Morgan Offers Mid-Temp NexGen Truck Body

Morgan Corporation has expanded its NexGen product line of truck bodies to include a medium- or mid-temp unit that is geared towards markets that require consistent temperatures from 35 through 75-degrees Fahrenheit.

Situated between its dry freight and refrigerated bodies, the units can be either cooled or heated based on the application. The mid-temp body is designed for delivery applications such as florists, bakeries, caterers, wine merchants, produce suppliers, and art/auction houses.

Morgan will also be demonstrating a prototype Home Delivery truck body that will incorporate the same design features as the existing line of NexGen bodies. With multiple curbside loading/unloading compartments of varying temperatures that allow for the transportation of frozen foods, fresh groceries, and packaged goods, the NexGen Home Delivery body is designed to meet the needs of the Final Mile transportation industry.

Morgan NexGen bodies are lighter than current industry truck bodies, yet carry 400 – 600 pounds of increased payload than similarly-sized bodies, according to the company. The light and strong design results in better fuel economy, increased cargo capacity, and a better resistance to the elements.

The lightweight body is built of non-corrosive materials to inhibit rust. Built for durability, the NexGen body boasts innovative features including a stain-resistant phenolic flooring in the dry freight body and an aluminum “silent floor” in the reefer. Leak-free sealed joints keep product, cargo, or tools dry because NexGen bodies are designed with elastomeric gaskets in the connection profiles that provide the protection from water intrusion. NexGen bodies offer a seamless design to easily install graphics that highlight a company's brand.

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NTSB Faults both Trucker and Motorist in Fatal Tesla Crash

Joshua Brown's Tesla sedan, after the crash with a truck that took his life. Photo: NTSB/Florida Highway Patrol

The National Transportation Safety Board has ruled that a truck driver's failure to yield the right of way and a car driver's “inattention due to overreliance on vehicle automation” are the probable cause of the May 7, 2016, collision of a tractor-trailer and a Tesla Model S 70D sedan operating in autonomous mode.

The first fatal crash of an autonomous car in the U.S., the accident claimed the life of the Tesla's driver, 40-year-old Joshua Brown, of Canton, Ohio.

In its determination, issued on Sept. 12, NTSB also found that the operational design of the Tesla's vehicle automation “permitted the car driver's overreliance on the automation, noting its design allowed prolonged disengagement from the driving task and enabled the driver to use it in ways inconsistent with manufacturer guidance and warnings.”

“While automation in highway transportation has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives, until that potential is fully realized, people still need to safely drive their vehicles,” said NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt III in a statement. “Smart people around the world are hard at work to automate driving, but systems available to consumers today, like Tesla's ‘Autopilot' system, are designed to assist drivers with specific tasks in limited environments. These systems require the driver to pay attention all the time and to be able to take over immediately when something goes wrong.”

He added that “safeguards, that should have prevented the Tesla's driver from using the car's automation system on certain roadways, were lacking and the combined effects of human error and the lack of sufficient system safeguards resulted in a fatal collision that should not have happened.”

Per NTSB, the report's findings include:

Oliver Rubber Launches Wide-Base Retread for Line Haul

Oliver Rubber has launched the Oliver Ultra Low Profile Vantage Drive, a new SmartWay-verified, wide-base drive-axle position retread for line haul and regional applications.

The ULP Vantage Drive has a unique tread feature called VDI Plus. The tread resists stone retention, other road debris, and helps enforce any pull-point schedule. Pressed with Oliver's proprietary compound, the retread is designed for improved tread wear and low rolling resistance.

ULP Vantage Drive is available in a 390 width. This drive position retread expands the portfolio of SmartWay-verified choices in the ULP lineup.

“Keeping America's goods and freight moving is critical for today's supply chain,” said Adam Murphy, vice president of marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires. “Oliver continues to earn our customers' trust from 100-plus years of retreading experience that helps them keep their business moving.”

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Rolling Strong holds health fairs for Driver Appreciation Week

Rolling Strong is partnering with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and TA and Petro Stopping Centers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week to provide CDL wellness coaches and conduct health screenings across the country.

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CalAmp introduces turnkey ELD solution

CalAmp today introduced its V-Series ELD designed to help the trucking industry meet the Dec. 18, 2017 deadline of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration electronic logging device (ELD) mandate.

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Recovering from Hurricane Irma

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along with other government agencies and military units continue to send relief supplies and personnel into areas affected by Hurricane Irma. Those efforts including staging such supplies at a variety of locations, including military bases, ahead of the storm's landfall at Cudjoe Key island off the western coast of Florida just after 9 a.m. on Sunday, September 10.

Kenworth Joins SuperTruck II Project

Kenworth T680 with 76-inch sleeper. Photo: Kenworth

Kenworth has announced that it will participate in the Department of Energy's SuperTruck II program, collaborating closely with the Paccar Technical Center and DAF Trucks, a subsidiary of Paccar, to develop fuel efficient technologies.

The company's focus is on developing advancements in Class 8 truck aerodynamics, engine, and powertrain efficiencies with $8 million in year-one funding, provided by the Vehicle Technologies Office of the DOE. Other participants include Eaton, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Mississippi State University, and AVL.

The project will center around Kenworth's flagship on-highway model T680 with the 76-inch sleeper and the fuel-efficient Paccar MX engine. The project's target goals include the demonstration of greater than 100% improvement in freight efficiency over 2009 equivalent product and achieving 55% in engine brake thermal efficiency.

“The U.S. DOE SuperTruck II project is an excellent opportunity for Kenworth, the Paccar Technical Center, and DAF engineers, along with our partners, to explore significant modifications to aerodynamic design, while also developing key ways to further enhance the efficiency of the Paccar MX engine and Paccar powertrain,” said Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president. “This is an important program that can produce real-world results to benefit fleets and truck operators with even greater reductions in fuel usage and emissions in the future.”

Paccar joins teams from Cummins, Daimler Trucks North America, Navistar, and Volvo, in the SuperTruck II program, working to develop innovative technologies designed to more than double the freight efficiency of Class 8 trucks. Up to $12 million in additional funding could be awarded for the Kenworth T680 and Paccar MX engine project over the next three years, subject to annual appropriations by Congress.

Kenworth sister company Peterbilt participated in the original SuperTruck program in a joint effort with Cummins, which debuted its vehicle in 2014, ...Read the rest of this story