All-Electric Refuse Trucks Headed to Los Angeles

Image courtsy of Motiv

Motiv Power Systems announced an order for two all-electric refuse trucks by the City of Los Angeles' Sanitation Department. According to the manufacturer, this marks the third metropolitan area in the United States that will utilize and benefit from Motiv-Powered, all-electric, zero-emission refuse trucks in their communities.

Los Angeles has followed the lead of their counterparts in the state capitol, Sacramento, offering their residents refuse trucks that not only eliminate carbon emissions but also noise. These refuse trucks will ensure quieter mornings for the residents of Los Angeles.

According to Motiv, refuse trucks are ideal candidates (economically and environmentally) for electrification due to their fixed pickup routes and predictable range requirements. The application of Motiv's All-Electric Powertrain results in a high quality, zero-emission electric vehicle with the same capability as traditional diesel-powered vehicles without the noise or pollution typically associated with refuse trucks.

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Commentary: The Fleets Role in Strengthening the Repair Chain

Denise Rondini

Recently industrial distributor Grainger announced a new e-commerce initiative it is calling Gamut. Company officials said they did it in part to stem competition from Amazon Business, which is increasingly becoming a source for all sorts of things — including truck parts.

A quick search will demonstrate that you indeed can purchase parts for your trucks on the Amazon website. Of course, a closer look shows that you can't buy all your truck parts there. Amazon is very adept at handling quick-moving, smaller parts that can be easily shipped.

You still need to rely on a local distributor for those slower-moving parts and large parts. While the slower-moving parts provide higher margins for distributors, they come with higher inventory holding costs.

So why should a fleet care about this? Because distributors cannot survive on the slow-moving parts alone. If Amazon continues to take an increasingly larger share of the A and B items, it is likely that distributors are going to find themselves facing serious financial pressure that may force them to close their doors.

Where will that leave a fleet when the part fails on the road? Without support from a local distributor to provide parts in emergency and breakdown situations, the fleet could find itself accruing more downtime until a part can be secured.

The point is, supply chain health matters to a fleet's success. The supply chain is not just from supplier to distributor; it must include supplier to distributor and distributor to fleet.

The way things are in the truck parts business today, only two-thirds of the supply chain is involved in keeping it healthy. Going forward, everyone needs to take on that responsibility.

That means fleets need to sit down with their best distributors and say, “How can we work better together so that we both benefit?”

If you are ...Read the rest of this story

ELD’s Can Open the Door to Big Data

If knowledge is power, then Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) could be the most powerful device on the truck. Sure, the device at its most basic is responsible only for monitoring hours of service, but the potential of networking and integrating data is impossible to ignore.

Why settle for simple electronic logging when it can serve as a total fleet management solution in a box?

A friend of mine drives for a 10-truck floral distribution company and makes regular runs from Ontario's Niagara region to Chicago, Michigan, and western New Jersey. The picture he paints of his distribution manager would be amusing if it were not (most likely) true. The manager must be a fellow who grew up trucking in the '60s, and still listens to eight-track tapes of Red Sovine and Dave Dudley. The routes are badly planned, trucks are frequently diverted en route, the vehicles are always breaking down, and all communication with drivers is done over the -telephone. And he doesn't believe in ELDs. My friend says his boss will wait until the last possible moment to equip his fleet – and then only because he must.

Too bad. He's missing out on the predictive analytics that can be channeled through the device to deliver maintenance alerts that could forestall or outright prevent all those breakdowns. The manager is not even looking at the routing and scheduling potential because he thinks drivers will no longer be able to complete their routes within the -confines of legal hours of service, my friend suggests.

“While your ELD and telematic solution may not be a routing application per se, there's probably some routing features and functionality in there,” says Robin Kinsey, a training specialist with Oakville, Ontario-based Geotab. “You can optimize the route from the start and then compare arrival and dwell times to see ...Read the rest of this story

Swivel Gripper Helps Remove Oil Filters

The Lisle Corporation Truck Swivel Gripper is a filter wrench that is texture coated to prevent slipping while removing truck oil filters.

The wrench is designed for Cummins, Detroit, and Caterpillar engines and comes in three models for different filter sizes. The specialty tool features a stainless steel band and a handle made of tubular steel for increased strength.

A swivel grip handle is designed to allow for easier turning in tight spots.

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

BCA Bearings Adds 627 New Parts to Product Line

NTN, the parent company of BCA Bearings, has announced the release of 627 new parts in its wheel hub assemblies, seals, and loose bearing lines.

The new part numbers cover more than 60,000 applications, according to NTN. BCA Bearingsis a long-time original equipment supplier to the automotive aftermarket. BCA offers a full line of wheel hub assemblies, seals, and loose bearings.

“We are pleased to be able to offer these additional SKUs to our customers as we continue to fill out our product line,” said Kevin Judge, vice president of sales and marketing, automotive aftermarket. “Continued expansion of our product offering will enable our customers to obtain the parts they need with coverage they can depend on, improving technician efficiency, thereby improving customer satisfaction.”

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Move over breathalyzer … here comes the textalyzer

Although it is not yet ready for everyday use, lawmakers in several states are writing or considering legislation to allow law enforcement officers patrolling the highways to connect a device known as a “textalyzer” to a mobile phone to instantly learn if the driver was texting prior to a crash.

read more

Terrorism-by-vehicle is an unholy trend here to stay

Yet another jihadist terror attack, again with a vehicle used as the weapon of choice to mow down innocent lives in a major metropolitan city.

We saw it happen with a truck in Nice, France, last year, with over 84 dead and hundreds injured as a result.

read more