Echo Global Logistics Fourth Quarter 2016 Earnings Release and Conference Call Scheduled for Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Kenworth Adds Wide Base Steer Tire Options For T370
Kenworth is offering wide base tires for applications requiring up to 20,000-pound front axle ratings for the company's T370 truck model.
Available in 385/65R22.5 sizes, from Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Michelin, the tires were previously available only on all-wheel drive T370 steer axles with ratings up to 16,000 pounds.
The Kenworth T370 is also now available with 4.9-inch fender extensions to reduce road spray from the wide base tires.
“These tires can now be ordered for new T370s with our heaviest non-drive front axles – rated at 16,000, 18,000 and 20,000 pounds,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director. “This provides a larger ‘footprint' in vocational applications where off-road conditions, such as mud, can making driving difficult. The tires also comply with standards in certain states and Canada, which require larger tires to carry heavier weights.”
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Dear @realDonaldTrump: No #FakeNews here, but we have worries
Cheaper Renewable Diesel May be Possible With Modified Yeast
<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-green-car-1.jpg" border="0" alt="
Photo: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT
">Photo: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT
">Engineers at MIT may have made a breakthrough in the production of renewable diesel fuels using a hyper-efficient version of a common food product, yeast.
Researchers have reprogrammed a strain of yeast to more efficiently convert sugars to fats, also known as lipids, which can then be used to produce high-density fuels like diesel. While yeast will naturally produce these fatty oils from sugar, scientists needed to improve the efficiency of the process o make it more economically viable for fuel production.
Engineers found that by modifying the metabolic pathways of a particular type of yeast, it can convert sugars into fats with 30% more efficiency. This latest discovery has allowed scientists to produce the same amount of oil using only 2/3 the amount of modified yeast as unmodified yeast.
The goal is to use plentiful, cheap crops such as sugar cane and corn to produce high-density fuels like at lower costs. With these latest modifications, the researchers believe using yeast to produce fuel could be economically feasible right now, using cornstarch at current prices. However, the goal is to increase efficiency to require even less glucose to produce a gallon of oil.
Researchers believe the process can be made even more efficient, saying that they are at about 75% of full efficiency currently. Follow up work will hopefully yield the remaining 25%.
Current renewable fuels, such as ethanol, have a low energy density compared to diesel and are less suitable for large commercial applications. While cooking oil has been used as a renewable source of diesel fuel, it is not scalable and expensive.
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and was led by Gregory Stephanopoulos, the Willard Henry Dow Professor of chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at MIT.
Related: Mack Approves Renewable Diesel for its Engines
Emergency repairs begin on B.C.'s 10-Mile Slide
Capitol Hill Veteran Added to ATA Legislative Affairs Team
The American Trucking Associations has hired Department of Transportation veteran John Drake as its senior vice president of legislative affairs.
“ATA's members deserve the very best representation on Capitol Hill, advocating on their behalf,” said Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO. “I'm pleased that John will be joining our team, further elevating our talent pool and helping advance the trucking industry's agenda.”
Prior to joining ATA, Drake held several posts within the Department of Transportation, including deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy, and director of governmental affairs for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Drake also has experience on Capitol Hill, serving as professional staff for both the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee's Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials subcommittee.
“John's skills and relationships with the executive branch and both the House and the Senate will help us make the case for trucking our members need us to make,” said Bill Sullivan, ATA executive vice president for advocacy. “Just as importantly, John has the energy and intensity to help us win.”
Related: ATA Ready to Roll with Political Tide
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Millions in fleet equipment hits the block for IronPlanet’s Florida auction in February
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