Rodriguez Distribution Joins Power Heavy Duty

Aftermarket parts distributor Rodriguez Distribution has joined Power Heavy Duty as a member company.

Rodriguez Distribution was started in 2008 and is a heavy- and light-duty distributor of aftermarket parts and components that also distributes chemicals and shop supplies. Located in Newark, N.J., Rodriguez Distribution serves the metro Newark and central new Jersey market areas.

The company's customer base includes owner-operators and small to midsize fleets. It also has service contracts for quick lube and custom electrical hose assembly.

“Rodriguez Distribution serves a strategic customer base out of its Newark, New Jersey location,” said Mark Iasiello, general manager, Power Heavy Duty. “We look forward to helping grow their business with quality parts from industry leading manufacturers that are available through Power Heavy Duty.”

Related: Independent Aftermarket Getting Poised for the Future

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Alignment and Balancing: Hassle, or Worth the Hustle?

Many fleets dread the downtime. But according to Rush Truck Centers, front-end alignments can be done in as little as 90 minutes. Photo:  Rush Truck Centers

There are always trade-offs when it comes to maintenance practices, and tires are no different. In a perfect world, every fleet would take the time and spend the money to make sure its trucks' tires were properly aligned and balanced. But trucks are heavy – and the kinetic forces that surge through a suspension after hitting one good pothole are many times stronger than anything a passenger car ever has to deal with. That one pothole can undo an alignment job in a split second. So why bother?

The same philosophy holds true for balancing tires: Every truck shakes and shimmies its way down the road to one degree or another. So unless that shimmy is really, really bad, why bother?

The counter-argument here is a pretty simple one: The biggest fleet expenses typically are drivers, tires, and fuel. If you're having issues getting one or more of those costs under control, an alignment and/or tire balancing program might yield dividends.

Your fleet may want to invest in alignment equipment from companies such as Hunter or Bee Line to do your own alignments.

Victor Cummings, vice president, service operations, for mega-dealer group Rush Enterprises, says that often fleets don't perform front-end alignments themselves. Instead, they take the truck to a service shop. This means it can be seen as an inconvenience to take the vehicle out of service. But, he says, fleets that do so enjoy some significant benefits.

“The biggest advantages to front-end alignments for heavy-duty vehicles include improved fuel economy and reduced tread wear, thus extending the life of your tires,” Cummings says. “Depending on the severity, a misalignment could also present a safety issue, so it is an ...Read the rest of this story

Capitol Hill Dems Float Bill to Force Sleep-Apnea Rule

Image: Volvo Group

Six weeks after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration pulled their advance notice of proposed rulemaking on obstructive sleep apnea, Democrats in both the House and Senate are pushing back.

The legislation they're sponsoring would force the Department of Transportation to mandate sleep-apnea testing and treatment for both truck drivers and railroad engineers.

The lawmakers' move also came just a week after the National Transportation Safety Board said that engineers involved in two deadly commuter-train crashes near New York City were diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the bill in the Senate, where it is cosponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). A companion bill was introduced in the House by Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) and Albio Sires (D-NJ).

“Whether on the roads or the rails, the safety of the traveling public must be our highest transportation priority,” said Sen. Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate's mass transit subcommittee. “I'm disappointed that the administration chose to put the traveling public at risk by ignoring the threat sleep apnea poses. This legislation would address that failure and implement this commonsense public safety policy to protect riders, save lives, and make our rails and roadways safer.”

Sen. Booker, Ranking Member of the Senate subcommittee on rail infrastructure called the administration's pulling of the sleep apnea pre-rule “shortsighted and reckless.”

According to Senate Minority Leader Schumer, a federal law “would force all rail lines— in New York, New Jersey and across the country— to conduct these [apnea] tests in perpetuity and with clear federal guidelines. Across-the-board sleep apnea testing must be law of the land for train operators and commercial drivers to help ensure us that the tragedies that happened in Brooklyn and in Hoboken will be prevented ...Read the rest of this story

Covenant Rebrands to Emphasize Variety of Services

Joey Hogan, president of Covenant Photo: Covenant Transport Services

Covenant Transport has rebranded itself Covenant Transport Solutions, the carrier announced, to emphasize the variety of services offered by the group which includes Covenant Transport, Covenant Transport Solutions, Southern Refrigerated Transport and Star Transportation.

Covenant Transport Services was officially launched on Sept. 25, at the group's headquarters in Chattanooga, Tenn. The change is designed to show shippers the variety of options available to them through the group, creating opportunities for one-stop shopping, according to Covenant's president Joey Hogan.

“Some of our expedited customers may not be aware we also offer temperature-controlled and dedicated services,” said Hogan. “We've always been problem solvers, so we see this as a natural progression of that mentality and mission to offer each customer the biggest bang for their buck.”

All group members will continue to operate independently with their own facilities, equipment, staff, and drivers, and will remain under common ownership. The most notable change will be felt by customers who will be able to access the complete range of the group's resources and service offerings, unencumbered by segmenting, according to Tyson Wimberly, senior vice president of sales.

Under covenant transport services, shippers will have access to:

“This is game-changing,” said Wimberly. “This is 30 years in the making for this group of companies and we look forward to growing together and meeting our customers' needs better, faster, and safer than ever before.”

Related: Custom App Helps Covenant Meet Ever-Expanding Needs

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

New Class 4, 5 Silverados on the way from Chevrolet

read more

This Fleet Promote Good Causes with Vinyl Graphics

Finding a cure for breast cancer is one of the causes promoted by Mike Culbertson's materials-hauling rigs. Vantage end-dump displays a pink ribbon and Kenworth T680 tractor wears the special pink hue.  Photos: Tom Berg

Look at the graphics on that dump trailer! That's rather unusual for that kind of vehicle, but you'll see it and others if you live near Columbus, Ohio, where Mike's Trucking operates.

Mike Culbertson, founder of the materials-hauling fleet, identifies his company with a snappy pink, teal, and white logo, and in the last 10 years has applied advertising and theme designs to some of his aluminum dump trailers and truck bodies.

“I've done a flowing American flag, a POW-MIA, autism [awareness], and the fight for a breast cancer cure,” Culbertson said during HDT's visit on a recent Saturday morning.

Out on a large dirt lot, from a line of rigs parked for the weekend, he pulled a pink Kenworth tractor and Vantage end-dump trailer decorated with a big “Find The Cure” pink ribbon on either side; nearby sat other trailers carrying ads for a group of auto dealers, a John Deere implement dealer, and a radio station. Two new dump trucks sport graphics for another cancer campaign.

Except for the cost of producing and applying the wraps, the ads produce monthly revenue that goes to his company's bottom line. The radio station gives him reduced rates for his own commercials promoting his trucking service. The theme work he did out of patriotism and to support research efforts to find cures for the afflictions. He noted that several female friends have had breast cancer.

Route 40 Signs in Springfield collaborates on the designs, then produces and applies the vinyl wraps, according to Ryan Lee, a principal at the business. Mike's Trucking has been a regular customer for about five years, ...Read the rest of this story

FlowBelow Offers Quick-Release Aerodynamic Fairings

Photo: FlowBelow

FlowBelow has announced a new quick-release fairing option for the company's Tractor AeroKit system, allowing fleets to quickly remove fairings for easier access.

The quick-release mounting system allows drivers to remove the fairings in seconds without tools to accomplish tasks, such as installing tire chains, in quick order. The new feature is designed for fleets that have been resistant to using drive wheel fairings on trucks for accessibility reasons.

The Tractor AeroKit maximizes the aerodynamic performance of the company's wheel covers by also controlling the airflow between the wheels and behind the wheels. Based on SAE fuel economy testing, the fairings have demonstrated a significant fuel savings of 2.23% in combination with wheel covers, which is over three times the fuel savings of wheel covers alone.

“With the exception of the Freightliner Cascadia with Aero package, which comes standard with our wheel covers, over 80% of our customers utilize the complete AeroKit as opposed to wheel covers alone,” said Josh Butler, FlowBelow CEO. “Most fleets cannot even measure the fuel savings of wheel covers by themselves. By enhancing our AeroKit with quick-release fairings we are targeting customers that desperately want achieve the maximum fuel savings possible without creating extra work for their mechanics and drivers.”

Related: Peterbilt to Offer FlowBelow Fairing System on Model 579

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter