Hendrickson Partners With Freightliner on 6×2 Liftable Forward Tandem Axle

Image: Hendrickson

ATLANTA — Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems has partnered with Freightliner Trucks to offer the OptiMaax 6x2 liftable forward tandem axle on the new Cascadia, the company announced at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show taking place this week in Atlanta.

The OptiMaax axle can help fleet customers optimize the movement of variable loads, as well as assisting carriers with diminishing loads, such as bulk haulers and delivery vehicles that may have empty back hauls after carrying items such as groceries, livestock, beverages, and fuel. It also helps fleets that focus on weight reduction and those who want to improve fuel efficiency.

Automated controls sense the load capacity and either lift or lower the axle without relying on the driver, maximizing time with a raised axle and enhancing traction. The OptiMaax 6x2 design is compatible with drum and air disc brakes and is unique because the axle is fully welded, not bolted, adding strength and durability according to Hendrickson.

The benefits:

“This combines a leader in heavy trucks with a leader in suspension technology,” said Gerry Remus general manager sales and business development for Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems. “It's one more way we're focused on engineering our product for efficiency, and are lowering the overall running costs for fleets.”

Related: Hendrickson Introduces OptiMaax Liftable Forward Tandem Axle System for 6x2

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Daimler Announces Public Highway Platooning Tests

Roger Nielsen said at the NACV Show that Detroit Assurance Safety Systems are the enabling platform for the company's current platooning tests in Oregon and Nevada. Screenshot via DTNA

ATLANTA — For the first time in North America, Daimler Trucks showcased its entire lineup of commercial vehicles, from mid-sized vans to school buses to Class 8 long-haul tractors at a press event kicking off the opening day of the North American Commercial Vehicle Show (NACV) in Atlanta today.

The collection of vehicles, highlighted with a concept model of a next-generation Sprinter van, was a clear indication that Daimler views the future of logistics as coordinated, data-driven chain dependent on the efficient deployment of all sorts of vehicles with different sizes, shapes, and capabilities.

During the press briefing, Roger Nielsen, president and chief executive officer of Daimler's North American Truck business division also noted that the company has been testing advanced platooning systems on public roads in both Oregon (near Portland, where the company's North American headquarters is located) and in Nevada, which was an early adopter of autonomous vehicle regulations in 2014. The tests are based largely on the Detroit Assurance suite of active vehicle safety systems, Nielsen said, which enable coordinated vehicle movement at close following distances in platooning applications to take advantage of increased fuel efficiency brought enabled by shared aerodynamic efficiencies.

Nielsen noted that Daimler engineers have been testing platooning systems on test tracks and select U.S. highways, demonstrating how the new technology can improve fuel efficiency, driver productivity, convenience, and safety.

The first step of platooning is called “pairing,” where two trucks travel in tandem at distances closer than what is possible under manual operation. A team of engineers is testing the system in trucks under controlled circumstances in both Oregon and Nevada highways, driving in cooperation with officials in those ...Read the rest of this story

Brodsky, Voice of Retrading, Passes Away

Harvey Brodsky, the longtime managing director of first the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) and then the Retread Tire Association (RTA), has died in Pacific Grove, Calif. He was 81.

He died on Sept. 17 of complications from lung cancer, which he had been battling since March of this year.

"One of Harvey's many sayings has become a guidepost for RTA: 'Always be better than you need to be,' says Managing Director Jeffrey Parks, who knew and worked with Brodsky for 35 years.

He would also say, “There's never a wrong time to do the right thing, and there's never a right time to do the wrong thing.”

"All words to live by, every day," says Parks.

Brodsky was born Dec. 16, 1935, and raised in Philadelphia, "and like most guys from Philly, was a friend for life once he got to know you," says Parks. "He made lifelong friends there and he loved them all to the end.

"As a boy, he loved baseball, collected statistics, cards, news clippings and could name any player or team. He took his first job in his father Max's auto upholstery business, and was a devoted son to him and his mother, Gertrude, along with his sister and his brother Frank."

After a stint in the Army, he started his own company, a one-man upholstery business. "He sold himself door to door, to the finest and also the simplest restaurants and bars of LA, upholstering booths that would be occupied by the movie stars of the day, at Musso and Frank, Bordner's, The Rainbow Room, Formosa Café, places of Hollywood history, and countless more," says Parks.

Over the years, Brodsky shared stories of his encounters with famous people with his friends in the tire industry. He lunched with author Ayn Rand; met actor and future president Ronald Reagan on ...Read the rest of this story

Voice of Retreading Brodsky Passes Away

Brodsky

Harvey Brodsky, the longtime managing director of first the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) and then the Retread Tire Association (RTA), has died in Pacific Grove, Calif. He was 81.

He died on Sept. 17 of complications from lung cancer, which he had been battling since March of this year.

"One of Harvey's many sayings has become a guidepost for RTA: 'Always be better than you need to be,' says Managing Director Jeffrey Parks, who knew and worked with Brodsky for 35 years.

He would also say, “There's never a wrong time to do the right thing, and there's never a right time to do the wrong thing.”

"All words to live by, every day," says Parks.

Brodsky was born Dec. 16, 1935, and raised in Philadelphia, "and like most guys from Philly, was a friend for life once he got to know you," says Parks. "He made lifelong friends there and he loved them all to the end.

"As a boy, he loved baseball, collected statistics, cards, news clippings and could name any player or team. He took his first job in his father Max's auto upholstery business, and was a devoted son to him and his mother, Gertrude, along with his sister and his brother Frank."

After a stint in the Army, he started his own company, a one-man upholstery business. "He sold himself door to door, to the finest and also the simplest restaurants and bars of LA, upholstering booths that would be occupied by the movie stars of the day, at Musso and Frank, Bordner's, The Rainbow Room, Formosa Café, places of Hollywood history, and countless more," says Parks.

Over the years, Brodsky shared stories of his encounters with famous people with his friends in the tire industry. He lunched with author Ayn Rand; met actor and future president Ronald ...Read the rest of this story

Zonar Docs Streamlines Reporting for Small to Medium-Sized Fleets

Photo: Zonar

Zonar has announced the Zonar Docs image capturing solution designed to improve the paperwork management process.

The cloud-based technology is designed to improve operational efficiency for carriers and help drivers get paid faster by reducing the time it takes to deliver paperwork, including invoices, receipts, and more to dispatch.

“Zonar Docs is a natural addition to our smart fleet management offerings and reduces the substantial paperwork burden currently placed on fleet managers and drivers alike,” said Larry Jordan, chief product officer at Zonar. “The new technology builds on Zonar's aim to streamline fleet management processes.”

Zonar Docs works with Zonar Connect – the company's tablet that connects truck drivers and fleet managers – by using real-time mobile technology. Zonar Docs is an automated process and reduces the time it takes the paperwork to reach dispatch. The solution provides proof-of-load delivery for fleet managers and creates a web portal for dispatch to track and download materials. Zonar Docs is designed for use in small to medium-sized fleets.

Drivers log into the Zonar Docs application on the Zonar Connect tablet using Single Sign-On technology with their driver ID and pin. Within the app, they are led through a step-by-step guide for submitting paperwork for a delivery where they add photo documentation and submit to the database server from the road. Once the document is submitted, dispatch is able to view the material in the Admin Portal and approve it in real-time ultimately increasing operational efficiency for the fleet.

For more information on Zonar Docs, click here.

Zonar has also announced the initial integration of Continental's ContiPressureCheck, a system designed to measure tire pressure and send alerts in real-time into Zonar's fleet management software, Ground Traffic Control.

“Tire pressure is one of the most critical aspects of tire safety and removal mileage. Failure to properly maintain ...Read the rest of this story

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