Penske Truck Leasing announced the opening of its new facility in Lafayette, LA. Located at 2744 NE Evangeline Thruway, the building will offer full-service truck leasing, consumer and commercial truck rental and contract truck fleet maintenance services.
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...Read the rest of this storyKonexial, makers of the My20 electronic logging device (ELD) app for truck drivers, and global logistics transportation management system (TMS) Cloud Logistics announced a partnership to bring their GoLoad service to the trucking industry.
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...Read the rest of this storyIf there is one thing truckers know at this point in the “digital age” of supply chain operations, trying to manage data is far from easy – or fun for that matter.
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...Read the rest of this storyFord Motor Co. is tapping Jim Hackett as its new president and CEO to replace Mark Fields, who is retiring. The move comes as the automaker struggled to adopt a new strategic vision regarding mobility and technology in the face of declining stock value.
The OEM has lost nearly 40% of its stock value over the last three years, according to analysts.
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...Read the rest of this storyDenise Rondini
" >Denise Rondini
" width="185" height="212">Fleets consider a variety of factors when choosing the right part for a repair. Reliability, durability, availability, reputation of the manufacturer, age of the vehicle, warranty and price all come together to lead to the best choice.
For years there has been a debate about the difference between OEM and aftermarket replacement parts, with many people thinking aftermarket parts manufacturers did not have the resources to provide the same quality, availability, and warranty as their OEM counterparts.
At least one aftermarket parts manufacturer thinks that is changing. Egan Hernandez, marketing manager for IPD, says manufacturers of branded aftermarket parts are now using validation processes for all parts “that are very similar to the OEM supplier production pre-approval process.”
He says the quality assurance program used by IPD is not just an inspection. “It includes monitoring process parameters at the supplier to ensure parts are made to specifications.”
He adds, “Lean concepts are vigorously applied to the manufacturing process to ensure 100% parts quality at each and every step of the process, in-house and at the supplier.”
Given that aftermarket replacement parts usually come at a lower price than OEM replacement parts, how is it possible for a company to make these quality investments? Egan explains that IPD focuses on lower costs by running lean processes that reduce the cost of scrap, work in process, re-work, customer return and other non-value added costs.
I asked Egan how he responds to OEMs who say parts tolerances and other specs are not the same between the OE parts and the aftermarket replacement part. “Obviously OEMs do not share their drawings with the aftermarket, so suppliers have to develop their own processes for defining specs and tolerances,” he says.
In the case of IPD, Egan says that involves “reverse engineering the OEM part by purchasing OEM samples, ...Read the rest of this story
Bill Rethwisch's 2016 Peterbilt 389 won Best of Show at this year's SuperRigs competition. Photos: Shell Rotella
">Bill Rethwisch's 2016 Peterbilt 389 won Best of Show at this year's SuperRigs competition. Photos: Shell Rotella
">Bill Rethwisch of Tomah, Wis., won this year's Best of Show honors with his 2016 Peterbilt 389 at the 35th Annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs competition.
For winning Best of Show, Rethwisch was awarded $10,000 from Shell Rotella and $5,000 from Mac Trailer. He also won awards for Best Interior and Best Engine.
“My heart was coming out of my chest; I didn't think we had it,” said Rethwisch, who also took Best of Show in 2014 and 2015. “This is the third time in four years and four times in the SuperRigs calendar out of four tries. I'm ecstatic right now. I'm so proud; I don't even know which way to think.”
Sam's Club donated free one-year memberships to the Best of Show winners, the first and second place Tractor/Trailer, Tractor and Classic winners, the People's Choice winner and Most Hard Working Trucker.
SuperRigs is a truck beauty contest that took place this year from May 18-20 at Expo Square in Tulsa, Okla. Owner-operator truckers from the U.S. and Canada competed for cash and prizes valued at about 25,000. Twelve drivers from the contest were also selected to have their trucks featured in the 2018 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar.
J.R. Schleuger of Britt, Iowa won Best of Show first runner-up, $4,000 from Shell Rotella and $3,000 from Mac Trailer for his 1980 Kenworth W900. He also won for Best Chrome. Kenneth Fisher of Muscoda, Wis., was awarded Best of Show second runner-up, $2,000 from Shell Rotella and $2,000 from Mac Trailer for his 1997 Peterbilt 379.
First place winners also included: Brad Garetson from Lake Mills, Wis., in the Tractor/Trailer Division for his 2016 Peterbilt 389 and 2017 Mac flatbed Conestoga trailer; Ray & Suzie Rodriquez of Salinas, Calif., ...Read the rest of this story
Proper attention to load securement is important not only to pass roadside inspections, but even more importantly, to protect the safety of others on the highway. Photo: Linda Stelter / The Birmingham News
">Proper attention to load securement is important not only to pass roadside inspections, but even more importantly, to protect the safety of others on the highway. Photo: Linda Stelter / The Birmingham News
">During the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's 30th annual International Roadcheck June 6-8, authorities will be conducting approximately 17 Level I Inspections per minute across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This year, inspectors will pay special attention to cargo securement.
A common misconception is that only flatbed loads require cargo inspections, but inspections are required on all vehicles unless the cargo is sealed or otherwise impractical to check. However, platform and other open trailer loads, being the most visible, are a primary focus.
Barnhart Transportation in Erie, Pennsylvania, recently took advantage of Kinedyne's cargo securement training as part of an annual safety picnic. Barnhart runs 109 trucks, with much of its freight being oversize equipment such as locomotives. While the company does go over load securement in driver orientation, the company wanted to offer drivers a more personal training experience, says Holly Ambover, Barnhart's health, environmental and safety coordinator.
“The drivers responded to it well, they asked a lot of questions at the end of it,” she says. “We got a lot of feedback from the drivers that it was very beneficial and they learned a lot.”
The training was led by Jeff Luick, a former driver who's now a regional account rep and trainer for Kinedyne. He worked with his company to start offering this free training through its distributors a few years ago.
“I was trained by a driver, and the driver who trained me was also trained by a driver,” he explains. “You end up taking that information as gospel without really looking into the regulations yourself. What I found is some of the information passed from driver to driver ...Read the rest of this story
