Commentary: More on the Electric Truck Option — From a Century Ago

The recent surge of interest in electric trucks is definitely not a new and modern thing. Did you know that in 1930, there were more than 100 U.S. companies manufacturing electric and hybrid commercial trucks?

Rolf Lockwood

There was certainly some mighty interesting technology on offer back then. Like a fascinating machine that's for sale on Craigslist in Los Angeles as I write this in early February. It's a 1912 C-T electric truck, a 5-ton, four-wheel-drive Model A10 that was produced by the Commercial Truck Company of Philadelphia. It worked for 52 years at the Curtis Publishing Company before being retired in 1964. It's complete, unrestored, and it still runs!

Just $39,900 and it's yours.

Let me quote from the ad, which apparently drew copy from the American Truck Historical Society...

“The 105-year-old battery-powered electric truck is driven by four 85-volt, 10-amp GE electric motors, one at each wheel, each producing 16 hp. When new, the truck operated for 22 hours on a single charge, traveling at an average of 10 mph, and could be recharged in as little as two hours. However, some operators maintained a charged set of interchangeable batteries to further extend service hours.

“The battery compartment consists of nine battery trays. Each of the original-equipment lead-acid batteries measured 8 inches wide by 14 tall and 60 long, and weighed approximately 500 pounds, producing 10 volts. Five modern-day 12-volt batteries may be substituted for each of the original 5-foot-long units (total: 45) which together produced 90 volts, and the vehicle may easily be moved using only one, two, or three modern 12-volt batteries.”

Curtis bought 10 of these trucks in August 1912, but the fleet would later total 22. A couple of them were used to haul coal from the railway yard to the printing plant. The other 20 were ...Read the rest of this story

NTSB: Fatigue a Factor in 2016 Truck Crash; Renews Call for Collision Avoidance

The NTSB said the SUV was overloaded and had mechanical problems causing it to travel at only around 40 mph. Photo: NTSB

A collision avoidance system might have prevented or lessened the severity of a 2016 crash between a tractor-trailer and an SUV that killed six people and injured five, according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

NTSB says its report on the crash illustrates the need to implement 15 safety recommendations associated with the NTSB's Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements for fatigue, occupant protection and collision avoidance.

A seven-passenger sport utility vehicle, with a total of 11 occupants, was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer on I-70 near Goodland, Kansas, June 29, 2016, at about 2:15 a.m. Survivors of the crash said they believed the SUV was traveling near the posted minimum speed limit of 40 mph. Engine data on the tractor-trailer showed it was on cruise control traveling near the posted maximum speed limit of 75 mph at the time of impact.

<img src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-ntsb-suv-crash-truck-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

The truck after the crash. The NTSB said the driver may have been fatigued, and that collision avoidance/collision mitigation technology could have prevented or reduced the severity of the crash. Photo: NTSB

The truck was operated by Precision Truck Lines Inc. and occupied by a 27-year-old male driver with three years of experience, on his second trip for the company. The truck driver took evasive action by applying the brakes and steering to the left, when he was about 100 feet away from the SUV. The investigation found that more than half the driver's logbook entries were inconsistent with other documentation, and there is evidence that after working a daytime schedule the week before the crash, he inverted his sleep/wake schedule on this trip and was driving through ...Read the rest of this story

The SEC isn't sending Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes to jail for fraud — here are her punishments

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood testing startup Theranos, has been charged with engaging in a "massive fraud" by the Securities and Exchange Commission. To recap, Theranos was once a Silicon Valley favorite because of its promise that its technology could allow for a wide variety of blood tests with just a droplet of blood.

Volvo Blends Tech and Tough in New VNX Tractor

Volvo's new VNX heavy-haul tractor blends the company's cutting edge tech with tough equipment. Photo: Jack Roberts

For all the technology coming into trucking today, the trucks themselves still lead hard lives and have to be built tough. And no truck has it harder than those special machines destined for heavy-haul and other severe-service applications.

Volvo's new VNX heavy-haul tractor is a perfect example of the trend to blend cutting edge tech with tough. It's a truck that leverages all of Volvo's latest technologies, such as advanced telematics and over-the-air powertrain updates, with an incredibly robust frame, high-horsepower diesel engines, and a whopping 125,000 GCWR.

The new VNX is the last of a trio of new truck launches that Volvo began last year with the rollout of the VNR regional-haul tractor, followed closely by the VNL long-haul tractor. The VNX clearly shares the same design DNA as its two stablemates — both inside and out — but in a beefier, more robust package. It's a truck with modern, aerodynamic lines that is as home on a sloppy jobsite as it is hauling a fully laden B-train up a steep, twisting mountain highway.

The VNX is being offered initially as a tractor only, in 3 different models: a day cab, a flat-roof, and a mid-roof/sleeper configuration. The official VNX launch took place on March 14 at Volvo's new Customer Center in Dublin, Virginia, on the heels of a freak snowstorm followed hard by a brutal cold snap. All of the trucks were decked out in a deliciously malicious black-on-black paint scheme that really popped against the deep snowbanks flanking the test track looping around the back portion of theVolvo Customer Center property.

Thanks to the sharply slanted nose and the aerodynamic lines it shares with its stablemates, the truck doesn't ...Read the rest of this story

Kenworth T680 Available with MX-11 and Paccar Automated Transmission

The Kenworth T680 on-highway flagship is now available for order for the first time with the combination of the Paccar MX-11 engine and the Paccar Automated Transmission.  Photo: Kenworth

Kenworth has made the T680 available for order with a combination of the Paccar MX-11 engine and the new Paccar Automated Transmission, designed for linehaul and regional haul applications up to 110,000 pounds GVWR.

The MX-11 engine offers up to 430 horsepower and 1,650 lbs.-ft. of torque and is lighter that a comparable 13 liter engine, according to Paccar. The Paccar Automated Transmission is also lighter than comparable transmissions by as much as 105 pounds, to allow for greater payloads and has good low-speed maneuverability.

“The proprietary Paccar Powertrain, which includes Paccar's 10.8-liter MX-11 engine, 12-speed transmission and 40,000-pound tandem rear axle, provides outstanding performance through weight savings, increased fuel efficiency and enhanced driveability for Kenworth T680s operating in linehaul and regional haul applications,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director.

The Paccar transmission features extended maintenance with a 750,000-mile oil change interval. The clutch is designed to be maintenance free and features an internally routed electrical system that minimizes exposure to the elements. It also features a fluid pressure detection system that protects the gears from low fluid conditions.

The Paccar transmission is paired with Kenworth's new column-mounted shifter that places gear selection and engine brake controls at the driver's fingertips for better ergonomics and improved performance. The shifter position on the steering wheel column also frees up dash space by eliminating engine brake control switches.

The 12-speed Paccar Automated Transmission is also available with the Paccar MX-13 engine rated up to 510 horsepower and 1,850 lbs.-ft. of torque and Paccar tandem rear axles to maximize Paccar powertrain efficiency and driveability.

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Trucking Moves America Forward Doubled Media Presence Last Year

Trucking Moves America Forward continued to expand its outreach in 2017, to help get the word out on trucking's importance in the U.S.

Trucking Moves America Forward has reached over a hundred million people through a combination of billboards, trailer wraps, industry events, and media appearances, the industry organization recently announced.

The organization, which seeks to highlight the importance of the trucking industry in the everyday lives of Americans, marked its four-year anniversary. It was launched in March 2014 at the Mid-America Trucking Show. The group detailed the movement's efforts to humanize and personalize the trucking industry while promoting its economic importance to the nation.

In 2017, TMAF surged forward with its public outreach, hitting some pretty impressive numbers. The organization said it generated 17.4 million billboard impressions and reached 26.6 million radio listeners during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week alone.

It also worked through the media and said it earned 54 stories and 12 op-eds in national, beltway, and local publications leading to 83.9 million media impressions, more than double the reach of the previous year. This included appearances on cable networks like Fox News and Fox Business News.

Social media expansion was also important for the group, which grew its audience to 13,500 followers on Facebook and 3,600 followers on Twitter. It also made strides on the photo-sharing social network Instagram, growing 102% to 380 followers.

TMAF will release its Annual Report, titled “The Many Faces of Trucking” at this year's MATS.

“Through our public relations, social and digital media, marketing efforts, and more, TMAF continues to grow and gain even more support throughout the industry and public,” said Kevin Burch, co-chairman of TMAF and president of Jet Express. “We're excited to share our progress in our 2017 Annual Report, and we're looking forward to continuing to share our message nationally on trucking's ...Read the rest of this story

Kudlow says Trump to name him top White House economic adviser

U.S. television commentator and conservative economic analyst Larry Kudlow said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump had picked him to replace Gary Cohn as the top White House economic adviser. "The president offered me the position last evening and I accepted," Kudlow told Reuters, adding that he expected a formal announcement on his appointment as director of the National Economic Council could come on Thursday. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed that Trump spoke to Kudlow on Tuesday, but she would not confirm that the president had offered the 70-year-old CNBC contributor the position.