Michael Donner, regional manger with Pilot Flying J Truck Care, has advice for any truck drivers that might be cramming to be ready for a possible inspection next week during Roadcheck.
“Drivers should be preparing daily for these inspections and not just this one big push,” he said.
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In a detailed report, the Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board made recommendations for improving America's roads and bridges. The nonprofit, non-partisan, business-led public-policy organization delivers analysis and solutions to critical national issues.
Noting that the National Highway System carries more than 75% of heavy truck traffic as well as 40% of all highway traffic and 90% of all tourist traffic, CED made several recommendations in its report, including more private investment in road building and maintenance, streamlining regulatory review, improving project selection, investing in technology and moving toward user fees to fund roads and bridges.
The study was spurred by discussions by Congress and the Trump Administration to increase investment in repairing, expanding and modernizing the country's infrastructure. The report, Fixing America's Roads & Bridges: The Path Forward, examines the role U.S. surface transportation plays in economic activity.
The report recommended greater private sector investment because lifecycle costs are better incorporated into the upfront cost of a project. Private money also incentivizes faster project completion because delays can incur contractual penalties as well as rewards, according to the study. Businesses were also seen as a way to increase the adoption of cost-saving technologies.
On the public side of things, CED encouraged public officials to be smarter about selecting projects based on a data-driven approach. Rather than putting political needs (pork projects) at the forefront of project selection, investment decisions should be made with the entire transportation network in mind instead of on a stand-alone basis.
CED also advocated for more reliance on user fees to cover operational and maintenance costs using mileage-based fees. These fees can fluctuate based on the demand for road space at particular times of the day through managed traffic lanes in congested areas. The belief is that travelers are more willing to pay a fee or a premium ...Read the rest of this story
The LoadHandler Power Products all makes starter and alternator line now offers six new alternators and starters in a variety of application configurations to provide completely new, drop-in replacement coverage for popular medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
LoadHandler Power Products starters and alternators are a line of rotating electrical products that have been tested for medium- and heavy-duty applications. Each LoadHandler product was engineered to meet and exceed OEM specifications and carries a one-year warranty.
The new medium- and heavy-duty LoadHandler alternator series now includes 140-, 150-, 160- and 200-amp coverage in several brushed and brushless designs.
The new LoadHandler starter series has a high-torque, high-efficiency design to provide fast, reliable starting power. The line now includes heavy duty gear reduction and straight drive starters, engineered for common medium- and heavy-duty applications.
“LoadHandler Power Products provide reliable performance at a value-driven price,” said Jonathan Smith, assistant director, aftermarket sales and marketing, Prestolite Electric. “For medium and heavy duty applications where performance is critical, the extensive new line of LoadHandler 100% new, drop-in replacement starters and alternators provides a robust solution that can impact your bottom line.”
Each LoadHandler product features application-specific technology to help ensure durability and performance in a wide array of operating environments.
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Whip Around has announced that it will be offering a new basic version of its vehicle inspection software for free in time for the 2017 International Roadcheck.
The latest upgrade to its vehicle inspection software is set to provide organizations with increased data collection, deep analytics, and leaderboards across a fleet. The service will enable smaller operators to benefit from Whip Around's mobile vehicle inspection app (e-DVIR) and its cloud-based manager's dashboard for free.
The free version of Whip Around supports up to three vehicles, one driver, one manager, and one form. At any time, a fleet can upgrade to a premium subscription from 20 per month which will support unlimited drivers, their chosen fleet size, unlimited customized forms and a faults management module.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer this in time for Roadcheck 2017. With an emphasis on securing loads this year our mobile apps and intuitive dashboard reporting will help drivers and fleet owners stay on top of compliance and therefore hopefully reduce the risk of fines and unplanned maintenance,” said James Colley, Co-Founder of Whip Around. “We have spent a lot of time focusing on different segments within the transport industry and we want to put some focus onto smaller fleets that make up a significant share of the industry. We believe the freemium service will provide an easy stepping stone into mobilizing their inspection and reporting processes”.
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The American Transportation Research Institute is seeking carrier input for the annual update to its Operational Costs of Trucking report.
An online questionnaire asks for basic cost information from for-hire motor carriers, such as driver pay, fuel costs, insurance premiums, and lease or purchase payments. Carriers are being asked to provide full-year 2016 cost per mile and/or cost per hour data.
ATRI will collect the data and combine with the previous Operational Costs of Trucking reports to present nine full years from 2008-2016 of trucking cost information derived from fleet operations. The research provides carriers with a high-level benchmarking tool and government agencies with real world data for future infrastructure improvement analyses.
"We rely on ATRI's research to inform so much of our operations, and the Operational Costs of Trucking is no exception," said Dennis Dellinger, president of Claremont, North Carolina-based fleet Cargo Transporters. “The annual report provides a critical benchmark for us to identify where we can improve our operating efficiency across a number of key metrics.”
For-hire carriers are encouraged to participate in the survey by Friday, June 29, 2017. The results of the survey will be available later in the year. Survey respondents will receive an advance copy of the report. The survey is available online at atri-online.org.
Related: The Results of Last Year's Operational Costs Survey
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">Photo: Cummins
">Cummins announced that its B4.5, B6.7, and L9 engine platforms are compatible with certain kinds of renewable diesel fuels.
Both on-highway and off-highway versions of the engines and all vintages are approved to use paraffinic renewable diesel fuels meeting the EN 15940 specification. Compared to conventional diesel fuels, paraffinic diesel fuels can potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% to 90% over the total life of the vehicles, according to Cummins.
Cummins held an 18-month field test of its engines running 100% paraffinic diesel fuels in order to study the effects of the fuel on engine performance, aftertreatment and fuel system durability. Engine performance remained stable and consistent while using the paraffinic fuel, Cummins found. Depending on the application and engine duty cycle, fuel economy could take a hit of up to 6%, mostly due to the lower density of paraffinic fuels compared to regular diesel.
Cummins approval for the use of renewable diesel with B6.7 and L9 engines aligns with the introduction of EN 15940, a final European CEN specification for paraffinic diesel fuels. Paraffinic fuels include hydrotreated vegetable oil, gas-to-liquids, and biomass-to-liquids. Operators of Cummins-powered trucks and buses are required to source all paraffinic fuels from high-purity suppliers meeting EN 15940, as this ensures that the fuel contains the necessary lubricity additive for use in a diesel engine.
The company is currently putting other light-duty, heavy-duty and high-horsepower engine platforms through similar field tests; Cummins will announce the results of the studies later in the year.
"Focused on energy diversity and enabling the power of choice, Cummins has provided another approved fuel option to help the continued reduction of emissions," said Jim Fier, Cummins vice president, engineering. “The use of paraffinic diesel allows customers to minimize their emissions-based footprints without additional capital investment. Plus, they have the comfort of knowing that Cummins ...Read the rest of this story
In less than a minute, you can watch the new 31,000 sq. ft. Landstar U.S./Mexico Logistics Service Center in Laredo, TX, come to life; a construction project that lasted from May 2016 to February 2017. The facility features a 30-bay cross-dock and custom 120-ton stand-alone bridge crane. Located on a massive 50-acre site, the new expanded logistics center is one of the largest facilities of its kind in Laredo, according to its design-build firm, Haskell. Video courtesy of Work Zone Cam.
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