Stemco Introduces Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly

The Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly from Stemco could revolutionize wheel installation.

The Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly from Stemco could revolutionize wheel installation. Its eye-popping simplicity has left technicians slack-jawed in surprise with its simplicity and ease of installation. The new wheel end system was developed in partnership with Webb Wheel Products and announced at the 2018 Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibit in Atlanta.

Designed for safety, performance and confidence, the Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly features the industry-first Discover XR (extreme runtime) wheel seal with GlideLock technology. The seal glides on and is self-locking, reducing installation force by 50%, with no pre-lube required.

The combination of the Discover XR wheel seal, Webb Wheel's hub and the Defender composite hub cap provides the a high level of contamination and corrosion resistance. The Trifecta assembly also features Stemco's Zip-Torq unitized axle spindle nut, increasing simplicity and safety for end users. There are no additional clips, keepers, snap rings or screws to install. The self-ratcheting locking feature prevents inadvertent back-offs, Stemco says.

Additionally, Stemco President Todd Anderson said installation of the new hub assembly requires no bearing adjustment, ensuring the hub is installed correctly, quickly and easily.

"When we took this to fleets to demonstrate its ease of installation, technicians went through the procedures and were stunned to discover how simple and repeatable it was and that it no special tools," he said. "The new Zip Torq nut literally allows the mechanic to install, adjust and walk away."

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The Trifecta Pre-Adjusted Hub Assembly was developed in partnership with Webb Wheel Products.

Anderson says when installed according to specifications, the wheel end will be well within established TMC tolerance recommendations, "usually somewhere between three-thousandths of an inch of freeplay to a very slight preload, which is ...Read the rest of this story

Michelin Unveils Energy Guard Tractor-Trailer Aerodynamic Solution

Michelin's new Energy Guard tractor trailer aerodynamic system features a new, wake reducer tab that works like a spoiler and reduces the air recirculation zone behind a trailer at highway speeds. Photo: Michelin

New Michelin Energy Guard aerodynamic system includes a patent-pending rear-facing Wake Reducer tab.

Michelin is one of the oldest legacy companies serving the global trucking industry today. But according to Adam Murphy, Vice President of business to business marketing for Michelin, the company doesn't so much view itself as a “tire” manufacturer today, as it does a supplier of integrated transportation system.

Taken in that light, the launch today of Michelin's new Energy Guard aerodynamic system for tractor-trailers doesn't seem like quite the departure it would've just a few years ago. According to Murphy, Michelin's approach to tractor-trailer aerodynamics is a solution that increases fuel economy, decreases maintenance costs and requires no driver interaction to achieve those gains.

Energy Guard consists of a trailer skirt, trailer-end fairings, aerodynamic mud flaps and a patent-pending wake reducer, which Michelin says eliminates the need for “boat tail” fairings or combining aerodynamic products from different suppliers.

Murphy said Energy One features several innovations in its patent-pending design, including a trailer skirt that fully integrates with other aerodynamic components. The skirts are made from resilient, modern composites that bend out of the way when striking a objects. The wake reducer is much smaller in size than “boat tail” fairings in use today, Murphy said, but still minimizes the effect of the air recirculation zone that creates drag behind a trailer. Even better, he said, both are systems automatically functioning once installed and always activated without any driver actions.

According to testing carried out by Michelin, Murphy said the new Energy Guard aerodynamic system can deliver 7.4% fuel savings at 65 mph compared to tractor-trailer with no aerodynamic ...Read the rest of this story

Digging Deeper into NACFE’s Run on Less Truck Fuel-Efficiency RoadShow

Nussbaum Transportation used several different trailers during the run. Photo: NACFE

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency released an in-depth report on its Run on Less fuel-efficiency roadshow. The three-week event last fall demonstrated that it's possible to get 10-plus mpg in real-world Class 8 freight-hauling operations. The report released at the Technology & Maintenance Council's annual meeting March 4 digs into the strategies used by the seven participating fleets.

During the 17-day run, seven trucks from participating fleets Albert Transport, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Division, Hirschbach, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Nussbaum Transportation, Ploger Transportation and U.S. Xpress, averaged 10.1 mpg, exceeding the 9 mpg goal and saving $2,877 gallons of fuel and $7,193 compared to the national average of 6.4 mpg for the over-the-road tractor-trailer population.

NACFE drew the following conclusions from the Run on Less event:

• 10 mpg does happen in the real world
• Conditions matter and need to be understood for decision-making
• High mpg requires efforts in many areas
• Telematics reports and data logging are worthwhile investments.

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The 17-day Run on Less fuel-efficiency event featured diverse truck routes, all converging in Atlanta. (Routes displayed using the MyGeodata Cloud online tool.)

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Fuel-efficient truck specs

The trucks, which were 2015 model year or newer, used commercially available technologies. Including engines and engine ratings for maximum fuel efficiency, downsped powertrains, considerable attention to aerodynamics, and in some cases idle reduction equipment, including solar panels.

Some of the specifications employed across the seven participants were quite similar, others very diverse. Features that were common across all seven included:

• All-inclusive tractor aerodynamics, including sloped hoods, bumper dams, aerodynamic mirrors, chassis fairings, full height roof fairings, cab extenders, vented mud flaps and drive wheel fairings with wheel covers.
• Low rolling resistance tires on most wheel ends.
• Automated manual transmissions.
• Downsped powertrains at 2.67 at faster.
• Low viscosity engine lubrication.
• Engine programing for idle shutdown and diesel-fired heaters for idle ...Read the rest of this story

Cengage Partners with S/P2 on Transportation Training Programs

Education and technology company Cengage has partnered with S/P2, an online training provider for businesses and career tech schools, to integrate safety pollution prevention and soft skills training within its MindTap digital learning platform.

The partnership is designed to give students in transportation training programs both the technical and professional skills they need to be successful in the workplace.

Many transportation programs currently use both MindTap for teaching theory and diagnostics, as well as S/P2 for safety, pollution prevention and soft skills training. Often, S/P2 training is required before students can enter medium/heavy duty truck shops.

Integrating S/P2 content directly into MindTap provides both students and faculty a single point of access for all of their essential training content.

In addition to MindTap Medium/Heavy Truck, all transportation MindTap products, including MindTap Automotive and MindTap Collision, will deliver S/P2 content at no additional cost. Students can also access MindTap as part of a Cengage Unlimited subscription, which gives students access to all of the company's digital higher education materials.

“We know that employers want students who have both technical skills, such as theory, application and diagnostic training, as well safety and soft skills,” said Katie McGuire, senior product manager, Cengage. “By partnering with S/P2, we're giving students the best of both worlds, and ensuring they are prepared to be successful in the workplace.”

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Solar and Energy Storage Go Corporate

Commercial solar is finally being paired with energy storage.

Lippert Components introduces somnum Discovery Latex Foam Mattress

Lippert Components is bringing a new line of truck mattress to market designed to exceed OE mattress standards and give drivers a mattress as good as the one they have at home. Lippert current builds 2,800 mattress each day for trucking and the RV market. During a press conference held in conjunction with the 2018 Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibit, Lippert Components introduced their latest somnum Sleeper Series mattresses.

"Driver satisfaction is top of mind for the majority of OTR trucking fleets as they deal with the challenges of a current driver shortage facing the commercial vehicle industry," notes Mike Padrnos, business development manager at LCI. “A comfortable mattress is a relatively small investment to a truck's sleeper. A quality bunk mattress may entice a driver to join your company, stay with your company and might deter them from leaving. It's certainly an important factor for drivers who spend 200+ nights on the road every year.”

Padrnos likened some of the current mattresses found while doing market research to be like "prison mats."

"We talked to drivers about existing products and some of the health problems they experience stemming from poor quality mattresses," he said. "we also discovered that drivers have great difficulty finding sheets to fit the obscure mattress sizes."

Lippert is also offering a line of specially tailored sheet sets for trucks. The fitted bottom sheet is equipped with a drawstring to cinch it tightly around the mattress. They are designed to fit mattresses up to 10 inches thick and come in a single color that compliments many of today's truck interiors. One SKU will cover about 80% of the mattress product currently in the market place, said Padrnos.

The newest somnum mattress is the Discovery; a 10" latex foam mattress constructed with a combination core. It pairs ...Read the rest of this story

Rush Service Connect Now Allows Maintenance Tracking, Analysis

RushCare Service Connect now allows fleets to easily track maintenance costs.

Mega truck dealer group Rush Enterprises is doubling down on fleet uptime with its RushCare Service Connect communications platform.

First announced two years ago, RushCare Service Connect gives fleet customers an online, on-demand, 360-degree view of the service process for vehicles in Rush Truck Centers' service departments. The latest enhancements have turned it into a tool fleets can use for tracking maintenance and warranty and analyzing many maintenance costs.

“The enhancements made to RushCare Service Connect make it even easier to monitor maintenance and warranty information, receive alerts and schedule service all in one place, when needed,” said Brian Mulshine, Director of Operations Technology and Innovation, Rush Enterprises.

Mulshine, who joined Rush several years ago after being in charge of Navistar International's telematics program, said his goal has been to create a “unified strategy on remote diagnostics,” he told HDT in an interview. “We support a lot of different brands, but every brand is going a different way, and we need to make sure as an organization how we support our customers.”

“This product here is scary, how much it will do,” he said. Rush has put in a lot of work to make the web interface intuitive and easy to use for fleet customer. A responsive design means it can easily be used whether a fleet manager is at their desk or using a smartphone or tablet.

Truck fleet maintenance and warranty tracking

RushCare Service Connect's new maintenance tracking module allows users to easily create custom maintenance tables for every asset type and apply them to any vehicle or trailer in the system. The system incorporates the TMC Vehicle Maintenance Record Standards (VMRS) with visual indicators for easy identification by users. The VMRS codes are easy to input, even if you don't know ...Read the rest of this story