Minimizer Offers Insert-Style Version of Slick Plate

The Insert-Style Slick Plate from minimizer is a greaseless slick plate designed specifically for trucks that have Holland fifth wheels with built-in lube plate inserts.

These models include the Holland FWAL, FW31, and FW33 fifth wheels. The Insert-Style Plate joins the 5th Wheel Slick Plate, Trailer Slick Plate, and Slick Disk as Minimizers lineup of greaseless products.

By using the Insert-Style Slick Plate, truck drives and fleets no longer have to grease the fifth wheel's top plate.

"All of our products are Tested & Tortured to save you time or money," Kruckeberg said. "The Insert-Style Slick Plate does both. This product will save you money on grease and the messy time it takes to grease the fifth wheel plate."

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Trucking Ready for Harvey Recovery, Spot Market Data Suggests

Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs - Visual Communications Division

Noel Perry, chief economist of Truckstop.com analyzed early data on Hurricane Harvey's impact to the trucking industry spot market in a recently released report, examining how the market is predicting conditions on the ground.

Interestingly, in the week leading up to Harvey, incoming truck traffic decreased by nearly 20%, which Perry says was the result of truckers not wanting to get stuck in the region. However, even as the storm made landfall, the trend reversed somewhat as emergency supplies began moving into the region in the first few days.

The storm's effects on the ground were undeniable, as all goods leaving the area came to a virtual standstill. Again in the early part of the storm there was a burst of outbound activity, but for now, it seems, nobody is producing anything in the Gulf region until there is some guarantee that traffic will be able to carry it.

“Early in the storm, there were two days of aggressive outbound moves in dry van, when people seemed to realize it was now or never," Perry wrote. "Currently? Loads are very hard to come by. As a result, outbound prices have fallen, down 16% overall for the last week."

Because of the lack of outbound traffic, inbound freight is coming at a premium, with prices currently up 25% moving into Texas. Because of the likelihood that there will be no freight to take out of the region, freight companies are adding cost to the front end, according to Perry.

With the waters finally receding from Houston and the recovery and rebuilding effort getting set to begin, the dry van market has been hot because of the trailer's versatility in transporting multiple types of goods. On the opposite end, reefers are way ...Read the rest of this story

How GHG Phase 2 Will Affect Fleet Costs

Photo:Geralt

Starting with MY 2021, Class 7 and 8 trucks will see a 16% fuel efficiency improvement by the end of the phase in 2027, as well as reducing fuel consumption by up to 5% for tractor engines, and as much as 4% for vocational engines, as compared to Phase 1. Overall, the standards aim to reduce GHG emissions by 25% over the Phase 1 rules. On the heels of current diesel emissions faux pas experienced by more than one vehicle manufacturer, the new regs will also include improved testing procedures, heightened enforcement audits, and greater defense against devices programmed to circumvent the rules. Add to that stricter diesel engine standards, a vocational vehicle program that was tailored to match the right technology for the job, and the ability for manufacturers to customize their mix of applied technologies, and you can see why it is important to get a headstart on the upcoming changes.

But where do the requirements end and the costs begin? According to original equipment manufacturers ...Read the rest of this story

IRTA-GCCA develops food safety training program for refrigerated carriers

A new training program developed by the International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA), a partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), will help drivers of temperature-controlled trucks meet the compliance requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (STF).

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Consolidated Chassis Management offers new toll program

Consolidated Chassis Management announced it has contracted with American Traffic Solutions in an effort to make the handling of unpaid tolls a more consistent and less burdensome process.

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Schneider achieved near-zero cargo thefts in 2016

Schneider, which moved more than 3 million loads throughout the course of last year, announced it achieved 99.9999 percent theft-free loads in 2016.

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Reducing Emissions and Saving Money with Renewable Resources

Photo: 401kcalculator.org

For starters, information on the difference between renewable diesel and diesel can go a long way in increasing understanding and acceptance. Renewable diesel, in some forms, is known as hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel (HDRD), which is processed waste fat or vegetable oil. It is produced 100% from renewable raw materials and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.

Renewable diesel is processed in a similar way to petroleum diesel and fleets have seen a number of benefits from its use. Since it's hydrogenated, renewable diesel isn't affected by freezing temperature and storage. During hydrogenation, hydrogen replaces other atoms such as sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen and converts the oil's triglyceride molecules into paraffinic hydrocarbons. The similarity in chemical structure also allows renewable diesel to be used in engines that are designed to run on conventional diesel fuel. The high cetane number of renewable diesel, which is around 75-85, ensures clean and efficient combustion resulting in greater engine performance and fewer harmful emissions.

Engine manufacturers have taken notice and are increasingly approving the use of renewable diesel in their engines. Cummins recently certified its use in its B4.5, B6.7, and L9 medium-duty engine platforms, after holding an 18-month field test. Its engines were tested with 100% renewable diesel fuels in order to study the effects of the fuel on engine performance, aftertreatment and fuel system durability. Cummins is now testing the possibility of using the fuel with ...Read the rest of this story