My good friend and colleague Kevin Jones – editor of Fleet Owner's brother publication, American Trucker magazine – penned an insightful blog post the other day, musing about the potential pushback against autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the wake of Tesla's notorious read more
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That was the cheer that went up whenever we played limbo as children. It's also the words Chubby Checker sang in his 1962 recording of "Limbo Rock." Apparently, some are still doing it, as the world record was set in 2010 at 8.5 inches! But, what's that got to do with business and marketing? Have you seen any of these words in advertising recently?
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Baldwin Filters is offering the CA30102 Channel Flow EXO air filter as an aftermarket replacement to the P611698 OE filter for Kenworth T440, T470, T660 and T800.
The CA30102 uses Baldwin's Channel Flow EXO technology which takes the fluted media design of Chanel Flow air filters and combines with proprietary structural technology. As a result, the filter is designed to be more durable and efficient than the OE version for heavy-duty engines under extreme working conditions.
“Not only are Baldwin filters tested above and beyond industry standards,” said Stefan Polywka, vice president of operations, CLARCOR Engine Mobile Group. “Our manufacturing processes exceed 6 Sigma standards, guaranteeing that every filter will meet our customers' high expectations for durability and performance.”
Baldwin Filters is a brand under the Clarcor Engine Mobile Group, global provider of engine mobile filtration. Its filtration solutions offer protection for engine-powered equipment requiring fuel, air, oil, hydraulics and coolant filtration.
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The American Petroleum Institute is ramping up efforts to educate diesel engine users about the two new diesel engine oil standards it approved earlier this year, API CK-4 and FA-4.
Having two different oil categories is likely to cause confusion among truck owners. And putting the wrong oil in your engine will at the least mean it won't perform like it should and could cause engine damage, according to Kevin Ferrick, senior manager for engine oil licensing at API.
That's because FA-4 was designed for use in new 2017-model engines that are required to get better fuel economy for lower greenhouse gas emissions. The different viscosity parameters needed in these oils generally won't work well in older engines.
The new oil categories were the results of a years-long process to develop new standards and tests, a process during which the new oils were known as PC-11.
API CK-4 and FA-4 will first appear in the API Service Symbol “Donut” on Dec 1.
Most truck and engine makers will likely recommend truck owners that are currently using API-licensed CJ-4 engine oils start using licensed API CK-4 oils as soon as they are available. API CK-4 oils have been designed to better protect existing diesel engines.
API FA-4 oils, however, are different. The FA-4 standard describes certain lower viscosity oils specifically formulated for use in diesel engines designed to meet 2017 model year on-highway greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards.
In general, FA-4 oils are not considered backward-compatible. Some engine manufacturers might recommend API FA-4 oils for their previous model-year vehicles, but it is more likely that manufacturers will recommend the oils starting with the 2017 model year engines.
Making things more confusing is the different viscosity standards go beyond the basic 10W-40 or 5W-30 type of nomenclature. In fact, you could have two 10W-30 oils on the shelf, but one would be an FA-4 and one would be a CK-4.
While lower-viscosity oils in general have been shown to improve fuel economy, the FA-4 oils must perform to a more stringent “high-temp/high-shear” viscosity test to stand up to the more punishing environment in the new engines.
Add to all this the fact that most fleets would prefer to run a single oil, and you have potential for “misapplication” — using the wrong oil in your engine.
One way the API has come up with to help truck owners identify the right oil is by changing the Service Symbol Donut. For FA-4 oils, the top of the donut has been divided, with FA-4 on the left-hand side. That part of the donut also will be shaded black or red.
In addition, the API, which in the past has typically let oil marketers handle the announcements about new categories, is using everything from interviews with the press to radio and print ads to a website and social media to get the word out under the moniker “Diesel Oil Matters.” There's a website, www.dieseloilmatters.com, a Facebook page, and a Twitter feed under @dieselmatters.
Ferrick said he's concerned that some truck owners “might believe that all oils are the same, and in this case this is not true. If you have two 10w30s side by side on the shelf, we're worried they may mistakenly grab the wrong one.
"The only way we know to mitigate that is to do the two things we've done. We named the oils differently — we called it FA-4 and CJ-4, we didn't call it CK-4A and CK-4B – and we put a new API donut on the FA 4 without changing the CK 4 donut. Between those two things, we hope we get enough information out through our campaign to educate consumers, and if not we hope the difference in the donut will give them pause.”
For fleets that aren't buying oils off the shelf, Ferrick says, “the other thing I would say gives me some concern is there are a lot of fleets used to having only one oil. They need to come to grips with the idea that as they get new equipment, they may need to start carrying a second oil.”
Related – Report: Most Fleets Should Consider Low-Viscosity Oil for Fuel Economy
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The ARI Driver Scorecard is a new tool from ARI designed to simplify how fleet managers can measure the performance of their drivers.
The Driver Scorecard allows fleet and safety managers to process driver data based on priorities within the organization by creating a singular score that is specific to each fleet. It pulls data from numerous sources including telematics providers, accident claims, fuel history, MVR reports, and violations to rank each driver with an overall score.
“With this tool, drivers can easily compare themselves to their peers,” said Rich Radi, director of the ARI Global Driver Excellence Program. “Everyone wants to excel at what they do, so we work with our clients to tap into this part of human nature and encourage better driving habits across the board.”
The tool is provided at no extra charge to ARI clients and is part of the overall ARI Global Driver Excellence program. The ARI Driver Scorecard monitors drivers for infractions, collisions, risk levels, fuel usage and other driving behavior data points.
“Our score is like a batting average, the fairest way to compare one baseball player's performance to another,” said Tony Candeloro, vice president, customer information systems and product development. “After looking at just one number, fleet or safety managers can take immediate action to improve high risk drivers in their fleet and recognize those showing consistently good, safe driving behavior. Once those on the low end of the scale have corrected their behaviors, they can raise the bar and work toward even better performance.”
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Elisabeth Barna Photo: ATA
">Elisabeth Barna Photo: ATA
">The American Trucking Associations has named four executives to new senior leadership positions, according to the federation's new president and CEO, Chris Spears, as part of an "ongoing transition."
The new members of ATA's senior leadership team are:
“ATA is embarking on a transition and driving in a new direction, one I am proud to lead and prouder still to have these fine individuals and all the ATA staff play a part in,” said Spear. “We share the vision and goal of ensuring this essential industry continues to prosper and safely move our country forward.”
Barna, who has already begun working in her new role ,has been with ATA for 20 years, most recently serving as senior vice president of communications and public affairs. She also spent 8 years at the Motor Freight Carriers Association.
Hall will take up her new position on Sept. 3. She previously was general counsel and deputy staff director of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Hall also has experience in the executive branch of government, including at the Department of Homeland Security ,and in the private sector.
Hensley will start her new position on Aug. 15 and was most recently was senior vice president for public affairs and communications. She has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Labor; Associate Administrator of the Small Business Administration; and as House and Senate communications director for former Senator Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark).
Sullivan's first day at ATA will be on Aug. 15 as well. She joins ATA after serving as legislative director for Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala) and had previously held positions with the Department of Justice and on the staff of Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
Spear, a former ATA senior vice president of legislative affairs, took over the top post at ATA on July 9. He succeeded Gov. Bill Graves, who is retiring after more than 13 years at the helm of trucking's biggest lobby.
Along with his prior tenure at ATA, Spear over the course of his career has served as a Capitol Hill staffer and in federal agencies as well as in the private sector. He most recently held the position of vice president of government affairs at Hyundai Motor Company.
“As ATA forges this new path forward, we are lucky to have quality leaders like Elisabeth, Jennifer, Sue and Bill join our already tremendous professional staff,” said Pat Thomas, ATA chairman and senior vice president for state government affairs at UPS. “On behalf of the members of ATA, I'd like to congratulate all of them and wish them nothing but success in their new roles.”
ATA stated that it will make additional leadership appointments in the coming weeks as the federation continues to transition under Spear's leadership.
Related: ATA Announces Chris Spear to Succeed Graves as President
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