Author: Vitaliy Dadalyan

Diesel down but gasoline up for the week

Gasoline prices for East Coast affected by pipeline break, low refinery capacity, EIA says.

The national average retail price for diesel dropped this week, according to data tracked by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), while gasoline prices ticked upward both nationally and regionally.

Diesel declined a penny this week to a national retail average of $2.389 per gallon, EIA noted, though that's 10.4 cents per gallon cheaper when compared to the same week in 2015.

read more

...Read the rest of this story

New federal policy for autonomous vehicles revealed

Obama administration believes that if tested and deployed safely, automated vehicles help prevent the “vast majority of car crashes” resulting from human error as well as reduce traffic congestion while improving vehicle efficiency.

A newly-crafted “Federal Automated Vehicles Policy” is being unveiled today by the Obama administration, designed in its words to “help facilitate the responsible introduction” of autonomous vehicles to “make transportation safer, cleaner, more accessible, and more efficient.”

read more

...Read the rest of this story

Bringing Maintenance to the Truck

<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/articles/m-mobile1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

Lights, tires and the air system can all be inspected from a mobile maintenance truck at a customer's location. Photo: Transervice Lease Corp.

">

Lights, tires and the air system can all be inspected from a mobile maintenance truck at a customer's location. Photo: Transervice Lease Corp.

">

Fleets are constantly looking for ways to increase roll time of their trucks and trailers and cut down on CSA violations, says Jerry Bodkins, program manager at TA Truck Service OnSite. Mobile maintenance allows them to do that “without having to go through the logistical nightmare of going back to the shop and staffing technicians, which is not easy for anybody in this industry today,” he says.

There are economic advantages to fleets that have their own mobile maintenance trucks, because they do not have to invest in brick and mortar. Even if a fleet chooses to outsource mobile maintenance, it still can have economic advantages.

“With mobile service, we can reduce customer downtime for normal maintenance and repairs and get their trucks back up and running quickly,” explains Mike Besson, managing vice president, service and customer solutions for mega-dealer Rush Enterprises.

Taki Darakos, assistant vice president – Berkeley Division of Transervice Lease Corp., says transportation is a just-in-time business, and mobile maintenance allows fleets to operate with minimal disruptions or delays in their operations.

Mobile maintenance providers offer a range of services. Rush, for example, has two levels of preventive maintenance inspections: a 57-point one and a more comprehensive 105-point inspection, which includes changing oil and filters.

Transervice offers trailer PM service as well as working on lights, tires, air leaks, small repairs and providing mobile diagnostics. “We walk a fine line between customer service, safety and landlord requirements about what we can do on site. Safety becomes very important when operating in active, busy yards,” Darakos explains.

Jim Reed, vice president of new business and personnel development, TA Truck Service, says they do not currently offer oil changes as part of their ...Read the rest of this story