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

Senate to Hold Hearing on Automated Trucks

Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) at a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing. Photo: Office of Sen. John Thune

On Sept. 13, Senator John Thune of South Dakota (R), will convene a Senate Commerce Committee hearing to examine the potential benefits and impacts of automated commercial vehicles.

Titled “Transportation Innovation: Automated Trucks and Our Nation's Highways," the hearing will look at the benefits of automated truck safety technology as well as the potential impacts on jobs and the economy. It will focus on trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles as part of bipartisan efforts to draft self-driving legislation.

While the House on Sept. 6 passed a bill that could help speed the development of self-driving cars, the legislation makes no mention of commercial vehicles. It has been reported that commercial vehicles were cut out of the measure as a sop to labor unions that see self-driving trucks as a threat to jobs.

“Self-driving technology for trucks and other large vehicles has emerged as a pivotal issue in Congress' attempt to help usher in a new era of transportation,” said Thune. “This hearing will offer all members of the Commerce Committee the opportunity to hear expert testimony on the future highway safety benefits of applying automated technology to trucks as well as perspectives on excluding trucks from legislation affecting small passenger vehicles.”

Transportation industry leaders scheduled to speak at the hearing including Chris Spear, American Trucking Associations president and CEO; Troy Clarke, CEO of Navistar; Deborah Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council; as well as representatives from the Colorado State Patrol and Teamsters union.

The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. eastern standard time in the Russell Senate Office Building, room 253. Witness testimony, opening statements and a live video of the hearing will be available on www.commerce.senate.gov.

Related: ...Read the rest of this story

T-Mobile to Offer Cloud-Based Telematics Product

T-Mobile will offer a cloud-based fleet management telematics system called SyncUP FLEET this fall under a partnership with Geotab, the wireless provider announced.

The product will be available for $3 per month on an interest-free 24-month equipment installment plan with a $15-per-month unlimited mobile data plan per vehicle. The provider will offer the product this fall.

SyncUP FLEET includes connected hardware and a cloud-based platform with tools that fleet managers can access from their smartphone, tablet or desktop. The system includes a connected device that plugs into a vehicle's on-board diagnostics (OBDII) port. Customers then create an online account to enable the telematics system.

T-Mobile will offer limited pricing of no money down plus $3 per month for 24 months at 0% APR. A credit approval, deposit, and $25 SIM starter kit may be required. The plan includes 200 MB roaming and unlimited data at 512 kbps.

In October, T-Mobile plans to launch its 5G wireless network in Las Vegas. The company began testing earlier this year with Qualcomm and Ericsson. The company plans to operate a narrowband network for connected devices by the middle of 2018 that will support Cat-M, an Internet of Things standard for solutions that require voice support.

Related: 11 Innovators in Telematics

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