer AeroSlider is mounted directly

FlowBelow also announced its Quick-Release Wheel Covers now can be ordered through International dealers as a factory option on all LT and RH trucks.

over its Fuel Efficiency Plus spec and 3.5 percent

Volvo has provided a VNL 760, which the America’s Road Team captains use to haul the ATA Image Trailer.

over the Fuel Efficiency Advanced spec.

The Xceed package, available for order beginning in January 2019 for 2020 models, offers dedicated wheelbase options to ensure the optimal trailer gap of around 44 inches for dry van or refrigerated applications. Lightweight components such as a horizontal exhaust system, a dedicated rear axle, limited fuel tank configurations,

SHELL LAUNCHES SHELL PROACADEMY WEB-BASED LUBRICANT TRAINING

lightweight fifth wheels and aluminum chassis components help reduce the weight of the VNL models by up to 950 pounds.

Volvo also is renewing its sponsorship of ATA’s America’s Road Team Captain

Shell Lubricants launched Shell

program for 2019. The Captains are professional truck operators with superior safety

ProAcademy,

records who represent the trucking industry at industry events, at schools and with

a web-based

policymakers with support from their fleets.

Volvo also has partnered with Trimble Transportation Enterprise to integrate

training tool to help fleet managers educate and

Shell ProAcademy training modules can be accessed on desktop and mobile devices.

Trimble’s fleet management system software into Volvo vehicles.

train techni-

POTTLE ELECTED 74TH ATA CHAIRMAN

cians on the importance of proper grease and

Barry Pottle, chief executive officer of Pottle’s Transportation,

lubricant programs. Shell ProAcademy offers

Bangor, Maine, was elected by ATA’s board of directors to serve as

five training modules: maintenance, lubrication

the organization’s 74th chairman. Pottle succeeds Dave Manning,

products and applications, safety, fuel economy

president of TCW Inc., Nashville, Tenn.

and management.

Shell customers who register get immediate

Pottle purchased Pottle’s Transportation from his father in 1988 and guided its growth from an 11-truck fleet to its current size of

Barry Pottle

access to all five modules, and noncustomers get

more than 180 trucks and 575 trailers. In addition to his previous service as ATA first

access to two modules and can talk to a Shell

vice chairman, Pottle has served as chairman of Truck PAC, the Maine Motor Trans-

representative to unlock the others.

port Association and the Truckload Carriers Association. commercial carrier journal

| december 2018 63

SPECIAL REPORT | ATA MC&E

I.D. SYSTEMS CREATES LUCY, AN INTELLIGENT FLEET ASSISTANT FOR MANAGING TRAILERS, CARGO

DECISIV LAUNCHES FLEET MOBILE APP FOR 24/7 REPAIR MANAGEMENT

I.D. Systems introduced a new telemetry

Decisiv, a provider of soft-

and analytics platform that includes an

ware that provides fleets with

image-based cargo visibility detector and

visibility and management

environmental sensors. Integral to the

tools of their equipment

platform launch is an interactive voice-user interface – an intelligent assistant named Lucy – designed to give transportation workers information to make real-time decisions without manually running reports.

The telemetry portfolio – the Logistics Visibility Asset Tracking and Freight Visibility

I.D. Systems’ LV-100 tracking device has self-contained batteries and communicates with wireless trailer sensors.

Decisiv’s Fleet Mobile app is designed to allow fleet owners and asset managers to manage service and repair events on a smartphone or tablet.

when it’s in for repairs and maintenance, announced its new Fleet Mobile application that allows fleets to use its Service Relation-

ship Management product on their mobile devices.

With real-time case details on assets, diagnostics and complaints, the Fleet Mobile app enables users to create service

Series (LV Series) – uses a common platform

requests, view service provider and vehicle locations, review and

for wireless sensor integration and visual image confirmation to

approve estimates and receive notifications when something

track the location and monitor the condition and status of cargo.

changes or requires immediate attention.

The LV Series also is designed to monitor tire pressures, anti-lock braking system lights and other elements of a trailer.

The three base asset-tracking models – LV-100, LV-300 and

Notifications sent through the SRM platform are pushed automatically to the app, which uses push notifications to communicate changes or requests for action.

LV-500 – vary according to power management technology such as a long-life primary battery, rechargeable battery or

DRIVEWYZE LAUNCHES INSIGHTS SAFETY DATA REPORTING SERVICE

dual-power source.

Drivewyze, a provider of connected truck

TRIMBLE ADDS DRIVER FATIGUE MONITORING TO SAFETY ANALYTICS DASHBOARD

and PreClear weigh station bypass services,

Trimble Transportation Mobility

safety reporting service.

launched Drivewyze Insights, a data-driven With Drivewyze’s PreClear service, cus-

is adding driver fatigue monitoring and risk management as-

tomers receive weigh station bypasses

sessment to its Safety Analytics

based on a variety of factors, including

dashboard that aggregates driver data fleetwide to highlight drivers who need coaching.

The fatigue assessment developed by Pulsar Informatics

Trimble Transportation Mobility’s Safety Analytics dashboard segments drivers into green, yellow and red profiles of risk.

safety scores. Drivewyze Insights collects inspection and violation source data across all 50 states as much as three

The monthly Insights reports are designed to provide Drivewyze customers with safety and violation information that can inform business decisions.

or four weeks earlier than it’s available through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Adminstration’s

shows how fatigue affects driver

Safety Measurement System portal. The data then is compiled

behavior and provides information about fatigue levels and histori-

and analyzed into actionable intelligence for the company’s

cal data for coaching drivers to prevent potential fatigue risks.

fleet customers.

Carrier data from FMCSA is compiled and presented in an easy-

With the integration of Pulsar’s Trucking Fatigue Meter, the dashboard will use Trimble’s Hours of Service and Onboard Event

to-view format. The Insights report will be provided in addition to

Recording data to identify driver sleep and fatigue risk patterns.

Drivewyze’s existing monthly Bypass service report.

MACK RENEWS SHARE THE ROAD SPONSORSHIP, BOOKS DEAL WITH TRIMBLE Mack Trucks announced that it has renewed its sponsorship of ATA’s Share the Road program for 2019. In the program, professional drivers present live safety exhibitions for students, media and policy makers, demonstrating how to drive safely alongside semi-trucks.

Mack also announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Trimble Transportation Enterprise to integrate the company’s fleet management system software into Mack vehicles for fleets that choose the option.

64

commercial carrier journal

| december 2018

Mack is providing a 2018 Anthem 70-inch stand-up sleeper for drivers to use and display at Share the Road events.

Handheld HID light

Heavy-duty brushed alternators

LoadHandler’s Brushed Alternators for heavy-duty vehicles are designed for high power output and efficiency and are available in application-specific 150-, 160- and 200-amp versions for 12-volt systems. The drop-in replacement units are available in J180 and pad-mount configurations and include a heavyduty bearing, rectifier and diode to facilitate increased service life and optimal performance in extreme operating environments. The L22 150-amp and L24 160-amp models are rated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and the L24 and L28 200-amp (rated to 221 degrees F, Remote Sense-capable) models feature a Dual Internal Fan Design that helps increase service life by maintaining an optimal bearing temperature during operation for minimal heat damage.

LoadHandler Power Products, www.loadhandlerproducts.com, 800-354-0560

Larson’s Handheld High Intensity Discharge Light is engineered to provide 3,500 lumens of light with a 14.4volt 5,000mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery built for 90 minutes of power on a single charge. The waterproof light consists of a 35watt HID lamp designed to produce a 3,000-foot beam in the 4,300K color range with about 15 million candlepower within two seconds of being activated.

An additional snap-on diffuser lens converts the light to a soft, wide flood beam that covers an area 200 feet long and 200 feet wide. A 220-240volt AC 50/60Hz wall charger and charging cord are included; full charge takes about four hours.

Larson Electronics, www.larsonelectronics.com, 800-369-6671

Replacement starter

Prestolite Electric’s PowerPro Extreme 5 is a 12-volt 4.5kW replacement starter engineered to offer high-torque high-efficiency power for 6- to 10-liter engines. Featuring a planetary gear reduction design, the 21.5-pound starter is available in both 10- and 12-tooth versions and is available for a variety of engine models, including Cummins’ ISB, ISC and ISL; International’s DT466E and DT570E; and the MaxxForce DT, 9 and 10. A sealed noseless design helps protect against dust, oil and other contaminants, while the company’s proprietary Integral Magnetic Switch technology eliminates voltage drop and its soft-start relay technology prevents ring gear damage.

Leece-Neville Heavy Duty Systems, www.prestolite.com, 866-288-9853 commercial carrier journal | december 2018

65

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• Inflate, deflate & equalize up to five tires at once • Ultimate dual-tire pairing guage • Helps extend fuel mileage • Reduces blowouts & tire decapitation

#9060C FIVE-TIRE PRESSURE EQUALIZER SYSTEM

#9062C FOUR-TIRE INFLATION/ EQUALIZER SYSTEM

#9067 TIRE COMPARATOR™ (TYPE ||) For ½" Tolerances

#9060 FIVE-TIRE PRESSURE EQUALIZER SYSTEM (Base Model)

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100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

© 2018 Innovative Products of America® Incorporated. All rights reserved.

MADE IN

USA

PRODUCTS

Primer and topcoat system Martin Senour’s Premium Commercial Coatings primer and topcoat system for commercial vehicles is built for repairs, repaints and general upkeep and to deliver consistent results quickly and efficiently. The coatings are formulated for productive dry times, good gloss content and low VOC standards and to allow for thousands of color options

through a compact line of toners, with high chemical resistance for applications that require durability. PCC’s single-stage color products are available as intermix color systems and as factory-packaged colors, with both 1k and 2k mixing options.

Martin Senour, www.martinsenour-autopaint.com, 800-526-6704

N I E Z A V E DR AL

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REPLACES YOUR DRAIN PLUG TURN THE LEVER TO DRAIN OIL

REMOVABLE HOSE END

Electric tarp system

Mountain Tarp’s ESR2000 electric side-toside lock-and-roll tarping system features a heavy-duty electric motor, one-button open-and-close controls and a reinforced aluminum front arm with a spring assembly. Available in either a direct-drive or a chain-drive motor assembly, the waterproof system is suited for use in grain-hauling applications and is designed to allow haulers to use one tarp for a variety of applications to help maximize load options for return trips. It uses synthetic oil to help enhance performance in cold-weather areas. Options include a flexible base assembly, rear arms for additional stability in high wind areas and a remote control. The standard motor slide coupler is engineered to allow users to disengage the motor to roll the tarp over manually using a hand crank if electrical power is unavailable.

Mountain Tarp, www.mountaintarp.com, 800-248-7717

THE EASIEST OIL CHANGE Optional Hose Connections

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L-SHAPED

Available at Participating NAPA Auto & Truck Parts stores nationwide and all Traction and Global Parts locations

www.EZoildrain.com

(425) 999-1200

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PRODUCTS

Epoxy putty repair stick

Head gasket set

AFA’s Head Gasket Set for Cummins’ ISX/QSX Series SOHC engines contains all the gaskets needed to replace the cylinder head. The set includes AFA’s multilayer steel core-designed graphite head gasket designed for added sealing power under differential expansion and contraction between the head and block; the rigid steel core is built for added strength and uniform thickness control across the engine’s sealing surface, while the ring wire and stainless combustion seal rings are engineered for enhanced sealing. Also included are AFA’s proprietary Exhaust Manifold Gaskets made with full-hard stainless-steel material and welded together and coated with the company’s proprietary anti-friction coating to help improve the sealing of the manifold-to-head joint.

New Pig’s High-Temp Epoxy Putty repair sticks are designed for repairs to surfaces such as exhaust pipes and tanks that are exposed to extreme temperatures. Composed of base and activator, the premeasured epoxy can be kneaded by hand and applied quickly and is formulated to resist temperatures as high as 500 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as -40. It is designed to set in minutes and cure concrete-hard in an hour at room temperature and can be drilled, sanded or painted.

New Pig Corp., www.newpig.com, 800-468-4647

AFA Industries, www.afaindustries.com, 855-642-2935

Updated suspensions

Ridewell’s 233-20K Truck and Trailer Suspensions now have expanded availability for galvanized components. The trailer drum brake models have additional options for a factory-integrated preplumbed air tank kit, and the roll-off line now includes a narrow option to facilitate an easier fit onto the vehicle frame and a bridge between the air springs to help simplify installation. To reduce maintenance, the trailer line also has been updated with Huck fasteners. The updated pivot connection hardware for the drum brake models now has an additional crosschannel and hanger design. All models requiring air springs to be placed away from the frame now include a bridge.

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

Flood lights with backup camera Rear View Safety’s RVS-FLC03 Vehicle Flood Light with Backup Camera (Circle) and RVSFLC05 Vehicle Flood Light with Backup Camera (Square) are engineered for easy mounting to the front or rear of a vehicle to boost night driving visibility. Both cameras are designed with a wide 140-degree viewing angle and are built to be waterproof with an IP68 rating.

Rear View Safety, www.rearviewsafety.com, 800-764-1028

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PRODUCTS

Combo transfer tank

UWS’ Combo Transfer Tank features a dual construction of steel and aluminum and is available in two smooth mill-finish options: black or white powdercoat. The tank comes with a lockable commercial-grade cap, a built-in drain plug, internal baffles to facilitate a smoother liquid flow and welded lifting hooks to help make it easier to relocate the tank in and out of a truck bed. The tank is constructed from 14-gauge steel, while the built-in toolbox is made from .08-inch lightweight aluminum. Rectangular and L-shaped configurations also are available.

UWS, www.uwsta.com, 877-287-8634

Loading ramps

National Fleet Products’ WM System Loading Ramps are designed as a maintenance-free alternative to hydraulic liftgates and are suitable for a variety of vehicle applications. The ramps are engineered to stow vertically inside rearand side-access doors and take up about 8.5 inches of depth when folded and locked. With their built-in spring-assist feature and side handles, they require about 20 pounds of force and about five seconds to unfold or be folded back into their low-profile vertical storage position.

The ramps incorporate a swivel-action mechanism that enables them to swing 90 degrees in and out like a door, allowing users to have vehicle access when the ramp is not in use. The ramps come in two-panel configurations in lengths of up to 128 inches and three-panel configurations in lengths of up to 16 feet. The ramp ends have rollers and adjustable flaps that can accommodate a variety of surface angles and textures.

National Fleet Products, www.nationalfleetproducts.com, 763-762-3451 commercial carrier journal | december 2018

69

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MADE IN THE U.S.A.

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december 2018

FUMOTO® Simply Effortless

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AD INDEX Ancra Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ancracargo .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 CCJ Innovators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ccjinnovators .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Direct Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . directequipmentsupply .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Drivers Legal Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . driverslegalplan .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 31 Drivewyze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . drivewyze .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Eaton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . eatoncumminsjv .com/endurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Eberspacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . eberspaecher-na .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 EZ Oil Drain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ezoildrain .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 FleetPride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fleetpride .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Fleetworthy Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fleetworthy .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Fumoto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fumotousa .com/ccj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 HDAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hdaw .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Howes Lubricator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . howeslube .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Imperial Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . imperialsupplies .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Instructional Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . instructiontech .net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 IPA Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ipatools .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Kiene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kienediesel .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Kinedyne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kinedyne .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 NTEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . worktruckshow .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 O’Reilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . firstcallonline .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . peterbilt .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ppgcommercialcoatings .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 PrePass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prepass .com/ccj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Prestolite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prestolite .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 ProMiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . promiles .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Rig Dig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rigdig .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rotella .com/products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 TA Petro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ta-petro .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Total Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . totalspecialties .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 VeeBoards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . veeboards .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Verizon Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . verizonconnect .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Vipar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . truckforceservice .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Volvo Partner Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . volvo .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC-1 Wabco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . wabco-na .com/brakesmarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Wreaths Across America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . trucking .wreathsacrossamerica .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Xtra Lease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xtralease .com/25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 commercial carrier journal | december 2018

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PREVENTABLE or NOT? Bus bounces into Doe’s byway

A

few minutes before the accident, tractor-trailer driver John Doe had been listening with rapt attention to a CB recitation of how a devious doubles driver, Fred Farquark, had used a giant pepperoni and double-cheese pizza to bribe fleet mechanic Marv “Fats” Twiqley into significantly boosting his unit’s horsepower. Wow! Perhaps Fats didn’t want to keep his job? Then again, it was double cheese.

While pondering the immorality of that scenario, Doe extracted a celery stick from his cooler of survival rations and momentarily switched to auto-pilot, neglecting to monitor his mirrors. It was 8 a.m. on a nice sunny A sports car stuck behind a day as Doe, stifling a yawn, towed his slow-moving city bus tried trailer down four-lane Friendly Road in to squeeze in front of John Greensboro, N.C. For the moment, he Doe’s truck in the opposite lane, but the car didn’t have was riding in the inside lane. enough room. Was this a A block ahead, a passenger bus began preventable accident? to pull into traffic from the right lane, trailing dense, acrid smoke. Doe, traveling at the posted limit of 35 mph, did not slow down. At that moment, an impatient Mildred K. Morose, faced by the rear of the turtle-paced city bus, decided to try her favorite Grand Prix maneuver … by attempting, alas unsuccessfully, to race her yellow 1985 Porsche through the rapidlydiminishing gap between the bus and Doe’s Class 8 tractor. Sha-Boomelo! Oh no! The left side of the car’s back bumper struck the right side of the front bumper of Doe’s tractor.

Since Doe contested the preventable-accident warning letter from his fleet safety director, the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee was asked to decide the issue. To Doe’s dismay, NSC upheld the preventable ruling, noting that Doe had failed to slow down – and check his shotgun-side mirror for idiots in sports cars – when the bus began to amble into the adjacent lane.

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Introducing the Model 579 UltraLoft™, with a lightweight integral cab-sleeper design that takes the Model 579 to new levels of driver comfort and performance. The distinctive exterior features a bold, sculpted roofline and aerodynamic enhancements for increased fuel economy. The new interior offers best-in-class headroom, bunk space and storage. The standard PACCAR Powertrain, including the PACCAR MX-13 engine and the advanced PACCAR Automated Transmission, maximizes fuel efficiency and drivability, making the Model 579 UltraLoft the driver’s truck of choice.

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