Inattention, excessive speed, failure to yield, and unsafe lane changes are among the top causes of truck collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For fleet managers, preventing collisions caused by their own drivers can be quite challenging because risk factors must be measured before an accident occurs.
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...Read the rest of this storyNRS shared with their insurance company how the SmartValve reduces driver injuries by conducting a live demonstration with the assistance of Rush Truck Centers.
">NRS shared with their insurance company how the SmartValve reduces driver injuries by conducting a live demonstration with the assistance of Rush Truck Centers.
">If Nationwide Rail Services were to include “safety” as a line item in its assets, it wouldn't seem far-fetched to its insurance carrier. The 30 drivers employed by NRS perform 300 to 400 drop-and-hook operations every day, with a chance for injury each time — more so as the average age of the driver increases. But NRS is proactively mitigating workers' compensation costs, and its insurance carrier is participating in the process.
“Our company's success is built on a foundation of safety,” says NRS President and CEO Joseph Barton. “We take great pride in our strong relationship with safety coordinators and trainers at our insurance carrier in our ongoing quest for top-notch safety.
“Many of the trailer lots that NRS supports have trailers wedged in too tight to access landing gear, the lots are uneven from years of trailer storage, and, due to new [federal] rules, drivers have limited time to wait for yard trucks,” he explains. “All this results in drivers having to get in and out of the cab far more often with each drop-and-hook.”
NRS discovered that drivers getting in and out of the cab account for the highest number of trucking injuries, with the second highest resulting from the strain involved in adjusting landing gear. With an average of $55,000 per workers' comp claim for significant, non-fatal drop-and-hook related injuries, NRS looked for a solution to keep drivers safer and healthier.
Rush Truck Centers in Huntley, Illinois, recommended the fleet install the Hadley SmartValve, an electronic height control system with advanced features to make drop-and-hook operations faster, easier, and safer. NRS installed the SmartValve system on five of its International ProStar day cabs in September ...Read the rest of this story
In the short term, new all-electric vehicle mandates from around the globe won't affect North America much. But the long-term trendlines favoring electric vehicles seem clear. Photo: Scania
" >In the short term, new all-electric vehicle mandates from around the globe won't affect North America much. But the long-term trendlines favoring electric vehicles seem clear. Photo: Scania
" width="240" height="320">Back in June, President Donald Trump shocked the world when he withdrew the United States from the Paris Accords – a multi-nation pact aimed at reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere and curbing rising global temperatures and subsequent climate change. Once those shockwaves had receded, the rest of the world pretty much shrugged its shoulders and went on its way without us. Since then, France, India, Norway and – just this week – Great Britain all announced plans to end the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger cars at various points in the future – usually around 20 years out. All told, at least 10 other countries have some type of mandates on the books aimed at eventually boosting electric vehicle sales and cutting emissions from gasoline and diesel engines.
At the moment, none of these announcements seem to affect medium- or heavy-duty trucks. There are simply operational realities with trucks that cannot be ignored. That said, it seems pretty clear that sooner or later these regulations will have an impact on the North American automotive and truck market. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
First off, let's note that I'm not looking for similar legislation in the U.S. any time soon. I wouldn't be surprised if some individual cities go the gasoline/diesel route at some point, and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are already knocking on the zero-emissions door for trucks. But outside of that, the vast distances we have to deal with in the U.S. and the lack of any kind of high-speed rail service dictates that our vehicles ...Read the rest of this story
Marc Llistosella, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp., describes production requirements of the new eCanter to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of the Portuguese Republic. Photo: Mitsubishi Fuso
">Marc Llistosella, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp., describes production requirements of the new eCanter to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of the Portuguese Republic. Photo: Mitsubishi Fuso
">Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus has announced the start of small-scale series production of its electric medium-duty truck, the Fuso eCanter.
All eCanter trucks for U.S. and European markets will be produced at the production plant in Tramagal, Portugal, in line with conventional diesel Fuso trucks.
Mitsubishi Fuso introduced the eCanter at the Work Truck Show earlier this year, saying that it would be made available in the U.S., Europe, and Japan as part of a two-year lease. The lease period would allow companies to use the vehicle before trading up to the next generation.
“With today's start of production of the eCanter, we become the first global manufacturer to produce an all-electric truck in series,” Marc Llistosella, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. and head of Daimler Trucks Asia. “Our Portuguese plant not only produces the trucks for Europe and the U.S., but has also benefitted from a close cooperation with the authorities in Portugal and Lisbon, having tested the trucks there since 2014.”
The Class 4 truck has a 100-mile range, 15,995-pound gross vehicle weight rating, and a 9,380-pound payload capacity. The batteries can be quick-charged within an hour at a DC charging station or over the course of eight hours using a 230-volt outlet. The vehicle will also have flexible battery options to allow customers that need less range than 100 miles to opt for fewer batteries and increase payload capacity.
After entering small-scale series production, the natural next step will be large-scale series production in the future, according to Mitsubishi Fuso. Experiences gained from teh customers of this small production run will be used to ...Read the rest of this story
Photo: Yokohama Tire
">Photo: Yokohama Tire
">Yokohama Tire Corp. announced a price increase of up to 4% on all of its commercial and off-the-road tires sold in the U.S., effective Sept. 1.
The company already increased tire prices in April by up to 7% due to increases in the cost of raw materials and freight expenses, according to the company.
“We reluctantly took a first-step price increase in early 2017 in response to the escalation in operating and material costs that peaked in late 2016,” said Jeff Barna, Yokohama Tire COO. “That modest increase left us under-recovered, hence requiring us to take further action.”
Yokohama Tire Corp. is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., a global manufacturing and sales company of tires.
Related: Six Months In - Q&A with Yokohama COO, Jeff Barna
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USA Truck has made another appointment as it continues to build its executive leadership team, naming Allen Lowry as vice president, safety and risk management.
Lowry joins USA Truck with over 25 years of safety, risk management and leadership experience in the transportation industry. He most recently served as vice president of safety and security, OS&D and risk management for Navajo Express.
This is the latest executive hire for Van Buren, Ark.-based USA Truck, which has named a new president and CEO, an executive vice president, a trucking operations president, a vice president, a chief technology officer, and a vice president of revenue operations within the past few months.
“Safety is our number one priority at USA Truck. We are thrilled that Allen chose to help us continue to build a strong safety culture throughout our organization, and to create one of the safest fleets in the transportation industry,” said James Reed, president and CEO of USA Truck. “Allen is the latest addition to the all-star leadership team we have assembled here at USA Truck, and we believe he will be a tremendous asset with his extensive experience in safety and risk management.”
Lowry has an extensive background in safety and risk management in the transportation sector through numerous leadership roles at Swift Transportation, Central Refrigerated Service, and Dick Simon Trucking. Lowry is NATMI certified, studied Law at Weber State University, and was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, JAG.
Related: USA Truck Names Rick Hainlen VP of Revenue Operations
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...Read the rest of this storyBreadner Trailer Sales has been designated as the exclusive dealer of Stoughton brand refrigerated trailers in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Based in Breslau, Ontario, BTS has been a Stoughton dry van dealer for nearly 30 years. Stoughton Trailers will begin full production of its new line of refrigerated trailer products in the first quarter of 2018. BTS has been an active partner in the product development process by providing design specification input and participating in the prototype-testing program.
“Breadner Trailer Sales brings decades of experience, capabilities, and resources to help market our new line of refrigerated trailers in Eastern Canada,” said Jim Kachidurian, Stoughton Trailers senior vice president of sales and marketing.
The new refrigerated trailer has completed a regimented testing program and will be unveiled at the North American Commercial Vehicle Exhibition in Atlanta, Ga., on Sept. 25, 2017.
“We at BTS are excited to be the exclusive dealer for Stoughton in these two Canadian provinces and long-term strategic partner for its new line of refrigerated trailer products,” said Bob Breadner, president of BTS. “We look forward to the successful full production launch of the new line to expand our offering of Stoughton brand trailers.”
Related: Stoughton Names Kachidurian, McMaster to Leadership Positions
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