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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Mahle ArcticPro Certified for R134a Service

Mahle Service Solutions' ArticPro ACX1180C refrigerant handling system is an SAE-certified unit for servicing heavy-duty vehicles that use R134a refrigerant.

The ArcticPro ACX1180C is the OEM heavy-duty commercial option designed to increase technician productivity with a fully-automatic program to recover, vacuum, leak test and charge without command for ease of operation.

The ACX1180C also features an integrated test function that allows the user to capture a before-and-after service snapshot to ensure proper A/C system service functionality. High-pressure leak detection and liquid refrigerant flushing are standard high performance features essential for heavy duty service.

In addition to recovering more than 95% of heavy duty A/C system refrigerant, the ACX1180C features a high capacity 50-pound internal DOT cylinder to service larger commercial vehicles (as compared to the typical 30-pound cylinder in automotive version recovery machines). The unit also includes a 5 CFM vacuum pump, an integrated printer, an ambient humidity sensor, three temperature sensors, four pressure sensors, a vacuum micron sensor providing greater system diagnostic capabilities, a factory-installed heater belt, and it is hybrid certified.

The ACX1180C meets stringent certification requirements, including SAE J2788, SAE J2099 and UL 1963 and is backed by a two-year parts and labor warranty.

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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

Brake Safety Day 2017: What to expect

Forty-one percent: More than two in five. Viewed either way, it's the share of vehicle out-of-service violations during this year's Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) International Roadcheck that were attributed to brake-related issues.

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Will Future Tech Have a Domino Effect on Fleets?

Although the use of electric trucks will likely rise in the coming years, diesel will remain the fuel of choice for fleets, said analyst Rick Mihelic. Photo: Mercedes Benz

Great changes are heading toward trucking. And while it's only natural to focus on headline-making technologies such as electric vehicles or autonomous driving technology, the tidal wave of changes coming at the industry create a ripple effect that will change aspects of the trucking industry that few have considered to this point.

That was the cautionary note struck by Rick Mihelic, transportation industry analyst and president of Mihelic Vehicle Consulting, at a webinar hosted by the Stifel Transportation Equipment Equity Research Group.

Mihelic noted that while there are many experts and pundits making predictions concerning the future of trucking today, these forecasts are extremely tricky to get right with the benefit of hindsight. However, he said it is important to remember that while many new technologies are initially supported by incentives, tax breaks, and grants to offset developmental costs, ultimately these technologies must win out in the marketplace and generate a positive return on investment and prove capable of offsetting both developmental and operating costs in order to be successful.

Taking that analysis a step further, Mihelic said it's possible today to zero in on specific aspects of the trucking industry to see where emerging technologies might be able to cut costs or improve efficiencies in the future. These areas include:

Mihelic said that while other forms of transporting material goods, such as shipping, rail and airlines, have evolved and modified over the decades since their establishment, trucking alone remains locked by regulations and legislation in methods and configurations that would be familiar to ...Read the rest of this story