Commercial Carrier Journal June 2020

JUNE 2020

KNOW YOUR FAULT CODES

Remote diagnostics keep trucks moving page 29

PARKING PROBLEMS Freight volume drop presents

unique maintenance challenge

THINK BEFORE YOU ADD TO YOUR OIL Treatments aren’t always advisable page 22

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR TRUCKING PROFESSIONALS

FLEETS FEELING BROKER BLUES Movement seeks 3PL transparency page 42

MANAGE YOUR ONBOARD TECH Consolidate your gadgets into one

page 46

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JUNE 2020 | VOL 177 | NO. 6

COVER STORY

34

JOURNAL

Don’t ignore idled trucks

With rates and freight volumes both currently sitting at historically low levels, nearly 30% of respondents to a CCJ survey that measures the coronavirus’ impact on motor carriers said they have reduced driver count. With no one sitting behind their steering wheels, many fleets are parking their units until trucking conditions improve. But there’s more to mothballing a unit than simply pulling the air brake and turning off the ignition if the tractor is to return to service in mechanically sound condition.

Cover design by Richard Street

FEATURES

42

6 News HOS reforms include 7/3 off-duty split, skip 14-hour pause … CDL testing backlog may create chokepoint for driver hiring … Operation Safe Driver Week set for July 12-18 … Rule would clarify

Broker blues

The depressed rates environment, particularly on the spot market, became a prominent theme for trucking beginning in late April and continuing last month, with many carriers crying foul on brokers, arguing that freight intermediaries were using current market conditions to squeeze them down on freight bills while boosting their own margins — reverse price gouging. Often, rates being offered didn’t cover carriers’ costs, forcing them to choose between running at a loss or parking their trucks.

46

how states use Clearinghouse … FMCSA launches CSA crash review program … Industry groups seek suspension of FET on new heavy-duty trucks, trailers … NHTSA: Truck fatalities up in 2019 while overall traffic deaths down … 2020 GATS canceled

Managing onboard technology

Economic disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic and, as a result, worker safety have given carriers new reasons to revisit their mobile technologies to help reduce costs and streamline workflow for drivers and fleet administrators. Tasks that traditionally have been done in person, such as driver coaching and training, are being pushed to mobile technologies to help enforce social distancing protocols.

31

LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

Innovators: Penske Truck Leasing

The truck leasing provider sets up its own DPF cleaning program to improve shop productivity and uptime and save money.

amid COVID-19 … Comcar selling off carriers amid bankruptcy filing ... DOT funds $7.5 million project for automated driving systems …

Pronto seeks HOS exemption for using its self-driving tech

8 InBrief COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

| JUNE 2020 1

DEPARTMENTS

ccjdigital.com

technology

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

Editorial

24 25 25 16 17 18 18 19 19

Cabin air filters an oft-neglected maintenance item

26

Daimler Truck AG, Volvo Group announce fuel-cell partnership

Fleets go digital to hire, train drivers during pandemic Idelic, Samsara unite safety, IoT offerings J.B. Hunt adds eBOL to reduce contact McLeod’s PowerBroker TMS gets API for digital freight matching add-on

Cummins demos cylinder deactivation tech for X15 Tesla Semi delivery delayed for second time

26

Stertil-Koni launches heavy-duty Shop Equipment initiative

CarriersEdge course details cybersecurity, data protection

26 InBrief 27 Survey: Commercial drivers want

20

28

more safety feedback

advanced on-vehicle software

Bollinger eyes 2021 debut for its Class 3 truck

Transflo working to digitize PODs with no-touch docs

29 InFocus:

22 InFocus:

Remote diagnostics

Engine oil treatments

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

4

Upfront Editor Jason Cannon’s column

56 Preventable or Not? Tractor-trailer driver John Doe was slowly traveling a two-way street when a Ford Mustang rapidly exited an apartment complex surrounded by a high fence that kept Doe from seeing the car until it was too late. Was this a preventable accident?

50 Products

COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL

Design & Production

Art Director: Richard Street Quality Assurance: Timothy Smith Advertising Production Manager: Leah Boyd

Corporate

19 InBrief 20 DTNA, Platform Science team for

2

editorial@ccjdigital.com

production@ccjdigital.com

Navistar addresses potential A26 engine woes

Trailer, steer axle, hand sanitizer, more

Editor: Jason Cannon Senior Editor: Aaron Huff Associate Editor: Tom Quimby Managing Editor: Dean Smallwood News Editor: Matt Cole Contributing Editors: Todd Dills, James Jaillet

55 Ad Index | JUNE 2020

Chairman Emeritus: Mike Reilly President/CEO: Brent Reilly Executive Vice President and General Manager, Equipment: Prescott Shibles Senior Vice President and General Manager, Recruiting: Scott Miller Executive Vice President, Internal Consulting Services: Nick Reid Senior Vice President, Audience: Linda Longton Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Business Development: Robert Lake Senior Vice President, Marketing: Julie Arsenault

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UPFRONT

Trucking’s new norm PPE, hand sanitizer to be more prevalent

BY JASON CANNON

A

s COVID-19 spread across the country, businesses that couldn’t work from home scrambled to develop plans to keep employees safe from the pandemic and offices germ-free. Now, as many workers return to their desks, the scramble continues to find our new normal.

I don’t know what our new normal is going to look like. If I did, my 401(k) would have a lot fewer red numbers.

But what I can tell you is our old normal is gone forever, and the ubiquitous use of personal protective equipment (PPE), I believe, is here to stay.

PPE was the first line of defense for essential workers, including truck drivers. Of fleets that responded to a recent CCJ survey measuring the coronavirus’ impact on motor carriers, 85% said their drivers were wearing masks and gloves, with another 70% reporting increased facility cleaning.

Polaris Transportation Group, a less-than-truckload cross-border carrier based in Mississauga, Ontario, has been providing protective eyewear, gloves and hand sanitizer and last month ordered face shields.

“Our plan is to keep up these safety practices until we have a vaccine for COVID-19,” said Brenda Brajkovich, marketing and client relationship manager for Polaris.

Illinois has struggled mightily during the pandemic, and Mary Tuozzo, operations manager for Phoenix Cartage, said it has been difficult to find masks, gloves and hand sanitizer

for the Chicago-area carrier’s drivers.

Shippers and receivers also are playing a role in carriers’ cleaning and sanitation practices. Roy Hood, president for Big Tex Delivery Service, said many of his drivers already are required to have normal PPE to serve several of the company’s clients, but the Houston-based hotshot carrier also bought extra protective gear for drivers who want to use it.

“We are pretty driven at this point by our customers,” added John Elliott, chief executive officer for Load One (CCJ Top 250, No. 215), a Taylor, Michigan-based expedite fleet. “The Big Three automotive has already informed us that drivers will be required to wear masks of ASTM-1 level or higher and gloves when picking up or delivering. I expect that the unions will push this requirement into a lot of suppliers and manufacturers as well.”

In anticipation of returning to some normalcy, Sherry Kircher, safety director for Whitewater, Wisconsin-based Major Transportation Services, said it was her belief that it will be a “very long time before COVID is over. It will be like turning a dial and not like flipping on a light switch.”

More than three months into the pandemic – even with most states beginning to relax measures put in place to inhibit the virus’ spread – many carriers say they plan to continue rigorous use of PPE for the foreseeable future.

Kircher said she feels a personal responsibility “for the health and safety of our employees, on and off the job right now.” As COVID-19 has evolved

and state and federal protocols have changed, Major Transportation has continued to adjust its processes and safety requirements for its employees and facilities.

“If things start to relax, like letting salespeople back into the building, we will have to put more procedures in place to be sure that we are still protected and protecting our work force and buildings,” she said. “Masks will definitely be a requirement for any visitors or anyone not practicing social distancing within our company.”

Continuing to practice enhanced sanitation in the post-COVID-19 era could go a long way toward reducing driver sickness and improving their health and wellbeing in general, with the added benefit of eliminating downtime due to driver illness.

“I really don’t think we will ever completely return to pre-COVID practices,” said Mike Dodds, chemical engineer for Whiting Systems, a manufacturer of vehicle wash systems and cleaning detergents. “But I think we will retain some beneficial new practices that will help improve overall driver health and safety going forward, mainly greater prevention of the spread of any and all infectious viruses in the driver space. Why not flatten the curve of winter flu season, common colds, GI viruses, as well as beat down COVID-19 flare-ups going forward?”

This pandemic has forced many of us to rethink the way we do previously mundane things, and its impact on how we actually do those things going forward will be felt for a long time.

JASON CANNON is Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jasoncannon@randallreilly.com.

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commercial carrier journal

| june 2020

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LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

HOS reforms include 7/3 off-duty split, skip 14-hour pause

A

federal rule to overhaul hours of service limits on truck drivers’ schedules expands split-sleeper berth options to allow drivers to split their 10-hour off-duty period into windows of seven hours and three hours, in addition to the existing eight-hour/ two-hour option, with a significant addition — the shorter period in any split off-duty period will pause the rolling on-duty clock.

The reforms also overhaul provisions around the 30-minute break requirement, allowing drivers to use the break in an on-duty not-driving status and requiring it within their first eight hours of drive time rather than their first eight hours on-duty.

The reforms allow drivers to use the 30-minute break in an on-duty notThe rule was published last month in the Federal Register, with the changes becoming effective 120 days driving status and require it within their first eight hours of drive time. after its publication, meaning drivers can begin operatthe agency deemed the seven-hour/three-hour split “suffiing under the new regulations in late September. ciently flexible” to that end, given that under the new rule, the These are the first changes to hours regulations implementshorter period in any sleeper split will stop the rolling duty ed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration since clock, unlike the current split-sleeper rules.

2013, though several provisions within that rule, such as the Also, Mullen said, concerns expressed in the public comlimits to using a 34-hour restart, ultimately were reversed by ment period last fall gave the agency pause in proceeding with Congress. the three-hour provision alone as proposed.

The coming overhaul will not change the daily 14-hour Lastly, the changes expand the exemptions for short-haul on-duty limit or the 11-hour drive-time limit. However, the drivers by extending their allowed on-duty period from 12 rule will expand the adverse driving conditions provision by hours to 14 and extending the short-haul radius from 100 air allowing drivers to extend both their drive-time limit and miles to 150. Drivers under the short-haul exemption aren’t their on-duty window by two hours if they encounter adverse required to keep records of duty status. conditions such as weather or traffic congestion. The agency Mullen announced the changes May 14 during a media call says the provision will allow drivers to either sit and wait out the conditions or drive slowly through them with more leeway and was joined by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Several industry groups, including the American Trucking for caution.

Associations, applauded the new rule.

Unlike the hours proposal issued last August by FMCSA, “No rule will satisfy everyone, even within our industry, but the final hours reforms do not include the option for drivers to this one – crafted with a tremendous amount of input and data extend their 14-hour clock by pausing it for up to three hours – is a good example of how by working with stakeholders on while off-duty. FMCSA Acting Administrator Jim Mullen said all sides, government can craft a rule that simultaneously benefits the industry, specifically drivers, and maintains highway Scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit ccjdigital.com/news/subscribe-tosafety,” said ATA Chairman Randy Guillot, president of New newsletters to sign up for the CCJ Daily Report, Orleans-based Triple G Express. “The agency should be coma daily e-mail newsletter filled with news, mended for their efforts, and we appreciate their willingness analysis, blogs and market condition articles. to listen throughout this process.”

– James Jaillet 6

commercial carrier journal

| june 2020

JOURNAL NEWS 30-MINUTE BREAK

Old rule

Drivers have to take a 30-minute break in off-duty status within their first eight on-duty hours.

New rule

Drivers can take their 30-minute break in on-duty, non-driving status within their first eight hours of drive time.

OFF-DUTY SPLITS

New rule

In addition to the 8/2 split, drivers can now use a 7/3 split. Neither shift counts against the 14-hour clock.

Matt Cole

Old rule

Drivers can break up their 10-hour off-duty period into an eight-hour/two-hour split, with the shorter split counting against the 14-hour clock.

Truckers get free meals

Randall-Reilly, parent company of CCJ, partnered with Chick-fil-A and CocaCola to provide truck drivers with a free meal, bottled water and more last month at the I-20/59 rest area near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Truckers received a boxed lunch from Chick-fil-A, bottled water donated by Coca-Cola and a care package from Randall-Reilly that included several snacks and goodies. The companies also partnered with the Alabama Department of Transportation to set up signs on the interstate to inform drivers.

ADVERSE CONDITIONS

Old rule

Drivers can add two hours to their 11-hour drive time, but not their 14-hour on-duty clock.

New rule

Drivers can add two hours to both their 11-hour drive time and their 14-hour on-duty clock, meaning 13 hours of drive time and 16 hours on duty.

SHORT-HAUL EXEMPTION

Old rule

Drivers operating within 100 air-miles of their base aren’t required to keep records of duty status and have a 12-hour on-duty limit.

New rule

Drivers operating within 150 air-miles of their base aren’t required to keep records of duty status and have a 14-hour on-duty limit.

Peterbilt Model 389 Pride & Class returns

Peterbilt’s Model 389 Pride & Class package is back and now is available to order through the truck maker’s dealerships. Introduced with a limited production run in 2014 and 2017, the package includes a polished hood crown surrounding a classic-style louvered grille sheet, a polished hood spine, chrome hood side accents and polished hood fenders. The side features polished rocker panels, bright cowl skirts, a battery box, fuel tanks and trimmed mudflaps. The exterior is finished off with a polished sun visor, a bumper, exhaust stacks and a Pride & Class emblem on the sleeper. The interior offers a Platinum Arctic Gray design, a charcoal dash top, Blackwoodfinish trim accents, premium black leather seats embroidered with the Pride & Class logo, bright gauge bezels, a special steering wheel and Pride & Class emblems on the dash and accent trim. commercial carrier journal

| june 2020 7

SPONSORED INFORMATION

Ask the Lawyer: Pandemic Version I am writing this article well into the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past month or so I have received several, questions about citations and the status of the courts.

With that in mind, I thought I would do a brief Q&A. Q: With many states’ safer-at-home orders in effect, there are fewer vehicles on the road. How is this impacting enforcement? Are they still writing tickets?

A: Because there are fewer four-wheelers on the road, you might think more CMVs are be receiving tickets. The opposite appears to be the case.

Enforcement officers are working with CDL drivers to ensure essential goods and services are delivered.

Some officers still write citations and make arrests, but their goal appears to be helping necessary goods get delivered and distributed as needed. Data shows fewer tickets are being issued and more cooperation between police and truckers. In fact, I know of a police department that has offered to deliver food to drivers stopping at the rest area outside of town.

Of course, you will still get a ticket if you are reckless and endangering others, and as more states begin to open up, more citations will be issued.

Q: When an officer writes me a ticket, do I have to sign it?

A: No, if you are willing to accept the consequences.

A traffic ticket is nothing until it becomes a conviction.

The ticket is a record of the officer’s opinion that you violated the law. It is a note to the officer to help him or her remember later in court the information gathered at the scene, such as your CDL number, name, date of birth and so forth.

A traffic ticket specifies the scheduled court date where you will be responsible for entering a plea to the ticket. At the court appearance, you can plead guilty and pay the fine; you can plead no contest and pay the fine; or you can plead not guilty and either have a hearing or set a date for a hearing.

A traffic ticket is a criminal matter, and the officer can either take you into custody or release you. When you sign a ticket, you are promising to either appear in court or resolve the matter with the court, and then you are released on your own recognizance. By signing the ticket you are not pleading guilty but are acknowledging receipt of the notice of your court date. The exception to this rule is New Mexico where the guilty plea closes the case. Make sure you do not sign on the “guilty” line in New Mexico unless you really want to be found guilty.

You are free to refuse to sign the ticket, but, depending upon your attitude, the refusal may result in the officer taking you to the police station.

In next month’s column, I will address how COVID-19 is impacting the courts and hearings.

JOURNAL NEWS

INBRIEF 6/20 • The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration waived the requirement that state driver licensing agencies post a driver’s disqualification or conviction to the driver’s record, transmit notification of the disqualification or conviction to the driver’s state of record and report a driver’s conviction to the Federal Conviction and Withdrawal Database within 10 days. Due to delays caused by COVID-19, states now have until 90 days past June 30 – the end of the effective period of the notice – to return to compliance with the 10-day rule.

• The Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association, a group for haulers of oversize and overweight freight, is seeking a five-year renewal of a waiver from the mandatory 30-minute rest break. The waiver applies to all specialized carriers and drivers responsible for hauling loads exceeding legal weight and dimensional limits that require permits.

SC&RA has held the exemption since June 2015. Go to Regulations. gov and search FMCSA_FRDOC_0001-3235.

• McKee Foods was granted renewal of a five-year waiver to allow its team drivers to split their sleeper berth time into two periods totaling 10 hours. Team drivers for the private fleet of the maker of Little Debbie and other snack foods have been able to split their 10-hour sleeper berth time into two periods as long as neither period is shorter than three hours. McKee initially was granted the waiver in 2015, and it now is effective through April 20, 2025.

• The U.S. Department of Energy is requesting a five-year renewal of a waiver that allows its contract carriers’ drivers hauling securitysensitive radioactive materials to use 30 minutes or more of attendance time to meet the hours of service rest break requirements. DOE has held the exemption since June 2015. Go to Regulations.gov and search Docket No. FMCSA-2012-0370.

• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, along with the Idaho National Laboratory, launched Commercial Routing Assistance, a free web-based app that allows truck drivers to input their starting point and destination, then plots multiple routing options and shows any restrictions in place in states along the route. The service shows which states have and don’t have a commercial driver’s license expiration extension, a CDL medical grace period, increased size and weight limits and more.

• Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Covenant Transportation Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 35) closed its Southern Refrigerated Transport (SRT) operating center and terminal in Texarkana, Arkansas. SRT operations are being relocated to Tennessee.

• DHL Supply Chain (CCJ Top 250, No. 44) announced an expanded partnership with Locus Robotics, a provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for fulfillment warehouses. DHL will deploy Locus’ AMRs at 10 additional sites this year.

• Advanced Training Systems (ATS), a designer and manufacturer of virtual simulators for driver training and other applications, is providing its Pre-Trip Training and Evaluation Software App at no charge through July 31 to not only its simulator customers but also the entire national community of commercial driver training institutions. Go to ATSTrainingSystems.com.

• Terminal Consolidation deployed an Orange EV T-Series pureelectric terminal truck to move shipping containers at its operation in Kansas City, Missouri, becoming the first fleet in the state to deploy a 100% electric Class 8 truck.

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JOURNAL NEWS

CDL testing backlog may create chokepoint for driver hiring

E

mployment in the for-hire trucking industry fell in April by 88,000 jobs due to the economic slowdown from COVID-19. While the driver shortage is erased temporarily, a chokepoint in licensing and training new drivers at present could have negative consequences in the near future.

Commercial driver’s licensing (CDL) schools were ordered closed by state governments in March, as were their Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) agencies, as part of various shelter-inplace rules.

The Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA), together with trucking and transportation company leaders, sent a letter to the National Governors Association asking states to list CDL schools and DMVs as essential services. CVTA represents nearly 200 schools in 42 states that collectively graduate 50,000 entry-level commercial drivers annually.

Some states have not reopened their

DMVs to issue commercial learner’s permits (CLPs), hold written tests and conduct CDL skills exams for student drivers. States that have opened are not operating their DMVs at full capacity, said Don Lefeve, president and chief executive officer for CVTA. Lefeve estimates between 25,000 and 40,000 CDL students either can’t get a CLP or have one but are waiting to complete the written exam or skills test in their home states.

“We need to maintain a pipeline of drivers,” he said. “Right now, driver shortages are virtually wiped out in the short term, but we also don’t produce drivers overnight. It takes two to three months to produce a safe driver to go through school, get a CDL and then go to work for a carrier in training for an additional month or two.”

Currently, 24 states do not allow private schools to become third-party CDL testers. CVTA has appealed to state governors to grant authority to schools

CDL training has been put on hold during the COVID-19 crisis.

and the U.S. Department of Transportation if necessary.

Proposing DOT be granted authority to issue CLPs and CDLs – or to give CDL schools the same right – is, Lefeve said, a “break glass in case of emergency” proposition to ensure that at least a modest pipeline of drivers are getting trained.

Lefeve predicts that a backlog of CDL testing will grow as states open up. Once the economy picks up momentum and motor carriers ramp up their hiring, the negative impacts of the chokepoint on CDL testing could be felt by the end of the year and into 2021, he said.

– Aaron Huff

Operation Safe Driver Week set for July 12-18

L

aw enforcement will be paying closer attention to unsafe driving behaviors of both truck and car drivers July 12-18 as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Operation Safe Driver Week.

CVSA said less traffic on the roads due to COVID-19 may be encouraging some drivers to ignore traffic safety laws, including speed limits. The alliance said a number of jurisdictions have seen “a severe spike in speeding” during the pandemic.

To address that trend, CVSA has selected speeding as the focus area for Operation Safe Driver Week.

“It’s essential that this enforcement 10

commercial carrier journal

initiative, which focuses on identifying and deterring unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding, go on as scheduled,” said CVSA President Sgt. John Samis with the Delaware State Police. “As passenger vehicle drivers are limiting their travel to necessary trips CVSA has selected speeding as the focus area for this and many commercial motor year’s Operation Safe Driver Week, set for July 12-18. vehicle drivers are busy transporting vital goods to stores, it’s more important than ever to monitor following too closely, improper lane our roadways for safe transport.” change, reckless or aggressive driving, In addition to the focus on speedfailure to obey traffic control devices, ing, law enforcement also will checkevidence of impaired driving and more. ing for distracted driving, seatbelt use, – CCJ Staff

| june 2020

JOURNAL NEWS

Rule would clarify how states use Clearinghouse

A

proposed rule by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would prohibit states from issuing, renewing, upgrading or transferring a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit to drivers who have violated drug and alcohol regulations.

The notice of proposed rulemaking published April 28 in the Federal Register lays the groundwork for how state driver’s licensing agencies (SDLAs) can use information from the CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. FMCSA delayed this portion of the Clearinghouse rule last December to give it more time to develop the process for how states will receive and use the information.

One provision of the proposed rule requires states to query the database for any CDL or CLP transaction – including a renewal, adding an endorsement and more – and prohibits states from allowing the transaction if the driver has a violation reported to the Clearinghouse, resulting in a non-issuance. Drivers whose licensing transaction is denied then would be required to complete

FMCSA’s return-to-duty requirements and reapply for the license.

For another provision, FMCSA provided two alternative methods for how states could enforce the drug and alcohol driving prohibition for existing CDL holders who have a violation appear in the Clearinghouse.

The first suggestion, which FMCSA said it favors, is a “mandatory downgrade” that would require SDLAs to remove the CLP or CDL privilege of any driver after receiving a notification from the Clearinghouse that a driver is prohibited from driving.

The other alternative would allow, but not require, SDLAs to receive notifications from the Clearinghouse when CMV drivers are prohibited from driving due to drug or alcohol testing violations.

States then would determine whether, and how, to use the information to enhance enforcement, such as making a driver’s “prohibited” status more accessible to roadside officers or using the information to take action on the license.

The proposal also includes a provision

The proposed rulemaking lays the groundwork for how states can use information from the CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

that no longer allows drivers to request removal of an employer’s actual knowledge report from the Clearinghouse if a DUI citation did not result in a conviction. Instead, drivers who are not convicted can request that FMCSA add documentary evidence of non-conviction to their Clearinghouse record, which would be available to employers who query the database.

To comment before the June 29 deadline and to view previous comments, go to Regulations.gov and search Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0330-0002.

– Matt Cole

FMCSA launches CSA crash review program

T

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it is fully launching its Crash Preventability Determination Program that allows carriers to submit crashes to the agency for review to potentially have them removed from their Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) scores.

Under the program, carriers can submit a request for data review (RDR) through FMCSA’s DataQs website (dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov) with supporting documentation – such as police reports, dashcam videos, insurance reports and other evidence – to have the crash removed if it is deemed nonpreventable.

FMCSA will review the following crash types that occurred on or after Aug. 1, 2019: • When a truck was struck in the rear.

• When a truck is hit by a motorist going the wrong direction or making a U-turn or illegal turn.

• When a truck is hit while legally stopped or parked.

• When a truck is hit by a driver under the influence.

• When a truck is hit by a driver who fell asleep, was distracted or had a medical issue.

• When a truck is hit by cargo, equipment or debris.

• When a truck hits an animal.

Carriers can submit a request through FMCSA’s DataQs website with supporting documentation to have a crash removed from the carrier’s CSA score.

• When a truck hits an individual attempting suicide.

– CCJ Staff commercial carrier journal

| june 2020 11

JOURNAL NEWS

Industry groups seek suspension of FET on new heavy-duty trucks, trailers

T

he American Truck Dealers (ATD) in late April led a letter to congressional leaders urging suspension of the federal excise tax (FET) on new heavy-duty trucks and trailers through 2021. ATD, a division of the National Automobile Dealers Association, was joined by 116 other organizations requesting that Congress suspend the FET in the next COVID-19 economic recovery legislation.

The World War I-era fee has grown from 3% to 12% since it was instituted in 1917 and adds between $12,000 and $22,000 to the cost of a new truck. The tax has been under fire for several years but has failed to get enough congressional support to repeal it despite continued lobbying efforts by the trucking industry.

Industry leaders in late April revived their efforts to suspend the FET because weakened truck demand compounded by the coronavirus pandemic is expected to suppress U.S. truck sales by 50% this year, partly due to closures of truck manufacturing facilities and dealerships, some of them government-ordered.

“Like our customers across the economy, the trucking industry is suffering during this coronavirus crisis and

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| june 2020

shutdown,” said Chris Spear, president and chief executive officer for the American Trucking Associations. “Truckers aren’t Trucking industry looking for a bailout as they keep America leaders have moving during these challenging times and united in support prepare for our eventual recovery, but a tax of suspending the FET because of holiday on the antiquated federal excise weakened truck demand due to tax would be good medicine to help with COVID-19. liquidity and to stimulate the purchase of newer, safer trucks and trailers.”

All members of the Modernize the Truck Fleet (MTF) Coalition, a coalition of trucking industry stakeholders led by ATD, signed the letter. According to the groups, because heavy-duty trucks and trailers are nearly entirely made in North America, suspension of the FET would help save heavy-duty manufacturing, dealership and supplier jobs.

“The trucking industry solidly supports the suspension of the FET to spur sales of newer, cleaner trucks and help support and bolster the jobs of the 7.8 million Americans employed in – CCJ Staff trucking,” said Steve Bassett, ATD chairman.

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JOURNAL NEWS

NHTSA: Truck fatalities up in 2019 while overall traffic deaths down

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arly estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggested a slight decline in traffic fatalities across the country in 2019 despite a projected rise in truck-involved crash fatalities. If NHTSA’s estimates hold true, 2019 would be the third consecutive year with declining highway fatalities.

NHTSA’s projection showed an estimated 36,120 people were killed in crashes in 2019, down about 1.2% from the 36,560 fatalities reported in 2018. Fatalities in crashes involving at least one large truck were projected to have increased by 1%.

The agency’s preliminary numbers showed a decrease in fatalities in all 10 regions across the country except the Southeast (which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee), which saw a 2% increase. New England saw the biggest year-over-year decline in fatalities at 8%.

NHTSA did not release specific numbers to show how many people were killed in different crash types. The agency plans to release its full 2019 numbers later this year.

– CCJ Staff

2020 GATS canceled amid COVID-19

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andall-Reilly, parent company of CCJ, Overdrive and Truckers News, canceled this year’s Great American Trucking Show, scheduled for Aug. 27- The decision to 29. The company said the decision was cancel GATS this year was made to made to protect the health and wellprotect the health being of attendees, exhibitors and staff and well-being of attendees, during COVID-19. exhibitors and staff “This pandemic has underscored during COVID-19. how critical the industry and drivers are to the well-being of America,” Randall-Reilly said. “The fleets, owner-operators and drivers are what’s kept the flow of food and other goods in stores and homes. We are thankful to you, proud of you and will keep you posted on what’s next for GATS so we can celebrate you at a future event.”

Since its inception, GATS has grown to become one of the leading trade shows for drivers and fleets in the trucking industry. Randall-Reilly is evaluating how to handle programs that were scheduled at GATS, with some tentatively planned to be held in an online virtual format.

– CCJ Staff

Comcar selling off carriers amid bankruptcy filing

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omcar Industries (CCJ Top 250, No. 98), the parent company of four fleets and a truck repair shop, announced May 17 it is selling the five companies and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

As a result of separate agreements, flatbed fleet CT Transportation will be sold to PS Logistics; liquid chemical hauler CTL Transportation will be sold to Service Transport; and reefer and dry van fleet MCT Transportation will be sold to White Willow Holdings. The company also has entered into a letter of intent for the sales of bulk carrier CCC Transportation and CTTS Repair.

According to CCJ Top 250 data, Comcar’s subsidiaries owned 1,056 tractors 14

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and leased 172 tractors, along with owning 2,041 trailers. The company also employed about 1,260 truck drivers.

Specifics on what led the Auburndale, Florida-based company to sell off its assets and file for bankruptcy are unclear.

However, Comcar said in a press release it had worked to find a way to “reduce our debt, enhance our liquidity and best position all Comcar holdings for the future” and “determined that a sale of all companies would be the best path forward to maximize their value.”

Comcar said it plans to continue conducting business as usual on a day-today basis during the bankruptcy process.

“We are proud that we have found excellent future owners, as each division

| june 2020

Comcar’s subsidiaries own 1,056 tractors and lease 172 tractors, along with owning 2,041 trailers.

is being purchased and will be managed by strong and reputable operators upon their respective sales,” the company said.

“Further, this process will allow our companies to continue operating in the ordinary course of business while the sales process for each one continues,” Comcar said. “We believe this will best maintain opportunities for our people, continue to serve our customers and maintain vendor relationships.”

– CCJ Staff

JOURNAL NEWS

DOT funds $7.5M project for automated fleet driving systems

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four-year study, led by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) in partnership with a 16-member team, is seeking to provide the trucking industry, regulators and the general public with practical guidelines for safely integrating automated driving systems into current fleets.

The research is funded by a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Additional funding is being provided by the Virginia DOT and cost share from the project team members.

“The introduction of automation into heavy trucks is expected to have a profound effect,” said Richard Hanowski, director for VTTI’s Center for Truck and Bus Safety. “However, it is still unclear how these vehicles should best be integrated into fleet operations with conventional trucks. This generous grant from the Department of Transportation will enable VTTI and our partners to produce critical data to help guide rulemaking and fleet operations.”

The plan will include best practices for technology deployment, driver training, installation and maintenance, inspection procedures, insurance, roadway readiness, data and cybersecurity for automated driving systems.

Penske Transportation Solutions is the lead maintenance and vehicle supplier for the program. The company’s truck leasing and logistics business units will help spec the vehicles, define best practices for installing and maintaining automated driving systems and perform road tests in a delivery setting.

“We are excited to help identify and solve some of the challenges of deploying automated commercial trucks within a fleet setting,” said Sherry Sanger, executive vice president of marketing for Penske Transportation Solutions.

Pronto, a developer of self-driving truck technology, will retrofit its system into existing heavy vehicles to support the research. Common driving situations will be tested using an evolutionary phased approach, resulting in a critical review of the extent to which the theoretical safety benefits of automation can be captured in practical real-life trucking operations.

“Rather than building systems to replace drivers or attempting to ‘disrupt’ and compete with established trucking fleets and manufacturers, we think all stakeholders working together will result in new and meaningful solutions to bring more safety and comfort to the truck driving experience,” said Robbie Miller, chief executive officer for Pronto.

A primary objective of the study is to show how automated driving systems can be implemented in a safe, reliable, repeatable and commercially viable manner. As such, the team intends to demonstrate a realistic “mixed-fleet” approach and generate data of practical importance to the trucking industry, regulators and the public at large.

“Hub Group is committed to advancing technologies that make our roads safer, benefit our customers and reduce our impact on the environment,” said Phil Yeager, president and chief operating officer for Hub Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 22), a $4 billion supply chain solutions provider and one of only two trucking companies on the VTTI project team.

– CCJ Staff

PRONTO SEEKS HOS EXEMPTION FOR USING ITS SELF-DRIVING TECH Pronto, a developer of self-driving truck technology, has asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to allow its motor carrier customers to drive up to 13 hours of a 15-hour period following 10 consecutive hours off-duty.

The waiver, if granted, would apply to carriers using trucks equipped with Pronto’s Copilot advanced driver assistance system, the SmartDrive Video Safety Program and certain The waiver, if granted, would apply to carriers using trucks equipped with Pronto’s Copilot other safeguards. advanced driver assistance system.

“This unique exemption promotes a significant improvement in the safe operation of CMVs on the highways,” Pronto said in its request. “It requests additional driving and duty-period hours for drivers of vehicles equipped with advanced technologies that greatly mitigate the risks of driver distraction and inattentiveness and assist the driver in maintaining safe operations.”

The company said it believes the request doesn’t contribute to cumulative fatigue “because it does not request exemption from required rest breaks, the requirement for 10 hours off duty between duty periods, or the 60/70 hour rule.”

To view comments, go to Regulations.gov and search Docket No. FMCSA-2020-0116-0002.

– CCJ Staff

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PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS

Unseen and overlooked Cabin air filters an oft-neglected maintenance item

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ore than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and allergies are the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness in the United States, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Yet despite being the last line of defense between the driver and airborne particles, a truck’s cabin air filters routinely go unchecked.

“Cabin air filters are probably the most overlooked filter on a vehicle today,” said Joe Puff, vice president of

WANT MORE EQUIPMENT NEWS? Scan the barcode to receive the CCJ Equipment Weekly or go to ccjdigital.com/news/subscribe-tonewsletters 16

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truck technology and maintenance for NationaLease. “Drivers spend a lot of time in vehicles, and these filters can greatly reduce contaminants that otherwise would be inhaled. A driver that suffers with allergies can benefit considerably with a clean cab filter.”

Cabin air filters perform a role much like that of the filter in a home HVAC system, capturing allergens, pollen, dirt, dust, molds and some bacteria before they reach the cab. “It also can help remove emissions particulate matter, like soot,” Puff said, “basically helping to scrub the air in the cabin.”

Chris Alley, Cummins Filtration’s global product manager – air, said the initial baseline for changing a cabin air filter is in accordance with the vehicle’s recommended OE service interval, but if that isn’t specified or known, “it is a good practice to change the cabin air filter when the engine intake air filter is changed or in alignment with other service intervals.”

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Rick Bell, field maintenance manager for Ryder, recommended checking cabin air filters at every service interval and replacing them as needed, usually twice per year.

“There are a lot of people who recommend replacing cabin filters in the beginning of spring because of high dust, pollen and allergen counts in the air,” Puff said. “If cabin air filters are scheduled for replacement annually, I prefer to schedule the replacement in late spring or the beginning of summer.”

That’s because if the filter is replaced before the pollen count rises, the driver could have a clean filter for the beginning of pollen season but operate the other 10 months with a partially restricted one. If it’s replaced after pollen season, the unit will operate about nine months with a pollen-free filter before it starts collecting it the following season, Puff said.

The duty cycle and the environment

in which the truck operates – such as offhighway versus on-highway – also can play a role in the replacement cycle, Alley said. “If the air is fairly clean, the life can be extended,” he said. “If there are many air particles, then the interval should be reduced.”

Matthew Copot, vice president of maintenance for Transervice Logistics, said clogged filters that restrict airflow and hinder HVAC performance eventually can cause damage.

“If there is an excess of pressure across the filter, it can cause early damage and wear to the air-moving unit and components as the restriction increases,” Alley said. “If the restriction increases significantly, without a change, the seal can be compromised, and particles can go downstream past the filter.

If this happens, it can further damage fans, motors and valves inside the clean air delivery pathways, as well as deliver unwanted particles to the operator cabin.”

Clogged filters restrict airflow across the evaporator, causing the HVAC unit’s performance to suffer.

“Another advantage of replacing the filter in late spring is the filter will start the summer months with a restriction-free filter, allowing more airflow across the coils,” Puff added. “Less airflow is less heat transfer when the air conditioning system is working the hardest.”

At less than 100% HVAC capacity, drivers might find it difficult to cool the cab.

Whenever a driver notes on an inspection report that their air conditioner isn’t cooling as it should, the cabin air filter should be the first thing a technician checks, Bell said.

“Always start with the simplest thing, and the simplest thing is the filter,” he said.

Alley said other signs that the cabin air filter needs replacing include unpleasant smells, hissing sounds when at a high fan speed and particles coming out of the air vents.

“If the cab air filter is ignored, it will become clogged with particles that it has captured,” Copot said. “That will lead to unpleasant odors in the cab, whether the HVAC system is being used or not.”

– Jason Cannon

Daimler Truck AG, Volvo Group announce fuel-cell partnership

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aimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group in late April announced that the companies – two of the world’s largest commercial truck manufacturers – are establishing a joint venture Daimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group charged with the developare establishing a joint venture to ment, production and comdevelop fuel-cell systems for heavy-duty mercialization of fuel-cell vehicle applications. systems for heavy-duty venture’s scope. vehicle applications and other use “Electrification of road transcases. port is a key element in deliverUnder the agreement, Daimler ing the so-called Green Deal, a will consolidate its current fuelcarbon-neutral Europe and, ulticell activities in the joint venture, mately, a carbon-neutral world,” and the Volvo Group will acquire said Martin Lundstedt, president 50% in the joint venture for more than $650 million. The companies and chief executive officer for Volvo Group. “Using hydrogen will be equal partners in the joint as a carrier of green electricity to venture, which will operate as an power electric trucks in long-haul independent and autonomous entity, and Daimler Truck AG and operations is one important part of the puzzle and a complement the Volvo Group will continue to battery-electric vehicles and to compete in all other areas of renewable fuels.” business.

The joint venture will include Martin Daum, chairman for the operations in Nabern, GermaDaimler Truck AG and member ny, headquarters of the Mercedesof the board of management for Benz Fuel Cell, with production Daimler AG, called the partnerfacilities in Germany and Canada. ship “a milestone in bringing “Combining the Volvo Group fuel-cell-powered trucks and and Daimler’s experience in this buses onto our roads.” He said area to accelerate the rate of develfuel cells were an important step opment is good both for our cusin carbon-neutral transportation tomers and for society as a whole,” “and a technology where Daimler Lundstedt said. “By forming this has built up significant experjoint venture, we are clearly showtise through its Mercedes-Benz ing that we believe in hydrogen fuel-cell unit over the last two fuel cells for commercial vehicles. decades.”

But for this vision to become realThrough the partnership, both ity, other companies and institucompanies plan to offer heavytions also need to support and duty vehicles with fuel cells for contribute to this development, long-haul applications in the not least in order to establish the second half of the decade. Other fuel infrastructure needed.” automotive and nonautomotive – Jason Cannon use cases also are part of the joint commercial carrier journal

| june 2020 17

Navistar addresses potential A26 engine woes

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avistar last month filed notice with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning a defective or noncompliant component on its 12-liter A26 engine, which could result in complete engine failure in nearly 4,500 affected trucks in the United States.

Navistar’s number for this recall is 20504, and it affects 2,685 model-year 2018-20 LT Series and 1,814 model-year 2019-20 RH Series equipped with A26 engines with build dates for LT Series from Feb. 12, 2018, through June 10, 2019, and for RH Series from Feb. 10, 2018, through June 6, 2019.

Mark Reiter, vice president of service for Navistar, said the company began to see premature failures with the engine late last year and found the root cause to be related to supplier quality in a rod that connects the piston to the crankshaft.

The investigation was prompted in September 2019 by a carrier that suffered five A26 engine failures over a two-month period.

“The supplier had two machines [producing connecting rods],” Reiter said. “One made them fine. One produced rods that floated in and out of spec.”

According to the defect report, the bushing material in the small end bore (wrist pin of the rod) of the connecting rod on the affected engines was machined outside the design tolerance for straightness and over time may develop cracks or lose

chunks of bushing material and could lead to connecting rod engine failure.

There have not been any injures reported as a result of the defect.

Some drivers said the engine began to knock, while others reported the Navistar’s A26 truck showed visible signs of distress, engine was including rough idle. Most were introduced three years ago as the able to limp to a dealer, while others Lisle, Illinois-based needed a tow after pulling the truck truck maker retired off the road. Three drivers reported its 13-liter N Series.

Nearly 23,500 of sudden failure that left them stalled the MAN-based in traffic. engines have been Reiter said part of the fix will be built in Huntsville, providing advance notice to the driver Alabama. of when a failure is about to occur via the truck’s instrument cluster. With an expected failure rate of only about 13% across the 4,499 potentially affected trucks – about 600 units – a sweeping fix would “create a lot of unnecessary downtime,” he said.

Navistar has pledged to outright replace any engines that exhibit the signs of the potential defect, which the company estimates will number about 600 units.

– Jason Cannon

Cummins demos cylinder deactivation tech for X15

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he prospect of cylinder deactivation in diesel engines advanced last month as Cummins and propulsion software company Tula Technology announced a successful demonstration of diesel Dynamic Skip Fire (dDSF) in a Cummins Efficiency Series X15 engine.

With cylinder deactivation, some cylinders get no fuel when full power isn’t required. The technology is used by some automakers to help improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.

Silicon Valley-based Tula has seen its dDSF software controls go to work in gasoline engines, including late-model Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. GM reports the systems can improve fuel efficiency by as much as 15%.

But with heavy-duty truck fleets interested in more than just fuel savings, diesel has been more challenging for cylinder deactivation technology. That’s where Cummins believes dDSF, through its ability to also lower emissions in larger diesel engines, holds great potential.

“The primary objective has been to evaluate what we will be able to bring to future emissions legislation,” said Lisa Farrell, director of advanced system integration for Cummins. “This 18

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| june 2020

technology really shines, because it improves the temperature, improves the aftertreatment NOx conversion and also simultaneously gives you a fuel economy benefit.”

Tula’s proprietary software control algorithms manage carefully meaCummins and Tula sured and timed doses of fuel and air began working on diesel cylinder mixtures and control precise intake deactivation for and exhaust valve closings that can Cummins’ X15 shut down unneeded cylinders to save engine in early 2019. fuel and increase exhaust temperatures in low-load conditions, which burns off more NOx. The technology also achieves CO2 reductions through improvements in combustion and reductions in pumping work.

Tula said dDSF simulations show 4% reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 while realizing NOx reductions of up to 11%.

– Tom Quimby

Tesla Semi delivery delayed for second time

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roduction on Tesla’s long-awaited electric commercial Class 8 truck has been delayed for the Tesla said in its April 28 earnings report that it second time since its November 2017 unveiling. was “shifting our first The electric carmaker’s April 28 earnings report Semi deliveries to 2021.” contained mostly positive news unless you’re a Semi reservation holder. Tesla said in its report that as it prepares for production on its Model 3 and new consumer crossover Model Y, it was “shifting our first Semi deliveries to 2021.”

When the zero-emissions tractor was unveiled in Hawthorne, California – the home of Tesla Motors’ design center and company founder Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket factory – production was penciled in for 2019, and orders began to trickle in from UPS, FedEx, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch, J.B. Hunt and Walmart, among others.

In late April 2019, Tesla delayed plans to begin production of its electric Class 8 to 2020. Formal updates on the company’s 300- to 500-mile-range truck have been scarce as its consumer products dominate headlines and production – Jason Cannon capacity.

Stertil-Koni launches heavy-duty Shop Equipment initiative

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tertil-Koni, a manufacturer of heavy-duty bus and truck lifts, launched a Shop Equipment initiative to broaden the company’s product offerings in support of large-scale vehicle service and repair facilities across the United States and Canada.

Product offerings that “Our customers are increasingly turning to StertilKoni to address an even greater range of maintenance are part of StertilKoni’s portfolio include needs,” said Dr. Jean DellAmore, president of Stertilwheel dollies, specialty Koni, which serves trucking fleets, municipalities, platforms, pit jacks and air-over hydraulic jacks. state agencies, corporate fleets, the U.S. military and other sectors. “That is precisely why we are expanding our efforts to engineer and deliver world-class heavy-duty Shop Equipment that can be used in conjunction with our lifting systems, all designed to boost safety, efficiency and productivity for the busy technician on the shop floor.”

Product offerings that are part of Stertil-Koni’s portfolio include transmission jacks, wheel dollies, specialty platforms, pit jacks, waste oil containment and airover hydraulic jacks.

“Beyond our established equipment offerings, we are also focusing on broadening our product range to include engineered applications uniquely designed for larger customers and OEMs,” said Carl Boyer, Shop Equipment specialist for Stertil-Koni, who is spearheading the initiative.

DellAmore said the Shop Equipment initiative will be supported by after-sales – CCJ Staff service from Stertil-Koni’s factory-trained local distributors.

INBRIEF • Double Coin/CMA truck and bus radial (TBR) tires now are available at Love’s Truck Care and Speedco locations nationwide.

• Penske Used Trucks launched its updated PenskeUsedTrucks.com website that features a responsive, adaptive design using a digital platform to help make shopping for, buying and financing a used truck online easier.

• Phillips Industries opened scheduling for multiple virtual training modules covering product, installation and maintenance information and procedures for its electrical and air brake system components and EZTrac GPS tracking products. Go to phillipsind.com/ resources/virtual-training.

• Aperia Technologies Inc., a supplier of tire management technologies designed to improve the safety and efficiency of commercial tractors and trailers, introduced a virtual training and support platform for fleets. Go to AperiaTech.com/training.

• Blackburn Energy Inc. secured additional funding to fuel growth through sales of its RelGen product, a proprietary battery charging system designed to save fuel, improve truck uptime and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Mckinney Trailer Rentals, a provider of over-the-road trailer rentals and leases, opened a new branch in Salt Lake City.

• Boss Truck Shop opened a new full-service truck repair, maintenance and tire shop in Ardmore, Okla. The new shop also offers roadside assistance services and is connected to the Boss Truck Shop network and dedicated 24/7 call center. The Ardmore location brings the total number of Boss Truck Shop locations to 47 in 23 states.

• Raybestos now offers free training resources for repair professionals, including how-to videos, technical bulletins, breaking news and technical tips. With more than 75 videos available, technicians can watch brief how-to sessions with Raybestos trainers on a wide variety of topics at BrakePartsInc.com/ raybestos/how-to-videos.

• Independent Truck Repair Group (iTRG) is offering free access to its membership platform through August. The platform features services to help diesel repair shops improve their bottom line, including online technical training, a national parts and rebate program and the Tech Talk support hotline.

Go to IndTRG.com and use access code 2020Membership to join. commercial carrier journal

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INBRIEF • Truck technicians whose ASE certification was set to expire June 30 got a reprieve through Dec. 31 due to COVID-19. Certification credentials from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence normally are valid for five years and have an expiration date of either June 30 or Dec. 31 depending on when the certification was earned.

• Peterbilt launched Peterbilt.tech, a website to help individuals interested in a career as a service technician at one of the truck maker’s 400-plus dealer locations. Interested technicians can learn about technologies used in Peterbilt trucks, apply to the Peterbilt Technician Institute and search and apply for open service positions.

• Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks launched free access to e-learning courses for high school and secondary technical education students interested in becoming diesel technicians. Through July 30, students can access Technical Education Support (TES) online training and resources for engines, transmissions, vendor components and more.

• Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks encouraged truck owners to use each the OEMs’ online parts stores, Volvo Select Part Store and Mack Select Part Store, during COVID-19 to order parts without having to visit a dealership to pick them up.

• Kenworth now offers a fixed radiator-mounted grille for its T880S equipped with a set-forward front axle and a 114-inch BBC short hood.

The option allows the hood to be opened in applications where equipment is mounted to the front of the T880S. • Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. extended its Commercial Tire Solution to carriers of all sizes through Convoy’s Digital Freight Network.

Carriers that use Convoy’s freight-matching service now have access to Goodyear’s full commercial tire portfolio, including online discounts, FleetHQ 24/7 emergency roadside assistance and the tire maker’s service location network.

• Weather Guard added 10 new models to its Custom Van Configurator, an interactive online tool designed to allow customers to build virtual custom van upfits with storage modules, bulkheads and other organizational accessories.

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DTNA, Platform Science team for advanced on-vehicle software

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Platform Science, which received an investment from Daimler Truck AG, develops on-vehicle mobile applications for advanced fleet management software.

aimler Trucks North America (DTNA) last month announced a partnership with Platform Science that will enable fleets to purchase and install third-party telematics offerings and connectivity services without the need of aftermarket hardware. Daimler Truck AG also made an investment in Platform Science, a developer of on-vehicle mobile applications for advanced fleet management software.

Built-in telematics hardware from DTNA will be available from the factory with Platform Science software. Drivers will use an authorized mobile device to log into the vehicles’ DTNA onboard telematics system.

Sanjiv Khurana, general manager of digital vehicle solutions for DTNA, said by leveraging Platform Science’s transportation-specific Mobile Device Management, customers will be able to choose the telematics products that fit their mixed fleet needs and integrate them into their trucks.

The partnership initially will provide electronic logging, workflow, driver inspection, navigation and other fleet management-specific apps, offering customers choice and control of all their on-vehicle mobile technologies. Jack Kennedy, founder and chief executive officer for Platform Science, said the service ultimately aims to deliver apps from a wide range of software providers, all available on a single telematics-enabled platform.

DTNA vehicles installed with Platform Science will begin rolling out in enter– Jason Cannon prise fleets in 2021.

Bollinger eyes 2021 debut for its Class 3 truck

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ollinger Motors, a U.S.-based company headquartered near Detroit, last month announced Bollinger Motors’ Class plans to produce and sell the first Class 3 all-electric 3 electric commercial truck platform, the chassis-cab truck platform.

B2CC (B2 Chassis The Bollinger B2CC (B2 Chassis Cab) will be built Cab), is designed for a on the company’s patent-pending E-Chassis all-wheelvariety of commercial applications. drive base and will be available in 2- and 4-door cab configurations and in multiple wheelbase lengths.

Powered by a 120-kWh battery pack, the dual-motor truck will boast a 5,000-lb. payload capacity, said Robert Bollinger, the company’s chief executive officer.

Other features include hydraulic anti-lock power brakes (ABS), electronic traction control, electronic stability control, hydraulic power steering, a hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension, an independent front and rear suspension, a 10-kilowatt onboard charger/inverter, complete power system controls configurable to the vehicle’s application and an integrated thermal-management system.

Bollinger expects the B2CC to be available to commercial outfitters late next year in both full and cutaway cab.

– Jason Cannon

Š 2020 Penske. All Rights Reserved.

We deliver confidence. We deliver it by the truckload, because we know companies can’t thrive without it. Penske is built around helping your day-to-day operations run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Our truck rental, leasing, contract maintenance and logistics solutions will help you carry the load so you can focus on your core business. Learn more at gopenske.com.

in focus: ENGINE OIL TREATMENTS

Don’t add too many additives

Use of treatments a delicate balance of performance, protection

BY JASON CANNON

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ftermarket additives are a popular off-the-shelf item at truck stops and parts counters, but many of the necessary additives already are formulated in the diesel engine oils directly from the supplier.

“Engine oil absolutely has to have additives in it,” said Stede Granger, technical services manager for Shell Lubricants. Granger said engine oil basically consists of two components: the base lubricant stock and all the additives that support it.

“Engine oils are probably the most complicated, the most balanced and typically have the most additives of any of the oils we make,” he said. “Oil manufacturers spend millions of dollars to develop the right additive package.”

Engine oil is produced with one intention – to reduce friction – and Rob Howes II, executive vice president for Howes Products, said this is accomplished through the use of several common ingredients, including zinc, calcium, phosphorous and sulfur.

Howes said if an aftermarket oil additive is used, it is important that it contain these base ingredients. “Otherwise, by swapping the additive in for a quart or gallon of your conventional oil, you are effectively degrading the oil,” he said. “On the other hand, overuse of these ingredients, while great for the performance of the oil, can cause other problems, such as harming emissions systems or excess pollution.”

Darryl Purificati, OEM technical liaison for Petro-Canada Lubricants, said the additive package of a heavyduty engine oil makes up approximately 10-20% of the lubricant itself and is balanced to meet OEM requirements while 22

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optimizing the engine oil’s performance.

“The balance of the lubricant formulation is critical, with chemicals combined in specific quantities to ensure that the oil protects the engine and enhances its performance,” Purificati said.

Not all oil additives are made equal, and Howes said not all engine oil additives are effective, adding that some oil additives actually can reduce the oil’s performance if not formulated correctly.

Certain aftermarket additives advertise an increased ability to protect or clean engine parts, but Granger said more of a given additive isn’t always better, as it can impact performance in other areas.

“There’s a lot of different functions of the engine oil,” he said. “The problem is getting a very balanced formulation, because more of one additive can actually make things worse rather than better. It could negate the performance of the oil.”

For example, an overtreatment of an anti-wear additive could lead to an increase in deposit performance, said James Booth, commercial sector manager for Chevron Delo.

“We have recently drawn people’s attention to the ash content in engine oils and the impact on DPF [diesel particulate filter] clogging,” Booth said.

“A number of these supplemental oil additives contain metallic additives, which will take your engine oil over the 1% API CK-4 limit and result in a faster rate of DPF clogging. Adding top-up additives isn’t like mixing Red Bull and vodka. It risks being more like adding Tabasco to your ghost pepper wings.”

Friction modifiers, detergents and dispersants all help to keep the oil and metal surfaces clean, but Howes said balance is key. “Too little can reduce the

| june 2020

Engine oil is produced with one intention – to reduce friction – and this is accomplished through the use of several common ingredients.

effectiveness of the oil, and too much can overwhelm the oil, rendering the beneficial additives already found in oil ineffective,” he said.

Additives included by oil manufacturers target specific areas such as oxidation resistance or anti-foaming agents, among many other things, while complementing the anti-wear and extended-life properties in other areas.

The addition of a generic all-in-one aftermarket additive “would be like a doctor prescribing the same medication to all of his patients, no matter what their ailment,” said Jami Melani, field engineering/heavy-duty technical services manager for BP/Castrol.

Oil additives can improve any oil, Howes said, but the lower the quality of the base engine oil, the more improvement truck owners will see.

“You will see the greatest improvement when using a conventional engine oil treated with a quality oil additive,” he said. “When you look at the highestquality synthetic oils, better ingredients and more additives are used by OEMs. So while you will still see a benefit from a quality engine oil additive, you will not see quite as vast of an improvement as when used with a conventional oil.”

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technology

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

Working around COVID-19

Fleets go digital to hire, train drivers during pandemic

I

n mid-March, transportation companies in North America had to adjust quickly to shelter-in-place rules enacted by governments to limit the spread of COVID-19.

As an essential business, they could operate as normal, but most took proactive measures to restrict in-person contact in the office and with drivers.

Being able to hire and onboard drivers remotely became a critical need, along Trailiner has driver recruits complete orientation training remotely and dispatches them on their first load on the day they arrive at its office in Springfield, Missouri. with finding ways to be more efficient in a tough economy. collection of more than 400 learning modules called Luma The coronavirus pandemic has increased demand for technology that can digitize the driver hiring and training process. eNuggets that cover relevant safety, compliance and orientation topics.

New driver hires can finish Trailiner’s orientation training in Removing the touch points Last October, refrigerated truckload carrier Trailiner began us- about six hours from the comfort of their own homes. When they come to the office, they are dispatched on their first load ing DriverReach for recruiting and compliance management after a tour of the facility, said Anthony Meloy, training and in tandem with Luma Brighter Learning’s online learning recruiting manager for Trailiner. management system (LMS).

Kottke Trucking, a Buffalo Lake, Minnesota-based dry van Trailiner, which operates 125 trucks, previously brought and refrigerated carrier with 225 drivers, has been using the new driver hires to its office in Springfield, Missouri, to fill Luma training platform since last summer. To streamline the out employment forms and complete two days of orientation flow of driver recruiting, hiring and orientation, the company training in person.

With the integrated platforms, drivers complete an online added DriverReach in March.

After Kottke drivers complete an orientation training job application in DriverReach, and as soon as a hiring decipacket from the Luma system, they are scheduled for a remote sion is made, driver names, addresses, license numbers and orientation training meeting using LumaLive, a secure video other information auto-populate digital employment and conferencing tool included in Luma’s LMS. policy forms in Luma’s LMS. The live training meeting lasts about eight hours total and After saving time completing the forms online, new driver is split over two days. During the LumaLive session, Brenda hires receive an orientation packet from the Luma platform Kraft, vice president of human resources for Kottke, reviews as part of an automated workflow. The LMS comes with a policies from the fleet’s digital driver handbook on the screen.

Drivers also meet with fleet administrators in payroll, operaINTERESTED IN TRUCKING tions and other departments.

TECHNOLOGY? “Drivers are our top priority, and this is something we’ve Go to ccjdigital.com/news/subscribe-to-newsletters done to help ease them into a new work environment,” Kraft to subscribe to the CCJ Technology Weekly e-mail said. “It is always a plus to be able to put a face to a name.” newsletter.

In April, Trailiner held its first monthly safety meeting using 24

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| june 2020

technology

Idelic, Samsara unite safety, IoT offerings

I Buffalo Lake, Minnesota-based Kottke Trucking schedules live orientation training meetings with drivers at home, which saves between $300 and $500 for each hire.

LumaLive. Before, when the meetings were held in person, 30 to 40 drivers would show up, Meloy said, but with LumaLive, more than 50 drivers attended, and even more watched it afterward. The company also recently began using LumaLive for weekly driver meetings to discuss company news and industry updates.

Kottke’s remote orientation training using LumaLive has been a big selling point to driver recruits, especially during COVID-19 with many concerned about social distancing, said Kayla McDonald, recruiting coordinator.

Ready for the future Trailiner and Kottke digitized their driver recruiting and onboarding process before the coronavirus erupted. As the crisis eases, neither company plans to go back to in-person orientation training meetings.

Using the technology to hire and train drivers remotely is “how we are going to be able to get drivers in the future,” Meloy said. By making the process seamless, drivers are able to come to work at Trailiner and quickly “get back out there making money again.”

In addition to the benefit of attending orientation training at home, Trailiner gives drivers the option to earn $100 by attending its monthly safety meetings online. Those who watch a recorded session within three days of the live event earn $50.

Likewise, for Kottke, remote driver orientation is here to stay. When the company started using the Luma platform and DriverReach, management had not considered how helpful the technology would be for dealing with COVID-19. Those advantages have reinforced its decision to continue.

“For the comfort of the driver, we wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible,” Kraft said. “Fortunately, we were working toward the future and making it more convenient for drivers and all parties involved, and this was the way to go.”

– Aaron Huff

delic, provider of a driver management platform designed to improve fleet safety, announced its partnership with Samsara, a provider of Internet of Things (IoT) ofAll Samsara-collected driver data ferings. Through the will be accessible alongside all partnership, customother driver data in Idelic’s Safety Suite, giving fleets a 360-degree ers using Idelic’s view of their drivers.

Safety Suite alongside Samsara technology will have the ability to automatically upload their electronic logging device (ELD) and camera data to Safety Suite and have driver information pushed seamlessly to Samsara.

All Samsara-collected driver data will be accessible alongside all other driver data in Idelic’s Safety Suite, giving fleets a 360-degree view of their drivers. Samsara’s telematics data combined with Idelic’s predictive analytics can help fleets make proactive and data-driven decisions, preventing accidents and reducing driver turnover, according to the – Aaron Huff companies.

J.B. Hunt adds eBOL to reduce contact

J

.B. Hunt Transport Services (CCJ Top 250, No. 3) announced an electronic bill of lading (eBOL) feature designed to allow busiJ.B. Hunt’s electronic bill of lading nesses and carriers to (eBOL) is designed to provide safer sign BOLs digitally interactions between truck drivers and reduce or elimiand onsite personnel at customer nate the exchange of locations. paper documents, further reducing contact during the delivery process.

Using Carrier 360 or the J.B. Hunt Drive app, drivers for the Lowell, Arkansas-based company are able to send the eBOL securely to customers for electronic confirmation and signature. A signed proof of delivery then is emailed to the customer.

– Aaron Huff commercial carrier journal

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technology

INBRIEF • Verizon Connect is offering new and existing fleet customers with small and medium-size businesses three months of free service to its fleet management platform and intelligent video system. The company also is offering free service through September to new and existing customers that use its field management systems Reveal Field and Reveal Field Plus.

• BlackBerry Radar, provider of an asset monitoring system designed to provide supply chain security and visibility, signed with 12 additional channel partners and expanded the company’s monitoring solutions into Latin America, extending outside the United States and Canada for the first time.

• Corcentric, a provider of business spend management and revenue management software and services, received a minority $80 million investment from private equity firm Bregal Sagemount to support its expansion and product innovation and integration efforts.

• Nuvocargo, a digital freight forwarder and customs broker dedicated to U.S.-Mexico trade, launched after its acquisition of Oncarriage and its U.S. government licenses and obtaining a $5.3 million seed round of funding from various sources.

• Drivewyze added Indiana “rest area open” and “rest area closed” alerts to its Safety Notifications service, which is free to subscribers to the company’s PreClear weigh station bypass. The alerts will show up when a trucker is 25 and 5 miles from the location.

• Command Alkon partnered with Infotech to offer a free e-ticketing network for any type of fleet that delivers to construction jobsites. The network combines Command Alkon’s Connex platform with Infotech’s Doc Express service to facilitate touchless ticket interactions between suppliers and contractors.

• Geotab, a provider of Internet of Things (IoT) offerings and connected transportation, and Donaldson, a provider of filtration products and technologies, announced an integration to enable Geotab customers to use Donaldson’s remote, wireless Filter Minder monitoring system for trucks and heavy-duty equipment that works with a fleet’s telematics system to provide real-time engine filter performance data to help optimize maintenance and productivity.

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McLeod’s PowerBroker TMS gets API for digital freight matching add-on

M

cLeod Software has published a new digital freight matching (DFM) web service API to give its PowerBroker TMS (transportation management software) product the ability to integrate with third-party freight and capacity match- The DFM web service API ing solutions. provides a Companies that provide freight and capacity matching serconnection vices or products now have the ability to write and test their own from a thirdparty product integrations with PowerBroker, the company said. directly to The DFM web service API provides a connection from a the McLeod third-party product directly to the McLeod PowerBroker apPowerBroker application. plication though a secure and configurable set of web service end points specifically designed for freight matching functions.

Vendors can receive notifications on newly added or updated available shipments, validate the qualification status of a given carrier based on PowerBroker’s business rules, send capacity information on available equipment in a given area and “cover” the load with a qualified carrier that will trigger an automated carrier rate confirmation. Vendors also can send a counteroffer on behalf of a qualified carrier for an available load.

– Aaron Huff

CarriersEdge course details cybersecurity, data protection

C

arriersEdge, a provider of online driver training for the trucking industry, introduced a course to help truck drivers and office staff better understand how to protect personal and company information from cyberattacks.

CarriersEdge’s “Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Data” explains “Cybersecurity: Protecting the methods hackers use to trick people into giving Your Data” course can be taken any time and any up classified information; potential consequences of place drivers have access data breaches; and ways to minimize the risks of a to a computer or mobile cyberattack happening in the first place. device.

The course is made up of four half-hour modules that use text, images, interactive exercises and real-life examples. The course includes quizzes and a final test, which carriers can use to maintain records of the training. After completing the course, participants will be able to: • Describe a cyberattack.

• Explain the importance of cybersecurity.

• Identify data and where it can be found.

• List the three classifications of data.

• Explain how a digital footprint can be used by cybercriminals.

• Identify common tactics used by cybercriminals to access data.

• Identify best practices for cybersecurity.

• List the steps to take if cybersecurity is at risk.

“Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Data” is also Customs-Trade Partnership Against – CCJ Staff Terrorism (CTPAT)-certified and is available in multiple languages.

technology

Survey: Commercial drivers want The more safety feedback

D

Netradyne survey was conducted online

by Harris Interactive from Feb. 25 to March 16 among 350 U.S. commercial drivers.

riving technology increasingly is powered by artificial intelligence (AI), and commercial drivers see it as beneficial but also concerning, according to an online survey of commercial drivers conducted prior to COVID-19 by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Netradyne.

The survey found that commercial drivers feel safe but acknowledge they could be safer, particularly if they can eliminate distractions successfully.

Of the drivers surveyed, 81% are concerned about distractions being on the rise, and their top two riskiest driving behaviors are: • Social media and surfing the internet: 71% of drivers say they’ve accessed social media and the internet while driving and found it distracting.

• Video and facetime chatting: 68% found it distracting.

Among the drivers who said they’ve been in a distracted driving incident, 22% said they have been injured.

The survey also asked drivers how they are negating distracted driving: • 68% regularly allow extra time for their journey.

• 59% regularly set their GPS before starting the engine, and 55% regularly prepare all their music for the entire trip.

• The top technologies drivers say help them prevent distraction are hands-free phones (43%), a camera to view the outside of the vehicle (36%) and a GPS device (29%), as well as other assistance such as lane departure warnings, voice recognition and automatic braking.

On average, data collected by Netradyne shows that commercial drivers drive 7.4 hours per day, and their top five distractions are drinking liquids, events outside the vehicle, looking at a GPS device, adjusting the in-vehicle audio and fiddling with vehicle controls.

“Because of the distractions on the road and the long hours, I believe that every vehicle, particularly those in commercial fleets, should have a camera,” said Adam Kahn, president of fleet business for Netradyne. “Technology is proven to have a huge impact on not only making the roads safer for everyone and reducing distracted driving with in-the-moment feedback, but fleets can save money by avoiding the incidents that the human brain can’t always anticipate.”

The survey also revealed commercial driver attitudes toward AI: • AI that can provide ongoing constructive feedback appeals to 72% of drivers who say they are open to feedback at least once a week.

• 73% are interested in receiving feedback once a week or more and are interested to hear what they do well more than what they need to improve (40%).

• Regarding feedback, 44% prefer a mix of numbers-based feedback and verbal/ written coaching as opposed to only numbers-based feedback (19%).

• Over 50% feel that technology has improved driver safety by helping them stay focused (23%) and make more accurate decisions (21%).

• In terms of priority, 69% are interested in AI technology that will help them monitor blind spots, 68% are interested in information on vehicle maintenance issues, and 63% want technology to feed them information about the road.

– Aaron Huff

INBRIEF • EBE Technologies debuted the Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) engine for process and content management systems designed to ease the sharing of documents and data across an enterprise to automate repetitive tasks and review transactions to determine if they are within standards and can be completed.

• The project44 visibility platform added new enhancements to its Network Management Center (NMC) application to automate the truckload carrier onboarding process for shippers and third-party logistics providers (3PLs). NMC also provides carriers with instant access to project44’s global customer base to streamline data sharing.

• Roger, a provider of technologies to help modernize transactions for dry bulk shippers and carriers, rolled out an app and a desktop dashboard designed to offer paperless ticket capture, real-time shipment status, digital payment processing and integrations with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

• Apex Capital Corp. launched its new Blynk digital payment system designed to allow its factoring clients to get paid in minutes with ease and security after their freight invoices are processed, giving Apex clients the option to be paid through bank debit cards, the Zelle banking app or direct deposit.

• Bringg, provider of a Software-as-a-Service delivery orchestration platform, announced partnerships with both Frayt and Bungii, providers of a range of shipping options for big and bulky items, providing Bringg users with expanded fulfillment options and allowing them to select and use either fleet.

• BluJay Solutions and Loadsmart teamed to provide shippers with real-time bookable rates from Loadsmart’s digital freight platform via BluJay’s cloud-based Transportation Management application, allowing shippers to tender the load automatically and receive status updates from pickup through delivery with near-real-time tracking.

• Decisiv, provider of a cloud-based service relationship management (SRM) platform, announced that Vision Truck Group selected the Decisiv SRM for its paperless capabilities, allowing shop supervisors, technicians and parts personnel to create and transmit inspection, repair and financial documents, photos and supporting information digitally. commercial carrier journal

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technology

Transflo working to digitize PODs with no-touch docs

A

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mid COVID-19, Transflo has been expanding on its Electronic Bill of Lading (EBOL) and Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD) offerings to eliminate the need for shippers, drivers and receivers to touch paper documents.

The company has been working with major shippers to digitize documents and data exchanging.

Shippers and receivers can provide the necessary documents to drivers in a digital format, including allowing Users selecting to documents to be uploaded electroniscan, e-sign and cally and enabling document scansend documents via ning for shippers through the Transflo the Transflo Mobile+ app can organize Mobile+ app. paperwork digitally Additionally, users can take pictures at any point of the of loads and use time-stamping and load’s lifecycle. geocoding technology.

Drivers will have access to forms that allow them to engage shipper workers and receive e-signatures from receivers. The tools give all parties instructions on how to electronically send and create an e-signature on a document.

The documents will be indexed and associated with shipper, receiver, carrier and driver accounts within the Transflo document cloud, which allows all parties access to the documents.

Users selecting to scan, e-sign and send documents via the Transflo Mobile+ app can organize paperwork digitally at any point of the load’s lifecycle.

Once documents have been submitted by a shipper, Transflo’s server matches the documents with the driver that initiated the activity. If there is a load associated with the event on the driver’s app, it also will be matched with those documents.

“We are dedicated to doing everything we can to help the freight industry during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Frank Adelman, chief executive for Transflo. “A major part of showing our appreciation to our customers is offering them more digital options to give them safer and more efficient processes that they can use during these challenging times and after.”

In addition to electronic document scanning, the Transflo Mobile+ suite has truck navigation, weigh station bypass technology, image optimization and digital workflow management tools. It also incorporates telematics and the Transflo T-Series electronic logging device that is connected to both the vehicle and Transflo Mobile+ on drivers’ mobile devices.

– Aaron Huff

technology

in focus: REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS

Tech helps fleets get a jumpstart on fault codes

BY AARON HUFF

T

just identify that the intake manifold pressure is low, “why not o help minimize downtime, truck OEMs supply fleets also give the average load the engine has been under and exwith remote diagnostics services that provide alerts haust temperature? We put it all on one screen, so you can do for vehicle fault codes and assist with scheduling repairs at the diagnosis remotely and know what to do when you bring dealerships. the truck in and not spend time looking for the wrong thing.”

Some fleets also invest in advanced diagnostics tools that Trimble’s Predict.Health identify maintenance needs model is available as a module proactively and can predict for its web-based TMT Fleet fault codes before they appear.

Maintenance software.

Suppose a fleet manager has information showing a vehicle Virtual technicians has a 20% likelihood of a Aftermarket telematics syscritical fault code within the tems on vehicles typically have next 20 days. The issue could read-only connections with be diagnosed from afar and a the data bus. For full-featured repair scheduled if warranted.

Trimble’s Predict.Health fleet maintenance model shows any diagnostics, trucks traditionBy predicting vehicle maindata values that are out of range when it predicts fault codes. ally have been brought into a tenance needs, unplanned shop bay and connected to a computer or handheld device. repairs that otherwise cost fleets between $700 and $1,500 in Noregon’s TripVision Uptime remote diagnostics tool comes lost revenue per day can be averted. with a telematics platform and builds on the company’s existing TripVision product available through telematics providers Predicting fault codes for all vehicle makes and models.

Trimble Transportation’s data science team develops predicTripVision Uptime uses the company’s proprietary ND2 tive models using data collected from customers who use hardware installed on the vehicle with bidirectional controls the vendor’s enterprise software and fleet mobility systems. for aftertreatment control module (ACM) resets, forced diesel Trimble has predictive models for driver retention and vehicle particulate filter (DPF) regenerations, engine parameter admaintenance. justments and over-the-air (OTA) fault clearance.

Using the model that predicts a driver’s likelihood to leave The tool’s dashboard is formatted to provide a high-level a company, a fleet manager could mitigate turnover risk by overview of issues affecting the health, safety and perforcalling the driver to discuss unresolved events. But this is a mance status of individual fleet vehicles. The issues are different type of problem to solve than predicting fault codes scored and color-coded based on severity and have an asand giving mechanics information to take action, said Chris sociated effect-on-vehicle description and a recommended Orban, vice president of data science for Trimble. action. Users can drill down for pertinent information about To help diagnose predictive fault codes, Trimble has added each vehicle. more information to the model’s user dashboard to provide a Predictive maintenance software also can help manage tire more holistic view of vehicle health. The Predict.Health model costs. Dana’s cloud-based Rhombus TireAnalytics software uses statistical analysis to identify values that are out of range when compared to historical operating information for engine can analyze and reduce cost per mile (CPM) by comparing tires to identify and predict maintenance issues. temperature, airflow, fuel pressure and hundreds of other data The CPM tire comparisons can be determined by applicapoints. tion or axle type. Technicians can use an app to record more “What we are really pushing is a next evolution of remote complex jobs from anywhere on the shop floor, such as rotatdiagnostics,” Orban said. Technicians can use the dashboard information to save time diagnosing problems by starting with ing a set of tires while matching pairs of dual tires.

As vehicles continue to grow more complex, so do the a specific goal in mind when a vehicle rolls into the shop. technologies that are available to detect and correct issues to “We think we have to provide people as much information maximize their utilization. for not only what is happening but why,” he said. Rather than commercial carrier journal

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INNOVATORS Cleaning a DPF restores some measure of capacity into the filter by removing baked-on particles.

DIY DPF CLEANING Penske develops in-house diesel particulate filter reman program

BY JASON CANNON

S

hortly after the turn of the new millennium, maintenance technicians were staring down a new challenge: an exhaust aftertreatment system that only after a few years would be a ubiquitous piece of equipment.

By 2006, Mike Hasinec, vice president of maintenance for Penske Truck Leasing, had begun working with vendors on diesel particulate filter (DPF) parts procurement, foreseeing that anything designed to trap matter would need to be cleaned or replaced eventually.

“The DPF is simply a filter,” Hasinec said. “Sometimes in this industry, we overcomplicate things and overthink them, but at the end of the day, that’s all that DPF does is collect something, just like an oil filter or a fuel filter, and it needs to be cleaned periodically or changed.”

Downtime is frustrating enough on its own, and adding wait time for a given part just heaps insult on top of injury.

“One of the things we learned is the key to success is having product on the shelf,” Hasinec said. Yet fleet maintenance personnel also have to consider the cost of carrying inventory, and DPFs are expensive.

By 2012, Penske’s DPF-related expenses had begun to climb, along with the inefficiencies that came from either having to find a local service provider to clean it or buying a new one, Hasinec said.

Hasinec envisioned an in-house reman program where DPFs would be exchanged

PENSKE TRUCK LEASING Reading, Pa. during a preventive maintenance (PM) interval. A year later, Penske initiated a proof of concept to see if having DPFs on the shelf would improve productivity.

“One of the reasons our expense had gone through the roof is it became an unplanned event.” he said. “The vehicle would come in for a preventive maintenance service, [and] we didn’t have a DPF on the shelf.” Not having a DPF on-hand, Hasinec said, largely was because many OEMs in 2006 said they eventually would have a reman program in place, but they mostly never developed them.

With customers eager to get their trucks back in service, technicians didn’t have the luxury to down the truck while waiting for a new DPF or the removed one to be cleaned. This practice led to “some fairly high failure rates,” Hasinec said, “because we weren’t replacing them when we should have.”

A beta test took place in the shadows of Penske’s headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania, and included 20 facilities where management personally delivered cleaned DPFs to Penske shops according to their PM schedules. The group hit an execution rate of 85% and moved the exchange program forward a year later, now cleaning their own DPFs for the entire Northeast region.

“We had to buy a bunch of brand new DPFs to seed the program, but as we started getting dirty filters in, we learned very quickly that every filter had unique cleaning needs,” Hasinec said.

The truck leasing provider sets up its own DPF cleaning program to improve shop productivity and truck uptime and save money. commercial carrier journal

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INNOVATORS Proprietary cleaning The time it takes to clean a DPF can vary depending on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s compliance level for the engine, but one unit usually can be blown clean within 10 to 30 minutes if the filter doesn’t need to be baked or undergo an ultrasonic aqueous treatment. The baking process takes about 12 hours. A cleaning that requires all three stages could take a day and a half.

Penske purchased the necessary equipment and refined the manner in which the DPF is cleaned, including developing its own aqueous process.

Penske identified and follows a proprietary and unique cleaning pattern with nozzles, pressures and distances.

Cleaning a DPF restores some measure of capacity into the filter by removing baked-on particles. However, Hasinec learned that the process can be an inexact science with varying degrees of effectiveness across multiple vendors. Working with suppliers, Penske determined available cleaning methods were getting a return capacity of between 20% and 60%.

The wide spread in cleanliness, Hasinec said, often can be tied back to the person in charge of the process — all too often a technician who hasn’t been trained properly on the equipment, and the fact that the cleaning process is not their primary job but just something they have to do between other tasks.

“The technician may be doing a brake job, and his boss says ‘Hey, I’ve got 20 DPFs that need cleaning today,’ ” he said.

Penske blowPenske’s goal cleans all its dirty DPFs. is to clean a DPF One unit only once during usually can be the vehicle’s six- to blown clean within 10 to seven-year lifecy30 minutes. cle, with scheduled exchange intervals based on a variety of attributes. Using maintenance data generated by the trucks deployed across its vast network, Penske is able to predict with a high degree of accuracy when the DPF needs to be exchanged.

“The key is taking it off soon enough,” Hasinec said, “but not too soon.”

Penske blow-cleans all its dirty DPFs. If that doesn’t deliver a return capacity of at least 85%, it will move to a baking process before being reblown. Particularly clogged DPFs get an aqueous solution bath before being baked and then blown.

“Depending on the engine, we see a high success rate with purely blowing them out,” Hasinec said. “Our failure rate once it goes through aqueous is almost nonexistent. Aqueous will clean almost anything.”

Particularly clogged DPFs get an aqueous solution bath before being baked and then blown.

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‘Resident experts’ The demonstration across the Northeast showed a savings of between $300 and $500 per unit, which totaled “millions of dollars” Hasinec said, when factoring for the size of Penske’s fleet.

In 2016, the company opened full-time DPF cleaning centers across North America and solved the issue of having busy

maintenance technicians clean DPFs by staffing the cleaning facilities with employees whose sole job is to receive, clean and ship the units.

“That’s all they do all day long,” Hasinec said. “They are truly resident experts.”

Penske cleaned 34,000 DPFs last year with an average 90% return to capacity — more than 30% better than the best of what the company found on the aftermarket.

The company has three cleaning centers in the United States, opened its first DPF center in Canada this year and this month expects to have cleaned more than 120,000 units across its four centers since the inception of its in-house program.

Reading, the largest facility, did about 15,000 cleanings in 2019, Kansas City around 11,000 and Reno, Nevada, about 8,000. Expectation for Canada is fairly small, but the new location is expected to clean “a few thousand a year,” Hasinec said. The Reading facility can receive, clean and ship 60 units per day.

Penske manages the inventory at each site and can ship a cleaned DPF to any of its 750-plus shops in two days.

“Every morning when our centers open up, they know what locations need which part number,” Hasinec said.

“We know what they consume, so they don’t even have to call. All they have to do is put it on and ship the dirty one back to us.”

COVER STORY | IDLED TRUCKS

DON’T IGNORE IDLED TRUCKS

Parking a truck for an extended period presents an opportune time to make any needed repairs, but when it’s time to place the unit back into service, it’s important to give the truck a full preventive maintenance checkup.

For fleets lacking freight, parked tractors present unique maintenance challenges

W

BY JASON CANNON AND TOM QUIMBY

ith rates and freight volumes both currently sitting at historically low levels, nearly 30% of respondents to a CCJ survey that measures COVID-19’s impact on motor carriers said they have reduced driver count.

With no one sitting behind their steering wheels, many fleets are parking their units until trucking conditions improve. But there’s more to mothballing a truck than simply pulling the air brake and turning off the ignition if the tractor is to return to service in mechanically sound condition.

As long as the cooling system is full and has been well-maintained, it should be fine for long-term storage, said Jami Melani, field engineering/heavy-duty technical services manager for BP/Castrol. However, engine oil will continue to degrade even if the engine isn’t running.

“Oxidation continues, water may 34

commercial carrier journal

continue to condense inside the engine, and so on,” Melani said.

Oil also will settle to the lowest point in the crankcase and rob the engine’s upper parts of lubrication and corrosion protection.

“When the equipment is running, it’s splashing the oil around and coating the internal surfaces,” said Stede Granger, technical services manager for Shell Lubricants. “When it’s parked, it’s going to find the lowest point and drip off all the upper surfaces. When you run it, you get new oil up there — in the liners and crosshatches, in your rings and all that.

It does a lot of good to run that engine.”

A lot of space in the crankcase is occupied by air, which can lead to condensation. Depending on how long the engine sits idle, oil that doesn’t drip off surfaces will evaporate off them, “and if it sits in there long enough, you can get rust,” Melani said.

| june 2020

Granger advised starting trucks that aren’t being operated on a regular basis at least once per month and bringing them up to operating temperature. “That would splash around the oil and charge the batteries,” he said.

Bringing the thermostat to operating temperature helps vaporize any moisture in the crankcase. Granger said engines always have some combustion gas blow past the rings, but when the engine gets up to operating temperature, that’s not a problem.

“When the engine’s cold, it condenses,” he said. “If you get too much water accumulating, you want to get it out of the oil.”

While the truck is running, put it in gear, said Homer Hogg, director of technical service for TravelCenters of America.

“Move them forward and in reverse far enough to allow seals in the drivetrain to flex and get exposed to some

COVER STORY | IDLED TRUCKS

lubrication, along with internal gearbox and hub components,” Hogg said. “I think the most practical approach is to exercise the vehicle similar to how used trucks are exercised while sitting on the yard. Many fleets already have a program for vehicles that are taken out of service and may not sell or be traded in a timely manner.”

Cold oil changes rarely are advised, but Melani said if a truck sits unused for several months and is exposed to swings in ambient air temperature, “there’s no question about it — I would try and get that oil out of there and spin a new filter on.”

If it appears obvious that a truck could be parked for a significant number of months, a best practice would be to change the oil and filter and run the engine for a short period of time to allow the oil to circulate to all lubricated parts prior to storage, said Shawn Whitacre, senior staff engineer for Chevron Lubricants.

“This assures that clean oil, free of any contaminants, is in the system during the period of inoperation,” Whitacre said. “This also provides assurance that when the vehicle returns to service, it is ready to go.”

Jon Salter, director of shop operations for Pilot Flying J Truck Care, said trucks should be stored in a clean and dry environment and left in neutral with their air tanks drained. Hogg said trucks must not be parked in a lowland area “where excessive rain can allow water levels to extend above gearbox vents and taillights and sensitive electronic components.”

Both Hogg and Salter suggested covering the truck’s exhaust stack or covering the truck with a tarp to prevent rain from entering the exhaust and aftertreatment systems.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to storing fuel in the truck’s tanks: fill them as full as possible to limit the amount of air in the tank,

Salter also recommended performing a midtrip inspection to include checking the tires and electrical system and ensuring there are no active fault codes.

Darryl Purificati, OEM technical liaison for Petro-Canada Lubricants, said since the conditions under which a vehicle is “put up” can vary greatly among fleets, “it’s always important to follow the OEM guidelines and also to consult with a lubricant technical services adviser who can provide more expert advice for your fleet’s specific circumstances.”

or drain them to lessen the amount of fuel that potentially could become contaminated.

Salter said filling the tanks decreases the amount of open space and helps prevent moisture buildup in the fuel from condensation, and he recommended adding a fuel treatment “like algae killer to the tanks and a cleaner for the filters.”

Solar chargers such as Purkeys’ Solar Dash can maintain peak battery voltage.

Hogg’s preferred method is to drain the tanks to the extent possible, “as I have seen very little success preventing unwanted microorganisms in tanks from [filling them up],” he said. “I prefer to get rid of the bad fuel and start over.

Of course, this decision will be greatly influenced by the amount of time you anticipate your vehicles being idle.”

Salter said diesel fuel can be stored between six and 12 months on average and should be kept below 70 degrees.

“If a truck is being parked past 12 months, even under the best conditions, it needs to be treated with fuel stabilizers and biocides,” he said. “This is true for diesel fuel, not ethanol blends or biodiesel blends.”

Parking a truck for an extended period also presents an opportune time to make any needed repairs, but Salter said when it’s time to place the unit back into service, it’s still important to give the truck a full preventive maintenance checkup.

“In addition, make sure to change the fuel filters to remove any contaminants that may have been sitting in the filters prior to or during storage periods,” he said.

‘Unprecedented’ battery failures Just because a truck’s sitting idle, the same may not be true for its batteries.

Parasitic loads from telematics devices and onboard computers, along with self-discharging that occurs when charging stops, will drain the power bank.

For some idled trucks, it may be only a matter of days before their batteries tank, particularly for reefer trucks, said Marcus Hester, vice president of sales and marketing for Optronics International.

In a perfect world, batteries would be maintained during downtime. However, they’re surprisingly not always on or near the top of a fleet’s to-do list.

“We’re expecting an unprecedented level of battery failure at this point as fleets get back to business right, which will result in an unprecedented level of replacement cost,” Hester said.

Jeff Barron, manager of engineering and technical services for Interstate Batteries, also painted a grim picture for fleets that skip battery maintenance.

“We’ve got to make sure [batteries] are ready to hit the ground running, because if not, you’re going to see thousands and thousands of trucks that aren’t going to be starting when this thing comes back around,” Barron said.

But parked trucks do present some opportunities, at least on a maintenance front.

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COVER STORY | IDLED TRUCKS

to disconnect the batteries altogether,” “Now’s the perfect time to do a PM Barron said. “But a lot of these more before you get back out on the road, sophisticated trucks that are out there, if and that entails checking your batteries,” Barron said. “Check the connectors. they lose battery power altogether, there Clean off any corrosion. Re-torque them are a whole lot of things that actually have to come into play once you hook back down just to make sure, because these things back up.” these trucks are going to vibrate, and For a truck that has to “relearn” these nuts don’t stay tight on there foroptimum engine settings, disconnecting ever, so the vibrations can wiggle them its batteries may not be a comfortable loose.” option for some fleets. “A lot of times, Larry Rambeaux, sales manager for that’s not an option, to basically unhook Purkeys, said preventive maintenance is key before parking the truck and should them,” Barron said. “It’s better to roll out a booster charger or something to get a include eliminating as many parasitic charge back into those batteries.” loads as possible.

“Run that thing through the shop, and while it’s there, give it a once-over,” Rambeaux said. “Disable the tracking system. Take a shop roll-around charger, and hook it up to the truck the whole time it’s sitting there getting service so that you’re charging those batteries. That way, when you do take it outside and park it, they should be 100%.”

Granger suggested investing in a trickle charger, while Salter suggested disconnecting the negative Keeping batteries charged helps them last longer and provide peak power. battery terminal.

“This will help prevent parasitic If outlets are nowhere in sight, electrical loads like computers from solar charging and battery disconnect draining the batteries,” Hogg added. switches can prove helpful.

However, some fleets would rather “Some fleets also connect solar panels pass on disconnecting batteries. to their batteries to help keep them “The easiest thing to do is when you charged,” Hogg said. “Some trucks have park the truck is to disconnect the batdisconnect switches which do shut off tery cables,” Rambeaux said. “That costs some computers but in most cases will you five minutes of labor. The problem not disconnect enough computers to is that you tell somebody that, and they prevent excessive amp draw over time.” say, ‘We don’t have time to do that.’ OK, While solar can be an attractive so you don’t have time to pull a ground option that eliminates the need for cable, but you’ve got time to send guys dragging around chargers and extension out there to do jumpstarts or put new cords, it’s not always practical. batteries in a truck?”

“I think it can be effective, but what Barron agreed that for some fleets, if we get into a period of bad weather disconnecting batteries will make sense, for a week, and you get overcast skies, while for others, it may invite some and you don’t get the output that you headaches. need from a solar collector system that “The key thing that would be ideal is 36

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| june 2020

can adequately feed the batteries?” said Brett Miller, engineering manager for Optronics International.

Regardless of whether a plug-in charger or a solar panel is used, monitoring battery condition is key.

“It’s always going to require, in my opinion, somebody going up to it and manually checking it to ensure that what happened actually did happen,” Miller said.

An old practice of briefly running a truck to recharge its batteries is no longer a sound option.

“The old thing used to be, ‘You just go out, start it up, let it run for 20 or 30 minutes, and it’ll be fine,’ ” Barron said. “That’s no longer the case, especially in diesel trucks, which require a lot of amperage when cranking. Plus, when you’re looking at the initial warming-up of the glow plugs, it takes time, and it really pulls down the batteries. If they actually have a way to plug a charger into the battery, some kind of a trickle charge or some kind of charge in general, that’s great.”

Barron said if maintenance charging through trickle and solar chargers can’t be penciled into the budget, then at least opt for once-amonth charging, which may take up to 48 hours depending on voltage level. But if running chargers around to parked trucks isn’t much of an option, fleets may want to consider maintaining a used battery bank.

“We’ve actually got a lot of fleets that actually store used batteries,” Barron said. “They’ll take and match up batteries that are the same capacity ratings, and they’ll use those as spares. They’ll keep them on a charge while they’re there in a battery barn. This gives them another upper hand as far as having something right there to replace out.”

Letting batteries go dead and then reviving them later isn’t a sound choice.

Left uncharged long enough, batteries

COVER STORY | IDLED TRUCKS

will begin to sulfate, which will lessen their power and shorten their lifespan, paving the way for downtime and increased replacement costs.

“Instead of having a 1,000 CCA (cold cranking amps), you may have only 800 CCA,” Barron said of recharging a dead battery. “Your degradation just continues on with nonuse, so that’s why it’s very important to make sure there’s some kind of charge going into these batteries.”

Keep lights on, current flowing While COVID-19 lockdowns have hampered freight movement and have fleets scrambling to pinch pennies, maintenance should remain a priority.

“We’ve got a catch-22,” Rambeaux said. “We’ve got slow freight, so we’ve got trucks parked, but then everybody’s worried about spending money, so it’s danged if you do and danged if you don’t.”

Still, that’s no excuse for not taking the time to do some spring cleaning on lighting and electrical systems.

“We just went through a winter, and these trucks have been running 27 different chemical compounds for deicing and snow and everything else,” Rambeaux said. “Open those connectors up, and make sure they are clean. It’s not going to get any better with time, so you might as well fix it now while you have time and it’s at your place versus having that corrosion cause you a CSA violation down the road.”

Brett said the frequency of checking connections can vary.

“We think it’s a good maintenance procedure to open each of those connection points on a three- to five-year basis, and it may depend on your operating conditions, it may depend on the weather you’re experiencing and the places that you run, and other things of that nature,” he said. “Do a visual inspection to see if there is any corrosion that has started, and clean it if necessary, make 38

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Optronics said to check lighting harness connection points at least every three to five years.

any corrections that are necessary to stop further corrosion, and then reapply new dielectric grease to it before mating it back together again.”

Also be sure to check for signs of condensation and moisture in light housings.

“Ideally, there shouldn’t be any if the lamp is built properly and installed properly and has an adequate connection from the harness to the light,” Hester said. “But we all know that moisture intrusion does happen, so it’s definitely a good time to be looking for that.”

Moisture intrusion can lead to corrosion issues and light malfunctions.

On this front, LEDs may fail before incandescents.

“LED lights operate on a certain voltage window, and if they drop below that, they go from working just fine to not working,” Rambeaux said. “Versus an incandescent, which may have a bit more corrosion than it did last week and it’s just a little bit dimmer. But with an LED, that is not the situation. They hit that set point, and they go from working fine to nothing.”

John Golden, sales manager for

| june 2020

Whelen Engineering, said the two biggest truck-related problems his company sees in the field are moisture intrusion and improper installation.

“People don’t follow the instructions carefully, so they end up mounting the products improperly onto vehicles, like upside down, and that can lead to water issues,” Golden said. “The other common thing we see is a phenomenon called ‘wicking,’ which is where water comes up between the strands of the wires. With the hot and cold cycles of the lights, when things cool down, it acts as a giant straw to pull moisture into devices.”

Wicking results in wire corrosion and can lead to eventual connectivity failure. Preventing it can be an ongoing battle given the harsh conditions of the road.

Whelen now has a patented waterblock technology that it recently started building into its top products to prevent moisture from coming up through the wires and into the electronics, Golden said. “Otherwise, you have to make sure to use weatherproof connectors and really good procedures with sealing up electrical connections,” he said.

COVER STORY | IDLED TRUCKS

Brett said to take the time to check for damage on cable and wire looms.

“Maybe something kicked up off the road and nicked open a jacket or a conductor somewhere that’s going to be an entry point for corrosion,” he said. “Make sure that the harness is installed in a way where it’s not vibrating against the frame and abrading itself down to copper or anything like that.”

Now that winter has passed, power demands will increase, which requires keeping an eye on alternator performance.

“You don’t have nearly the electrical loads in winter, because you’re not running the air conditioner,” Rambeaux said. “A lot of times, you can have a weak alternator that will make it just fine throughout winter because of those reduced loads, plus batteries Wabco recommends making the most of COVID-19 downtime with thorough brake inspections. don’t want to take a charge when they’re cold. You could have an alternator that’s lost a diode, and just for Stop on a dime Keith McComsey, director of marketeasy math, if you have a 135-amp altering and customer solutions for Bendix nator and you lose one diode in it, now Spicer Foundation Brake, didn’t hesitate you have a 90-amp alternator, because when asked about how to make the you just lost a third of its performance.” most of COVID-19 downtime.

To help gauge charging performance, “This is a good time to do a full load-test batteries, and perform a voltwheels-off inspection,” McComsey said. age drop test on alternator cables.

For air disc brake systems, perform a “You could have the best batteries visual inspection of the caliper, carrier, in the world and the best alternator in pads and rotor. the world, but if you don’t have good “Verify caliper slide-ability, and cables connecting them, all bets are off,” inspect pads for irregular wear,” McRambeaux said. “It still doesn’t work, Comsey said. “Measure pad and rotor and that can be either defective cables thicknesses. Inspect the rotor for cracks. from the factory or just age and corroCheck boots for holes and tears.” To sion, because you’ve got that 135-amp access Bendix’s troubleshooting guide alternator, but if you’ve got cables that with visual pictures, go to bendix.com, can only handle 100 amps, it doesn’t do select “document library,” and search for you any good, because the cables can’t BW7610. handle it. All this goes back to getting For foundation drum brake systems, those batteries at 100%, which is very perform a complete visual inspection important right now if we’re going to of the brake shoes, S-cam, drum and park those trucks.”

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other components, McComsey said.

“Inspect shoe friction for irregular wear, cracks, etc.,” he said.

“Measure shoe friction and drum ID (inside dimension). Inspect the drum for cracks and martensite (or ‘leopard spotting’). Make sure brakes are greased by adding grease at each of the grease fittings on the brake cam tubes and slack adjusters. This not only gets new grease into the system but helps remove contaminants and moisture that may have gotten in.”

Kevin Rose, regional sales manager for Wabco, said take the time to test drum brakes.

“Check each wheel end (using an applied stroke test) to determine if brakes exceed the adjustment limit,” Rose said. “Inspect brake adjusters, and ensure all greasable points are greased properly. Check for proper operation of stability and anti-lock braking (ABS) systems. Ensure the ABS light comes on after turning the key to the ‘on’ position, and the light should turn off after a few seconds. If available, run diagnostics software, such as Wabco Toolbox, to accurately and quickly diagnose critical systems.”

Rose said occasionally running parked trucks will help keep them in top shape.

“Taking the time now to ensure proper maintenance is performed on your equipment will save on costly repairs, road calls and production loss,” he said. “Perform a battery test, and if trucks are sitting idle for a long period of time, have someone crank the units at least twice a week. Let them run long enough to allow the lubricants to flow through the engine to ensure no drying out of seals or dead batteries from heat.

Ensure all external items are turned off, such as unattended refrigerators, radios, CBs and auxiliary items.”

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US ROLLING.

To help show our gratitude during these challenging times, Howes is teaming up with many others in support of Meals on 18 Wheels in an effort to hand out 10,000 care packages to truckers across the country.

These care packages will include:

Masks

Wipes

Snacks

and other surprises to encourage our heroes on the road.

BUSINESS | BROKER BLUES

BROKER BLUES Carriers cry foul as COVID-19 stall erodes spot-market rates

F

BY TOM QUIMBY AND JAMES JAILLET

or Northeast Transport of Crawford, Maine, business was strong at the start of COVID-19.

The 35-truck fleet rode the early, albeit brief, uptick in reefer freight, but “as the shutdowns increased, the amount of available freight on the spot market had diminished,” said Rob Bisset, Northeast’s director of sales and logistics. When freight demand fell off a cliff, rates went with it.

With approximately 40% of 42

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Northeast’s backhaul freight relying on the spot market, the impact to revenue has been staggering, Bisset said.

The depressed rates environment, particularly on the spot market, became a prominent theme for trucking beginning in late April and continuing last month, with many carriers crying foul on brokers, arguing that freight intermediaries were using current market conditions to squeeze them down on freight bills while boosting their own

| june 2020

“When all this started, we took a hit right off of the bat, and about 50% of our work died off,” said Greg Dubuque, president for Liberty Linehaul West. “We’re lucky enough to have a few brokerage friends that are holding their rates where they need to, that understand the cost of running a truck up and down the road, and then there are those that really seem to be on the back side of price gouging.”

margins — reverse price gouging. Often, rates being offered didn’t cover carriers’ costs, forcing them to choose between running at a loss or parking their trucks.

“It really seems that [brokers] are taking advantage of the market,” said Greg Dubuque, president for Liberty Linehaul West, a 40-truck fleet based in Montebello, California. “We’re lucky enough to have a few brokerage friends that are holding their rates where they need to, that understand the cost of running a

BUSINESS | BROKER BLUES

truck up and down the road, and then there are those that really seem to be on the back side of price gouging.”

Dozens of carriers responding to weekly CCJ surveys during the pandemic have reported the same feeling — a sense of being taken advantage of by brokers, especially during a time when appreciation for the trucking industry was being poured out on social media and in the news, and as President Trump himself took to the White House lawn to express gratitude to trucking.

“We have price gouging laws in place to prevent businesses from overcharging for essential items when people need them,” said Aubrey Rife, president for TranZstar, a Warsaw, Indiana-based 16-truck fleet that runs tanker, refrigerated, dry van and specialized equipment.

“Why are there not guidelines in place to prevent price gouging by a broker taking higher percentages off the top just because they have access to freight that a carrier doesn’t? If brokers were seeing a reduction in freight charges, this would be a completely different conversation, but I don’t feel that this is the case.”

There are federal provisions in place that allow carriers to see what a shipper pays a broker for a load, so long as carriers don’t sign away that opportunity.

That could help carriers know which brokers to avoid, should they be unfair to a carrier in terms of rate offerings, but it doesn’t help in negotiating rates with unfamiliar brokers.

The country’s largest brokerage trade group has pushed back on the notion that brokers are gouging carriers.

Though there obviously are bad actors in any industry, current market conditions are the true culprit in driving down rates, said Bob Voltmann, head of the Transportation Intermediaries Association.

“There’s just not enough freight for all the trucks that want it,” said Voltmann, who pointed a finger at shippers that are using current market conditions to

Chris Fann of C. Fann Transportation in Texas said the stalled economy and poor rates have forced him to turn over 30 of his fleet’s tractors back to Penske, since he couldn’t afford lease payments on them. The fleet now operates 19 trucks. Fann advocates for more transparency from brokers in price negotiations, but he cautioned against increased regulations, saying it is a slippery slope that could lead to more problems down the road. “They give us a load sheet,” he said. “They’re transparent with just about everything else on that load confirmation. They should be transparent with the rate that they’re getting paid. And if they weren’t guilty of taking it all, they wouldn’t have any problems.” Fann said he worked with a broker in years past that was open about taking a 10% cut of the shipper’s paid rate. “We’d take his freight, because we knew that he was transparent,” Fann said. “You can respect that. If it’s cheap, you know he’s just taking 10%, so you know he’s not making a million dollars on it.”

get out of freight contracts. That forces more carriers onto the spot market and further exacerbates the supply-demand issues — too little freight, too many trucks. Brokers “are bidding for freight just like carriers,” he said. “No one is getting pre-COVID rates. No one is doing well right now.”

Some of the country’s largest brokers – C.H. Robinson, J.B. Hunt, Hub Group and Echo Logistics – reported margins below the 16% industry average in the first quarter, Voltmann said. “If the largest companies in the space aren’t increasing their margins, then margins are contracting, and that’s the reality,” he said.

Rates on load boards such as DAT and Truckstop.com slid to five-year lows starting in late April as load-to-truck ratios fell off. Brokers and carriers working those boards rely heavily on spot-market freight.

“The pendulum swings both ways,” said Ken Adamo, chief of analytics for DAT. The sudden deluge of loads in early March for bottled water, toilet paper and refrigerated foods caused spot-market rates to spike for a short period. “The same mechanics that pushed rates up have pushed them back down,”

he said, with capacity “grossly oversupplied” and freight movement bare.

DAT understands carriers’ position, Adamo said, but brokers also are being squeezed, with shippers pushing for cheaper prices and carriers pushing for higher prices. “They’re getting beat up on the sale and the buy side,” he said.

Nonetheless, many carriers, especially smaller operations such as Northeast, feel they’re bearing the brunt of the market’s imbalance. “With all soft markets, there always seems to be a bunch of predatory brokers that take advantage of the situation,” Bisset said.

TranZstar works the spot market for backhauls, but the rates being offered by brokers are below the fleet’s break-even point, Rife said. “It is laughable that a broker would even offer [those loads] for that price,” he said.

The COVID-19 economy has forced TranZstar to turn to brokers more often to find freight, but Rife said if the current pricing scenario continues, the fleet will be forced to downsize.

Before the downturn, TranZstar mostly was hauling biodiesel in its tank trailers, along with some local dry van loads. They’ve since shifted to more dry

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van business to keep trucks moving.

“We had a few [brokers] we dealt with regularly, because they had lanes in the areas we took loads to,” Rife said. “There are a few that paid really fair rates before and have continued to do so since the pandemic. The large majority, though, have been awful since the pandemic has started and not only continue to pay lower and lower rates by the day but also refuse to answer calls or emails and have made it more and more difficult to get detention when our trucks are detained at facilities.”

Dubuque worries Liberty Linehaul West and other similar operations – smaller carriers that keep spot freight moving – won’t survive the current rate environment, and right or wrong, he blames brokers. “The open-market brokers are killing the small operator who may not be able to sustain themselves to get to a better day,” he said.

McCord Trucking of Winchester, Indiana, operates a fleet of 11 trucks. The carrier transitioned from hauling refrigerated goods and produce to low-volume nursery plants during the downturn brought on by COVID-19. “Very little loads are available, and rates are around $1 per mile,” said Danielle Bane, operations manager for McCord. “Brokers are taking advantage of a bad situation. I think regulations need to be put in place on brokers, and no more than 10% should be allowed to be charged.”

Some carriers are advocating for regulatory intervention on rates to help keep a wave of carriers from folding.

“A cap on freight rates should be initiated now to keep rates from spiraling and losing trucks and companies,” said Pamela Davis of Etoile, Kentucky-based Ricky Davis Trucking, which keeps a fleet of 10 trucks.

Davis advocates for a margin cap for brokers, suggesting a maximum 10% cut of what a shipper pays. “Brokers have made good money off of carriers, and I don’t see them backing down,” she said.

Dubuque would like to see increased transparency among shippers, brokers and carriers but is leery of government intervention.

“I think there’s a common ground there where there should be some visibility to both the shipper and the carrier to what the broker is doing,” he said. “By no means do we want to go back to a rate-regulated world where government sets pricing and then it is impossible for anybody to enter our industry, to be an independent to go into. That’s not what we want to see.”

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IN TIMES OF CRISIS, THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO STEP UP. In these uncertain times, truck drivers across the nation continue to deliver the essential food, medical and hygiene supplies to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep America supplied. So thank a truck driver today, because they are on the front lines of a battle we can’t win without them.

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TECHNOLOGY: ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY

MANAGING ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY Coronavirus prompts fleets to revisit mobile tech strategies

BY AARON HUFF

B

efore COVID-19, many motor carriers were re-evaluating their mobile strategies thoroughly to ensure compliance with new rules such as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate.

Another driving force was the need to convert older hardware from 3G cellular technology to devices that connect to later-generation 4G and 5G networks.

More recently, economic disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic and, as a result, worker safety have given carriers new reasons to revisit their mobile technologies to reduce costs and streamline workflow for drivers and fleet administrators.

Tasks that traditionally have been done in person, such as driver coaching and training, are being pushed to mobile technologies to help enforce social distancing protocols.

Consolidating technology Cash-Wa Distributing, an independent broadline food distributor, evaluated its mobile technology in 2016 for FSMA compliance. The Kearney, Nebraskabased company’s warehouse monitored temperatures of products stored in its coolers and freezers, but its fleet lacked a trailer monitoring system to record ambient temperatures and door open/ 46

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Kearney, Nebraska-based Cash-Wa Distributing is able to manage its tractor and trailer assets with a single cellular connection via the Samsara mobile platform.

closed events from pickup through delivery.

To close this coverage gap, CashWa needed a system to monitor and record trailer temperatures for documenting food safety and preventing cargo claims. With trailer monitoring technology, the company could prove to customers that their products, such as fresh lettuce, were being maintained at a constant temperature throughout the supply chain, said Jim Hoss, vice president of operations and transportation for Cash-Wa. However, all the trailer monitoring products Hoss evaluated would add another cellular data plan to Cash-Wa’s vehicles and leave office personnel with another web portal to oversee, and both results were less than ideal.

Management wanted to use the cellular connection of a single vehicle gateway that connected to other mobile devices

| june 2020

through a Wi-Fi hotspot.

As it stood, Cash-Wa would need at least four cellular connections to each vehicle to support its wish list of Internet of Things (IoT) systems that also included a driver handheld application, an ELD, cameras and trailer and tire pressure monitoring systems, Hoss said.

The company ultimately found a platform from Samsara that made it possible to consolidate all its mobile needs. Cash-Wa deployed Samsara vehicle gateways (VGs), trailer asset gateways (AGs) and 440 wireless environment monitors (EMs) across its fleet of 175 tractors and 220 trailers.

For a driver display, the company began using Zebra TC75 ruggedized Android handhelds with scanners. The handhelds connect with Samsara’s gateways through a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot to update information as drivers scan product into trailers at pickups and out

TECHNOLOGY: ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY of them at deliveries.

Cash-Wa’s custom-built driver handheld application and its backoffice software system integrates with the application programming interfaces (APIs) of the Samsara platform to obtain the GPS, temperatures and driver log data the company needs for customer service, billing and payroll.

Using the handheld application, CashWa captures a digital signature from customers during delivery to expedite invoicing. However, many customers still use paper delivery documents.

“We would love to get away from paper,” Hoss said. The COVID-19 crisis “is as good of an opportunity as any to make that push to getting a digital signature,” he said.

From the Samsara web portal, Hoss can view the GPS location of all the fleet’s tractors and trailers, along with the temperature graphs for both the frozen and refrigerated compartments of each trailer.

With end-to-end visibility of temperature data, Cash-Wa has decreased the credits paid out to customers due to improper temperature claims by 30%, Hoss estimates.

Cash-Wa also manages its ELD, electronic vehicle inspection reporting and messaging applications from the same portal. It recently began using Samsara’s camera system to record critical safety events.

“Literally, when I arrive in the morning, Samsara is the first screen I look at,” said Hoss, who estimates that Cash-Wa’s business volumes – in terms of delivery stops and piece counts – are down about 25% during COVID-19.

To help keep the business’ costs in line with revenues, he looks at miles and hours every day to eliminate routes where needed.

Keeping drivers connected Many carriers are using video-based safety systems to make a seamless

Kansas City, Missouri-based American Central Transport is using remote driver coaching tools from its Lytx DriveCam video-based driver safety system.

Trimble Transportation has developed a number of predictive fleet management tools – TruETA, Trimble Dispatch Advisor and Safety Analytics – that offer recommendations based on real-time analysis of fleet and driver activity.

“Our technology can look at hundreds, thousands or millions of elements in seconds,” said Chris Orban, vice president of data science for Trimble Transportation. “That’s not to say that the technology should be used without human intervention — in fact, exactly the opposite. By using technology to find the exceptions – the areas where the human brain is the only tool we currently have to solve the problem – it allows us to focus on the areas where we can make the biggest impact.”

transition to remote driver training.

American Central Transport (ACT), a dry-van truckload fleet based in Kansas City, Missouri, is using Lytx’s videobased safety and telematics system for drivers to remotely review clips of critical safety events.

Drivers for the 310-truck fleet (CCJ Top 250, No. 247) can see event clips while they are coached over the phone by safety managers, said Brandon Driving accountability Leininger, director of risk management During a crisis, especially one with for ACT. potentially far-reaching impacts on “Overall, it’s gone as well as you could driver safety and business profits such expect,” Leininger said, adding that in as COVID-19, fleet executives and some ways, remote training is making managers tend to rely more heavily on the fleet and drivers more efficient. technology to help with accountability ACT is using video clips from the Lytx of key performance metrics.

DriveCam program to develop custom Taylor Express was a Celadon subsidtraining modules that show a variety iary before ownership changed followof examples of situations in which its ing Celadon’s November 2019 bankdrivers have been involved. DriveCam ruptcy. Luminous Management made loads the custom training to ACT’s a stalking-horse bid for Taylor Express online learning management system, during Celadon’s bankruptcy auction.

Vertical Alliance’s Infinit-i, for fleetwide “We have been through a lot,” said deployment.

Dave Wiebusch, president of Hope ACT’s new tractors now come with Mills, North Carolina-based Taylor collision mitigation technology. When Express, which transports carbon black these active safety systems are triggered, using bulk hopper trailers. With a new Lytx captures video events, and the addi- ownership group that includes a New tional data has added “a new level of risk York investment firm, the fleet has been management and coaching,” Leininger said.

Taylor Express, a Hope Mills, North Besides using technology Carolina-based for remote safety training and carbon black risk management, fleets also hauler, upgraded are using a variety of tools that its mobile technology to the analyze operational data points Omnitracs One to help improve decision makplatform. ing and driver job satisfaction. commercial carrier journal

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TECHNOLOGY: ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY able to invest in its future.

“We are well partnered at this point with Luminous,” Wiebusch said.

“They’ve stressed us being worldclass. That’s what they want, and that is what we are going to give them.”

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, management already had decided to upgrade its mobile technology from Omnitracs’ aging MCP200 to the new Omnitracs One platform. Drivers had lost faith in the older technology, which Taylor Express deployed in 2006, and had started using their own devices to communicate with the office.

“That’s not what we want,” Wiebusch said. Regaining drivers’ trust in technology is “probably the most important thing moving forward,” he said.

Wiebusch anticipates the cloudnative Omnitracs One platform will be integrated with Taylor Express’ McLeod Software system and provide the fleet with dependable communications while improving job satisfaction for drivers.

Taylor Express plans to deploy Omnitracs One on Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 tablets across its 100-truck fleet.

With the platform’s data and integration tools, the fleet hopes to build a custom scoreboard for drivers to monitor their performance in fuel efficiency and other areas toward earning bonuses. The tablets also will have a variety of apps for drivers’ personal and business use.

“We’ll give [drivers] more options than they’ve ever had,” Wiebusch said. “I think it is going to boost their satisfaction. It also adds accountability and funnels communication, which is critical. There is satisfaction that comes with being held accountable.”

Leasing information assets Fleets expect mobile technology to be compatible with existing or future applications that can simplify the workload for office workers and drivers. The expectations are no different for the mobile technologies fleets use for leased vehicles.

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The Connected Fleet platform from Penske Transportation Solutions provides fleets with a variety of self-service maintenance tools.

Penske Transportation Solutions has a Connected Fleet suite of products that uses telematics data from systems factory-installed by truck OEMs and aftermarket telematics service providers (TSPs).

The products include Fleet Insight and a Penske app that the company’s truck leasing customers use to get information and proactive notifications for vehicle health and maintenance needs.

Connected Fleet also has integration points for fuel tax automation.

Penske customers can use the selfserve functionality to view updated maintenance information, find the nearest Penske location, log hours of service and more.

“With all the work that is done at home now, our tools have really provided companies the ability to be as efficient as possible,” said Brandie Searle, Penske’s vice president of Connected Fleet product management.

Penske also provides a consulting service for fleets looking to adopt new telematics and mobile fleet management technologies.

“We carry the customer through an extensive process to help evaluate the product, help them purchase it and put upfront costs in the lease rate,” said Samantha Thompson, manager of Fleet Telematics and Customer Success for Penske, which also helps with installation.

Unified telematics For parked or underutilized assets, it could be an opportune time to upgrade them with new devices equipped with

| june 2020

4G or 5G cellular connectivity.

“If fleets have money to invest in new technology, an economic slowdown is the best time to implement it,” said Chris Wolfe, chief executive officer for PowerFleet, which offers “bumper-to-bumper” fleet mobility products for in-cab and trailer monitoring that use Bluetooth to communicate through a shared single cellular connection.

PowerFleet’s trailer products are used on vans, reefers, chassis and containers.

The company also has cargo sensors and cargo image processing that automatically detects load shifts and identifies what percentage of a trailer is loaded with palletized or nonpalletized freight.

As fleets continue to look for ways to scale their technology investments, mobile platforms that allow them to pick and choose “best-of-breed” applications for their businesses have become more important.

Telematics provider Geotab focuses on capturing vehicle data and relies on its partners with expertise in different segments of the transportation industry to help expand its platform with a variety of software and hardware integrations.

Through the Geotab Marketplace, fleets can choose many types of compatible Internet of Things (IoT) systems such as video, tire pressure monitoring and trailer tracking to customize the platform to their specific needs.

All the products in the Geotab Marketplace become integrated with Geotab by capturing data from the vehicle’s network and passing it into the platform through the cellular connection of Geotab’s GO device.

A trend that started before COVID-19 that now has picked up momentum is for fleets to use mobile strategies to eliminate duplicate cellular connections and consolidate functions to give drivers and office personnel a more streamlined user experience.

CONGRATULATIONS!

WINNERS Kevin Kocmich and Don Lewis, winners of the Driver of the Year Contest, each receive $25,000, thanks to sponsors Cummins and Love’s. Owner-operator finalists Jesse Dennis, leased to Prime Inc., and team drivers Robert and Tracy Roth, leased to Erb International, each win $2,500. Likewise, company driver finalists Robie Jensen, of Fremont Contract Carriers, and Randy Kuryk, of Bison Transport, each win $2,500.

The contest is organized by the Truckload Carriers Association, Overdrive and Truckers News.

Kevin Kocmich

Don Lewis

Diamond Transportation System The 2019 Owner-Operator of the Year

Wilson Logistics The 2019 Company Driver of the Year.

sponsors:

Read about the winners

OverdriveOnline.com or TruckersNews.com

Hand sanitizer

Rendering trailers

East’s Rendering Trailers are used to haul inedible meat and poultry byproducts to be used in soaps, paints, lubricants, caulk, candles, cleaners, plastics, fertilizers, pet foods and other products. Both the moving floor and tipper models are engineered with liquid-tight seals and adequate draining and are equipped with front and rear splash guards in various lengths.

The ¼-inch-thick rear corner posts wrap completely around the top and bottom rails and interlock to add strength, reducing sideto-side distortion. Each trailer can be customengineered with blood tanks, mid-body gates, cleanout drains, cleanout covers, a water-sealed tailgate, splash guards, tarps and lids, all available for dumping and non-dumping applications. The trailers incorporate lightweight aluminum alloy and long-lasting components for more payload and durability.

East Manufacturing, www.eastmfg.com, 888-405-3278

Fuse circuit tap

Del City’s Fuse Circuit Taps are designed to convert one fuse circuit into two fusible circuits. Plug into a panel space, and the two open spots on the circuit tap allow two new fuses to be protected separately. The fuse circuit tap plugs into the fuse block and accepts two fuses to provide protection for the existing circuit and the add-on.

Del City, www.delcity.net, 800-654-4757

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| june 2020

Lucas Oil Products’ Hand Sanitizer is available in a 64-fluid-ounce (2-quart) refill bottle. The hand sanitizer is made with 80% ethyl alcohol and glycerin additives that help keep hands from feeling dry and cracked. Lucas’ liquid formula is fast-acting and has a milder odor than isopropyl-based hand sanitizers. The hand sanitizer is made in compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines and is available through distributor networks and Eckart Supply.

Eckart Supply, www.eckartsupply.com, 800-666-0255

Heavy-duty connectors

Amphenol Sine Systems’ DuraMate AHDP HeavyDuty Connectors for panel-mount or in-line heavy-duty applications feature a lightweight thermoplastic housing and are built to provide an impact-resistant mating. The circular plastic connectors feature a bayonet locking system to help withstand high vibration, two backshell systems for strain relief and additional wire seal protection and IP67- and IP69K-rated environmental sealing for a robust barrier against lubricating oils, hydraulic oils and fossil fuels. In addition to being polarized, the multi-pin quick-connect connectors are equipped with an easy-grip coupling system and visual indicators.

Heilind Electronics, www.heilind.com, 800-400-7041

TRU-mounted solar charging system

Carrier Transicold’s TRU-Mount Solar Charging System for transportation refrigeration unit (TRU) batteries fits on top of the TRU and delivers 2.0-amp power by combining ultrapure silicon cells with a high-performance charge controller. With a small footprint, the system is engineered to provide up to 18% greater power delivery for faster, more complete charging of a 12-volt TRU battery. The panel design provides a custom fit on the narrow, curved top surface of the company’s X4 and X2 series TRUs and Vector 8000 and 6000 series units. The panel is positioned lower on the TRU to help make it less susceptible to overhead scrapes, and it uses three engineered layers to help maximize strength and efficiency.

The light-trapping upper layer is scratch-, impact- and weather-resistant; the middle layer’s monocrystalline cells help minimize power loss from intermittent shading; and the copper bottom layer helps keeps the panel cooler for greater efficiency.

Carrier Transicold, www.transicold.carrier.com, 800-227-7437

PRODUCTS

High-amp alternators

Prestolite Electric’s IdlePro Extreme 24-Volt High-Amp Alternators are available in 600- and 680-amp versions and have a lightweight brushless design that helps reduce weight, size and maintenance concerns. A lower electromagnetic compatibility design helps suppress interference, and the company’s Isolated Ground Technology reduces stray voltage and electrical noise to help protect the engine. The units also have voltage surge protection and a heavy-duty housing that helps protect against vibration.

Available options include fully submersible/fording capability, an anti-corrosion coating and overrunning clutch pulley and several regulators, including CAN bus.

Leece-Neville Heavy Duty Systems, www.prestolite.com, 866-288-9853

Super-regional drive tire

Toyo’s NanoEnergy M671 super-regional drive tire is suited for high-scrub applications and incorporates the company’s proprietary Nano Balance Technology that provides added traction, fuel efficiency and wear life. The M671 also features Toyo’s e-balance design that maintains the tread profile while reducing strain at the bead area and belt edge for added stability and longevity under heavy load. It also has an optimized wide tread pattern with 3D sipes that help facilitate even contact pressure, increased traction and reduced irregular wear. The combination of a high-elongation top belt and stone ejectors help protect the casing from cuts and damage and provide added retreadability.

A uniform cap and base compound helps increase wear resistance, and advanced tread and sidewall compounds help enhance fuel efficiency. The tire is available in sizes 295/75R22.5 G/14, 11R22.5 G/14 and 11R22.5 H/16.

Inverter/charger series

Xantrex’s Freedom XC Pro Inverter/Charger Series features a 50A transfer relay, a bigger charger and an advanced communications protocol for charging any lithium-ion battery and for integration with third-party multi-function panels (MFPs).

The larger of the two models is a 3,000-watt inverter that weighs 18.5 pounds and has a built-in 150-amp battery charger and a 50A transfer relay, while the 2,000-watt model features a 100-amp battery charger. Both models can surge to two times their rated power for five seconds and can be configured and monitored via the FXC control app. They also offer full output in higher temperatures, dead battery charging, operation control via the ignition key and the ability to work off high-output alternators. Both models are tested for moisture and corrosion resistance.

Xantrex, www.xantrex.com, 800-670-0707

Medium-duty front steer axle lineup Hendrickson has expanded its Steertek NXT portfolio of fabricated front steer axles to include 10,000- and 12,000-lb. capacities. The axles are approved for on-highway and medium-duty truck, bus and motorhome applications. The company’s proprietary design and manufacturing process saves weight while combining rigid strength, added maneuverability and reduced maintenance. The axles are available in capacities from 10,000 to 14,600 lbs. per axle and offer a 40,000-mile service interval.

Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems, www.hendrickson-intl.com, 630-910-2800

Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp., www.toyotires.com/ commercial, 800-442-8696 commercial carrier journal

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PRODUCTS

LED taillight

J.W. Speaker’s Model 234 Flash is a drop-in replacement for four-inch-round LED or halogen taillights used in transportation, industrial, construction, agriculture and specialty vehicles. Available in five different colors, the light has three programmable strobe patterns and is available with the company’s SmartHeat technology, enabling year-round use while providing added visibility, durability and longevity. It provides two, four and six strobe patterns that allow the user to activate simultaneous or alternating flash patterns and a two-in-one dualfunction strobe. The light can be used with OEM displays or J.W. Speaker options and is sealed to IP69K specifications to withstand vibration, for power wash and steam-cleaning resistance and for condensation management.

J.W. Speaker Corp., www.jwspeaker.com, 800-558-7288

Download the Imperial App today.

Fixed-neck drop deck trailer

Fleet Maintenance Solutions for the Road Ahead

Talbert’s 35FG-BVTL Fixed-Neck Drop Deck Trailer, part of the company’s Double Drop Series, is designed for small888-838-6718 imperialsupplies.com to mid-size equipment machinery movers operating in oilfields, agriculture and construction and demolition. The 35-ton trailer is rated at 70,000 pounds concentrated in 20 feet and features Who We Are hydraulic ramps for loading and unloading in confined spaces. The 48-foot overall length includes a 22-foot-long deck that is Who We Help 8 feet, 6 inches wide, along with an 8-foot • Solutions for Fleets • Over-The-Road Truckers 6-inch rear bridge section with recessed • Owner/Operators crossmembers. It has an 84-inch swing • Temperature Monitoring for the Cold Chain radius and an 18-inch kingpin setting for • Construction Companies • Mechanical Contractors increased maneuverability and versatility.

• Food/Distribution Companies Demo System of Choice The 36-inch sloping beavertail features a • Service Trades for 30 Days!

• Waste Management 14.98-degree load angle coupled with a Your Platform of Choice Easy to use ELD Schedule Maintenance for a Connected Fleet. full-width plate with traction bars outside the main beams for rear loading. The deck IFTA Fuel Tax Reporting Improve Fleet Simplified Safety flooring is 1.5-inch Apitong, and the unit Are you dialing yet? has a low loaded deck height – 30 inches, 40 Multi-Camera DVR In-House Installers & inches for the rear bridge – and a 10-inch Service Trailer Tracking Wireless Temperature road clearance.

Monitoring The right GPS Tracking, ELD Solution will Save You Money. Whether you're managing a Fleet locally or nationally, with a single vehicle or a fleet of hundreds, R & L Fleet Management can help take the headaches out of management and drive bottom-line savings!

That means we're able to react quickly and not leave you stranded.

Asset Tracking

Monitor equipment and assets to improve security including geofence boundaries.

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Simplify FMCSA Compliance with our Driver Log FMCSA approved ELD solutions for fleets of all sizes.

Automatically track mileage, toll usage and fuel purchases per vehicle and per state.

Complete video fleet safety solution.

360° exterior view plus inside the cab.

Easily set up notifications for routine maintenance tasks such as oil or filter changes and tire checks to prevent costly breakdowns.

Detect real-time driver behavior events such as sudden brake or acceleration, sharp turns, lane crossing & speeding.

Know where your trailers are all times.

Lower spoilage related costs and meet FSMA compliance with real-time temperature monitoring.

| june 2020

Open API

for software integration.

812/697-1844 angelina@gpstrackingky.com www.rlfleet.com

Talbert Manufacturing, www.talbertmfg.com, 800-348-5232

PRODUCTS

Hand sanitizer

Heavy-duty starter lineup

Hot Shot’s Secret LSI Chemical Hand Sanitizer is available in multiple bottle sizes, including 16-ounce, 32-ounce, 64-ounce, 1-gallon and 5-gallon, as well as bulk sizes including 55-gallon and 330-gallon. Using the formulation recommended by the World Health Organization, the topical nonsterile solution is 80% alcohol by volume and is packaged with a nondispensing cap.

Hot Shot’s Secret, www.hotshotsecret.com, 800-341-6516

WAI’s heavy-duty starters are suited for all classes of commercial trucks and are engineered to OEM specifications. The units feature Transpo electronics manufactured by WAI and WBD bearings and have been tested for rpm, torque, voltage and solenoid performance. Validation testing also includes endurance, humidity, power thermal cycling, vibration, salt spray and thermal shock.

WAI, www.waiglobal.com, 800-877-3340

Vehicle scale instruments

Fairbanks Scales’ FB7100 Series Vehicle Scale Instrument line includes four models – the FB7101, FB7111, FB7102 and FB7112 – designed for user-friendly operation, reliability and consistency, with easy-to-navigate menus and a graphic touchscreen display. The models offer different weighing options and are available in two enclosure designs. The NEMA 12 desktop enclosure is designed for office environments, with a compact size and an easy-to-use 5-inch touchscreen, while an aluminum and steel construction holds up against daily grind. The NEMA 4X stainless-steel Washdown enclosure is suited for applications where the instrument comes in contact with hose-directed water or large amounts of dust, and it features a larger 7-inch touchscreen and a desk/wall mount bracket for convenient mounting.

Fairbanks Scales, www.fairbanks.com, 800-451-4107 commercial carrier journal

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TOTAL FLEET SHOPPER

Join the conversation.

Like /CCJMagazine

Follow @CCJNow

Connect CCJ MagazineSubscribe Commercial Carrier Journal /CCJDigital

• Restores flexibility, elasticity and tensile strength of all rubber seals • 100% non-clogging formula • One 8 oz. bottle treats up to 8 quarts of oil/fluid • Also available in gallons and cases

WORKS IN HOURS LASTS FOR YEARS GUARANTEED!

800-434-9192 www.SealLube.com 54

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9/20/19 1:19 PM

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• Seals Leaks: Engines, transmissions, power steering & hydraulic systems

10/28/09 11:31 AM

Business Solutions for Trucking Professionals

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IFC New Tech International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . seallube .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Penske . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gopenske .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . peterbilt .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC ProMiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . promiles .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 R&L Fleet Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rlfleet .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 REG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . regi .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 REG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . regi .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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Christopher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . truckerfund .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Strick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . stricktrailers .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 TA-Petro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ta-petro .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 TBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tbsfactoring .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 TCA DOY Congratulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . truckersnews .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . totalspecialties .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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GET AHEAD OF YOUR TRAINING PLAN PREVENTABLE or NOT? Mustang blindly gallops into Doe’s peaceful path

C

autiously piloting his tractor-trailer along sunny two-lane Second Avenue at the posted speed of 35 mph while intermittently burping from the huge morale-boosting helping of “Kid Flesher’s Awesomely Hot Two-Gun Chili” he’d wolfed down at Tommy’s Texas Diner, John Doe reflected on a Channel 19 revelation recently provided by Billy Bob Goldfarb, a westbound doubles driver.

According to Billy Bob, Uncle Sam was poised to unveil a new version of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, featuring a question-and-answer format, whose final draft on paper was a whopping 750 pages long! Holy eye strain, Batman, 10-4? Hopefully the app version wouldn’t seem quite so intimidating, Doe thought.

Suddenly, his reverie was … “Ahhhhgg!” SCREECH!!

Tractor-trailer driver John KA-BOOM!!! Oh no! WithDoe was slowly traveling out warning, a loaded 2019 a two-way street when a gray Ford Mustang driven by Ford Mustang rapidly exited teenager Muffy Mulquist had an apartment complex blindly and hastily exited a surrounded by a high fence high-fenced apartment comthat kept Doe from seeing the plex only a few yards in front car until it was too late. Was of Doe’s tractor! While he’d this a preventable accident? pounced on the brakes immediately and tried to steer out of harm’s way, the Mustang’s left front fender was a mangled mess. Muffy was badly shaken but, mercifully, otherwise unscathed.

Since Doe contested the preventable-accident warning letter from his safety director, the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Accident Review Committee was asked to render a final judgment. NSC immediately ruled in Doe’s favor, noting that there was no way that he could have anticipated Muffy’s suicidal maneuver or avoided ramming her car with only a split-second warning.

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commercial carrier journal

| june 2020

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