Shared values in the workplace … and in the truck cab

Kane is Able acquires Vintners Logistics

Geotab Roadside aims to maximize fleet uptime

Special Vans Haul Horses from the Fairgrounds

A shiney 53 by 102 van waits to be loaded with 15 horses at the Delaware County (Ohio) Fairgrounds. The Fleet Equine trailer's made mostly of stainless and galvanized steel. Photos: Tom Berg

My spare-bedroom office in Delaware, Ohio, faces the main entrance to the county fairgrounds, whose national claim to fame is harness racing and the annual Little Brown Jug competition. Harness racing, also called trotting, uses Standardbred horses, so I see a lot of horse-hauling rigs go into and out of the grounds at all hours of the day and night. Most are small to medium-size units pulled by heavy duty pickups.

This morning I saw the largest and sharpest horse trailer I can remember. It was big-rig size, and its polished metal sides glistened in the sun. I had to go see it, and had no excuse not to because it takes me all of five minutes to drive from my garage to the stables area on the fairgrounds.

Turns out this rig was one of four, all owned by J.R. Hudson Horse Transportation out of Massachusetts. Three had polished stainless steel sides and looked fairly new, and the fourth looked like painted aluminum. All were 53 by 102s, but to me they looked shorter. They had polished aluminum wheels and showed signs of good maintenance.

The one I spotted earlier was made by Fleet Equine, a specialty builder in Shorewood, Illinois, near Joliet. The company's owner, Jerry Feyrzzula, said his trailers are built mostly of steel, using high-nickel-content stainless with galvanized underframes, running gear, and other parts. These materials resist corrosion from urine, a common problem with horse vans, and of course road salt.

Most vans are highly customized to suit customers' preferences. Aside from the number and placement of horse stalls along the lower floor, ...Read the rest of this story

When 8.38 MPG is Even More Impressive Than You Think

Tammy Newcomer, center, with Jet Express President Kevin Burch, left, and Vnomics' Ed McCarthy. Photo: Vnomics

There's more to fuel economy than just a number. Yes, it's exciting to read about fleets that are achieving 10 mpg and even more — but typically those are with the most fuel-efficent-spec'ed trucks and the top drivers. But you don't have to achieve those lofty levels to make a big difference in your bottom line.

Take Tammy Newcomer, a driver for Ohio-based Jet Express. Between January and August, she averaged 8.38 mpg. That's pretty impressive on its own — but what was more impressive was that according to an onboard fuel optimization/driver coaching system, she reached 99.9% of her potential mpg.

During a single week, according to Vnomics, Newcomer drove almost 2,500 miles with an efficiency of over 99.92% of potential mpg. That means only 2/10ths of a gallon of the over 280 gallons her truck consumed was in excess of the fuel an ideal driver would have used under the same conditions.

Newcomer was the first winner of Vnomics' new Fuel Champ Award program, chosen from among the more than 20,000 drivers who use the Vnomics in-cab fuel optimization solution. She received a check for $350, which represents approximately how much money she saves Jet Express each month in fuel costs with her efficient driving, explained Ed McCarthy, vice president of operations and customer success at Vnomics.

“Compared to Tammy''s achievement of 99.92% of potential mpg, the average driver unassisted by True Fuel would have used over 9% percent more fuel on average, or more than 100 gallons more per month. In addition, due to Newcomer's skill, last year alone her truck emitted 13.2 tons less CO2 compared to a typical driver.”

The Vnomics True Fuel fuel optimization solution only considers factors that a driver can ...Read the rest of this story

Prestolite Expands Line of Starter Motors Expands with PowerPro 7.5

Prestolite Electric has launched the PowerPro 7.5, an all-new 24-volt, 7.5 kilowatt starter motor as part of the PowerPro family of replacement starters from Leece-Neville Heavy Duty Systems.

Designed for use in diesel engines up to 16L, the in-line, gear reduction starter offers has been engineered to meet the needs of demanding heavy duty, medium duty, off-highway, agricultural and bus applications.

The PowerPro 7.5 is designed to be an ideal replacement for use in Agco Power, Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit, John Deere, Mercedes-Benz, Perkins, Volvo and other popular engine models. Each starter offers consistent, high-output power in a small, lightweight package, according to Prestolite.

“Like other offerings in the PowerPro family, the PowerPro 7.5 is engineered to deliver a combination of premium performance and exceptional value,” said Jonathan Smith, assistant director of aftermarket sales and marketing, Prestolite. “It offers a host of built-in technologies designed to ensure reliability under extreme conditions, leading to reduced maintenance costs, increased vehicle uptime and improved ROI for our customers.”

The PowerPro 7.5 includes Prestolite's Integral Mag Switch (IMS) technology, which helps to eliminate voltage drop issues by minimizing wiring between the relay and solenoid. Other key features include an electrical soft start system designed to prevent ring gear damage, rotatable flange for added versatility and a sealed, nose-less design to protect against dust, oil, water and other contaminates.

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Swift Celebrates Tech Excellence With SwiftTech Competition

At the SwiftTech competition, technicians were given simulated problems to troubleshoot and solve within a set time limit. Photos: Steven Martinez

A palpable sense of excitement and anxiety was in the air at Swift Transportation's sprawling complex on the outskirts of Phoenix last month, as technicians showed off their skills in the annual SwiftTech technician competition. The competition pits maintenance personnel against each other in timed troubleshooting trials, not unlike the American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council SuperTech competition. But Swift is taking it a step further.

Planning for the event starts six months ahead of time, explained Angel Chavez, director of shop training operations and compliance. Chavez has been at Swift for more than a decade, and the SwiftTech competition is, in part, his brainchild.

Each technician is given a truck with a pre-determined problem and tasked with identifying and troubleshooting the problem to the satisfaction of an on-the-spot judge. A bullhorn sounds at the end of each timed event to alert participants that time's up. A complicated schedule indicates which technicians should be at which station, at what time.

Chavez, a technician before moving into his role as head of training at Swift, explained that sometimes a really good technician can get lost in the world of test scores. Some employees might have an intuitive ability to understand a maintenance problem but have a harder time explaining it on pen and paper.

So instead of relying solely on test scores, Swift allows the maintenance directors at each terminal to choose who they want to compete in SwiftTech. This allows somebody who isn't the absolute best test taker to have a shot at competing based on the director's knowledge of his or her actual work.

This year the competition was broadened to include not just tractor technicians, but also trailer techs, tire techs, and ...Read the rest of this story