Meritor CEO Predicts Electrified Future

Cummins showed off its new electric concept truck at the NACV show. Photo: Deborah Lockridge

“There is a sea change in our industry with regard to electrification of the drivetrain,” said Jay Craig, CEO of Meritor, at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show. The actual percentage of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will be fully electric or hybrid electric by 2025, he said, is not as important as the surety that the number will be more than it is today.

Speaking to a room full of hundreds of trucking industry component suppliers at the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association Breakfast & Briefing, Craig laid out three reasons he's confident that electrified drivetrains will have an increasing place in the commercial vehicle industry.

The day before, Meritor had announced it will start testing an electric drivetrain for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles next year.

"Electrification has already begun," Craig said. China, he said, leads the world in electric trucks, with roughly 4% fully electric today. It's expected that will increase to about 15% by 2025. “You may say 15% isn't all the mjuch, but try to remember, they produce 800,000 commercial vehicles a year,” he said.

While other regions of the world are not as far ahead in adoption, he said, “I'm confident we will see much more rapid acceleration,” in part simply due to the sheer scale of development in China, which will drive down the cost of battery technology due to economies of scale.

In addition, he said, driven by the growth in China, those technologies are being proven. He noted that products from Jing-Jin Electric (JJE), which makes electric motors and drive assemblies for vehicles, also has a North American presence, with its products being used on the U.S. West Coast and in Europe, “and they have an excellent ...Read the rest of this story

Paper Transport Buys Into Safety-Focused Culture

Safety & Compliance Award winner Ken Marvenko owes some of the success of his fleet safety program to a 100% buy-in from all of the decision-makers within the company. Photo:  Paper Transport

Nearly a decade after 2017 HDT Safety & Compliance Award winner Ken Marvenko took a position with Paper Transport, he still remembers what brought him to his current role as the Wisconsin-based carrier's director of safety. After spending 14 years in a number of positions with Schneider and a couple more with a logistics company, Marvenko got “an itch to get back into managing an asset-based business,” focusing on taking his skills and experience to a new level. “It was a relatively short search once I was introduced to Paper Transport.”

Starting as the lead of the operations team with a group of 250 drivers, Marvenko put four years and a few accomplishments under his belt and was soon asked to take over the safety department. He didn't hesitate to accept the position and the challenges he knew he would face.

“It has been roughly four and a half years and we have grown to 750 drivers strong,” Marvenko says. “Our ability to consistently and successfully grow as an organization is directly predicated on our ability to function as a safe, first-in-class trucking organization.”

The success of his fleet safety program starts at the top – 100% buy-in from all of the decision-makers within the company. A culture of safety must be acted out, each day, hour, minute, and second, says Marvenko, stressing a strong conviction to “personal commitments,” which are usually directly influenced by or connected to family.

“At Paper Transport, we are committed to ensuring every employee gets home safe and without injury to their loved ones,” he explains.

Paper Transport's fleet safety program is multifaceted and includes a comprehensive orientation and onboarding ...Read the rest of this story

Allison to Bring 9-Speed Automatic Transmission to Market by 2020

Allison says its 9-speed transmission will be ready by 2020. Photo: Allison

ATLANTA – Allison Transmission plans to release the first 9-speed fully automatic transmission in 2020, offering fuel savings and available to help meet the next round of greenhouse gas emissions standards.

At the North American Commercial Vehicle Show, company officials said the fully automatic transmission for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles will be available globally and is targeted for release in 2020.

The new 9-speed transmission has a deep first gear ratio, includes an integral engine stop-start system, and is scheduled to be released in time for the EPA's GHG Phase 2 emissions standards.

“This 9-speed product launch represents the first in a number of new products which will demonstrate Allison's ongoing commitment to addressing the global challenge of improved fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gases,” said Randy Kirk, senior vice president -product engineering and product teams. The new 9-speed will reach up to 7% greater fuel efficiency than the base 6-speed model, he added.

“Customers can also expect up to 10% greater [fuel economy] or more when compared to a competing transmission.”

The new transmission marks the first of its kind for the medium-duty market and is ideal for Classes 3-7, especially distribution trucks, rental and lease trucks, and buses, Kirk said. With the new transmission, drivers can also look forward to better comfort due to smaller steps, a smoother start, and improved acceleration, Allison says.

“Many OEMs in North America, Europe and Asia have expressed interest and excitement, with prototype evaluations beginning for them yet this year," Kirk said. “This is the first in a number of new products we'll develop to meet the global challenge of increased fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions."

Related: Allison TC10 Available for Kenworth, Peterbilt Trucks Later this Year

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SAF-Holland Offers 20K Lift Axle Suspension System

Photos: Evan Lockridge

ATLANTA — SAF-Holland has introduced its large-capacity 20K Neway LSZ Auxiliary Steerable Lift Axle Suspension System, designed to be more compact with increased lift speed and improved ride performance. The company announced the LSZ along with other products at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta.

With an 18.3-inch package size, the LSZ's design is up to eight inches shorter than comparable lift axles, according to SAF-Holland, allowing it to fit into tighter spaces and providing extra frame rail space for additional equipment. The LSZ on a new truck can reduce the vehicle's overall wheelbase as well, providing more maneuverability to get in and out of tight spots.

The SuperChamber lift device provides double the lift speed of traditional air springs, according to SAF-Holland, protecting tire life and improving efficiency. SAF-Holland also says that it is more durable then comparable lifts and its strong lift force keeps the axle from bouncing and banging on the chassis, offering more comfort for drivers. The SuperChamber also provides increased protection from road hazards and easier access for servicing.

The angled design of the LSZ air springs improves tracking, stability, tire life and ground clearance. The LSZ also uses rolling lobe style air springs for a softer ride.

The LSZ has a proprietary kingpin design to improve ease of maintenance. No drilling, shimming, reaming, or the use of dial indicators is necessary. If knuckle components wear out, they can be replaced by removing a single bolt.

SAF-Holland also released a new Retrofit Kit for its automatic fifth wheel lighting system called Electronic Lock Indicator (Eli-te). The Holland Eli-te is designed to help drivers quickly confirm the proper coupling of their fifth wheel.

Designed for Holland FW35 Series Fifth Wheels, the Eli-te features a long-life, application specific electronic control module ...Read the rest of this story

PrePass Offers Tolling Analytics Solution

Photo: Help Inc.

Help Inc., provider of the truck weigh station bypass service PrePass, has introduced Inform Tolling - a new tolling data analytics solution for medium and large trucking companies to monitor and manage toll transactions.

The Inform Tolling solution provides data analytics so customers can see where truck tolls are being assessed and confirm that they are getting the best toll rates possible. It identifies fraudulent toll charges to give fleets visibility and alerts to toll violations.

“This is the next evolution of the Inform Suite, advanced data analytics dashboards included at no additional cost for PrePass Plus customers,” said Karen Rasmussen, Help Inc., president and CEO. “Help Inc., introduced the Inform Suite nearly a year ago with Inform Safety, which provides trucking fleets with quick, clear insights into the factors impacting their safety scores, which can affect their bypass rates at truck weigh stations and inspection sites.”

Inform Tolling works with PrePass Plus, the single transponder system that combines weigh station bypassing and electronic toll payment services under one account with consolidated invoices for both.

Inform Tolling allows customers to view their PrePass Plus toll transactions so they can analyze, manage, and receive user-defined alerts on tolling activity to improve their fleet's efficiency and better manage their financial exposure.

The Inform Tolling dashboard and snapshot provides a consolidated view of tolling activity from multiple tolling agencies so customers can better manage their fleet's PrePass Plus tolling activity.

To prevent misuse and theft of tolling devices, Inform Tolling allows customers to personalize a set of alerts that quickly identify potential fraudulent charges. These include alerts for trucks entering restricted tolling areas, high-volume toll charges, and tolls on unassigned devices. Customers using Inform Tolling also can view an annual statement that shows how much they are spending on tolls, as well as how much they are ...Read the rest of this story

Morgan Releases Improved Side Guards

Photo: Morgan Corporation

Morgan Corporation is set to release improved side- and rear-steps, plastic toolboxes, and side-guard protection devices for truck bodies, the company announced.

The new side- and rear-step designs and dent resistant plastic toolboxes are lighter than traditional metal toolboxes. They are also sealed to prevent water intrusions.

The importance of side guard protection in North America, especially in many of the major urban areas, is steadily increasing, according to Alex Epstein, an engineer with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Truck side guards are intended to sweep aside pedestrians and bicyclists in side-impact crashes, rather than being swept underneath the vehicle, Epstein said.

A number of U.S. cities and commercial insurers have joined 47 countries in requiring the use of side guards over the past five years.

Related: Morgan Offers Mid-Temp NexGen Trucking Body

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Panel: Trailers Next Frontier in Telematics

“The trailer is very much increasing in importance.” says Wabco's Jon Morrison. Photo: Deborah Lockridge

ATLANTA, GA – The power of telematics continues to advance, and there are still plenty of opportunities to be realized – especially when it comes to the rolling assets seen in a rearview mirror.

It's why Utility Trailer's Intelligent Trailer Symposium, held during the North American Commercial Vehicle Show, gathered a panel of high-profile executives to explore the promises and challenges of collecting, sharing, and using trailer-related data.

“We do spend a lot of time talking about trucks,” said Jon Morrison, Wabco's president – Americas. “The trailer is very much increasing in importance.”

The interest in data clearly involves more than filling spreadsheets and completing reports. Wabco has a boat tail that deploys and retracts at specific speeds based on data from existing antilock braking systems. Retreading programs can track the condition of individual tires equipped with RFID tags. Reefer settings can be monitored and changed remotely. Those are just a few examples.

“The demand for data is increasing everywhere,” said Berend Bracht, president and CEO of Bendix.

While the traditional focus has been on collecting the data because of an exception or unusual situation, like a fault code or collision, the possibilities that can be realized by analyzing “big data” will require a continuous stream of bits and bytes.

More data can be a good thing, but it presents new challenges to address. Will information collected about a trailer, for example, come from wired or wireless sensors? How will it ultimately be packaged and transmitted to drivers and operation teams? “There's a lot of data, but who gets that data?” Bracht asked, referring to one fundamental question.

“One of the biggest issues that still exists for fleets is light outage(s),” explained Dominic Grote, president and CEO of Grote Industries. Drivers need to ...Read the rest of this story