Speed limiter proposal: 6 slides on the basics

read more

Raybestos introduces brake pads for all fleet sizes

Raybestos Truck & Medium Duty brakes can be used for truck fleets of all sizes using disc brakes from Class 1 hydraulics through Class 8 air disc, the company said.

According to the company, the line features:

read more

Stemco adds three new management positions

Stemco announced it is “strengthening the support, engineering and training capabilities” of its Wheel End division through the creation of three new area manager positions.

These new area managers will be responsible for bolstering the wheel end division with technical training and sales support at the fleet, distributor and OEM levels, and marketing and engineering initiatives through field testing and end user interactions, the company said.

read more

A natural gas white paper for waste fleets

The trade groups NGVAmerica and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) recently released a white paper to provide refuse and recycling fleets with the latest information regarding the safe operation of natural gas-powered vehicles and refueling equipment, and maintenance facilities.

read more

Volvo’s Iron Knight Truck Sets New Speed Record

Volvo is again using high-profile stunts and viral video to highlight its engineering skills, and the latest is The Iron Knight, the world's fastest truck, breaking the record set by a previous special Volvo truck.

The record-breaker, which has the DNA of Volvo's FH on steroids, is custom-built in every respect – except for a modified Volvo D13 engine and the series-manufactured I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission. The engine has 2,400 hp and the truck can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds.

Nigel Atterbury, Volvo Trucks Senior Designer, explains in the video, “We've pretty much taken a standard gearbox and packaged it into this fantastic beast behind us.”

On a closed-off airfield in Falifors, Sweden, the Iron Knight set two FIA world land speed records. Its two one-kilometer runs averaged 21.290 seconds or 169.083 km/hour (or about 105 mph), and the half-kilometer average was 13.710 seconds and 131.291 km/hour (about 82 mph).

The truck was piloted by Boije Ovebrink, who has more than 30 years' experience of both car and truck racing. He has previously beaten five speed records and in 1994 was European Truck Racing Champion.

“Volvo Trucks' The Iron Knight can be summarized in one single word: perfection,” said Ovebrink. “It's beautiful to look at and is an unparalleled powerhouse when you floor the accelerator. This is the third record-breaking truck I've driven, and I can't think of a better follow-up to Wild Viking and Mean Green,” says Ovebrink.

The last time we reported on Ovebrink, back in 2012, he was driving Mean Green, said to be the world's fastest hybrid truck. Nigel Atterbury, Volvo Trucks Senior Designer, explains that compared to Mean Green, the Iron Knight is 1,000 kilos lighter and puts out 600 horsepower more.

Of course, the point was to demonstrate the I-Shift Dual Clutch, which allowed the ...Read the rest of this story

If Your Freight is Food

read more

Love’s Donates $25,000 to Louisiana Flood Relief

The flooding in Lousiana has affected some Love's locations and directly impacted 5 of its employees. Photo: Love's Travel Stop

Loves Travel Stops has donated $25,000 to the Salvation Army to help with relief efforts in Louisiana after severe flooding devastated the region.

The truck stop chain has been impacted directly by the flooding, including five of its employees from the Port Allen location losing everything. The slow-moving storm system killed at least 13 people so far and displaced thousands of others from their homes.

Port Allen is 7 miles west of Baton Rouge, which received as much as 2 feet of rain over the course of three days. The storm shut down major interstates running through the region and forced Love's 523 in Duson to close overnight.

According to Love's blog, two employees lost their homes, one lost a vehicle, and two more have been displaced and aren't allowed to return home yet. Love's has an assistance program in place to help employees most directly affected by the flooding.

Love's employees are also acting as guides to travelers coming through the region, helping both professional and non-professional drivers navigate around the high waters as well as provide hot food and clean showers.

"We give them directions, help them with maps, show them alternative routes they can take," said Jacob Kibodeaux, operations manager of Love's 243 in Lake Charles. "We want to go above and beyond to take care of our customers."

Related: Spot Truckload Rates Fail to Gain Except in Louisiana Flood Zone

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter