NOx reductions and fuel economy

Looks like NOx reduction may once again be the target of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency is responding to petitions from state and local governmental agencies and other organizations that want to see further reductions in NOx in commercial vehicles.

NOx standards for trucks were last set 16 years ago and agencies such as the California Air Resources Board say there are new technologies available to reduce NOx emissions further.

read more

Class 8 sales off 19.7% through November

Drivewyze Bypass Now at 2 Busy Ohio Weigh Stations

Image via Drivewyze

Drivewyze weigh station bypass service is now offered at two busy permanent weigh stations in Ohio, located on U.S. Interstates 70 and 71.

Through an agreement between Drivewyze and the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the state began offering weigh station bypasses at the Guernsey weigh station on Interstate 70 and the Clinton weigh station on Interstate 71.

“The delivery of the bypass service in Ohio is an important step forward in the continued expansion of North America's largest bypass service network,” said Brian Heath, president and CEO of Drivewyze.

These two sties represent some of the busiest weigh station operations in Ohio, according to Drivewyze, and the service will provide benefits to both the state and carriers that use Drivewyze. The bypass service will help reduce congestion in and around the two weigh stations and improve freight efficiency throughout the state.

“Truck fleets and drivers traveling westbound on Interstate 70 between the Penn. - Ohio state border and Columbus or northbound on Interstate 71 between Cincinnati and Columbus can now receive bypasses so long as they meet the state's criteria,” said Heath. “Interstate 70 is a major transportation corridor for long-haul fleets and regional operators traveling through the state from Pennsylvania to Indiana. Meanwhile, Interstate 71 is more of a workhorse connection for fleets and operators moving Ohio-based freight among Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.”

Drivewyze software integrates with existing in-cab fleet management devices instead of requiring a transponder for weigh station bypass service. Per the company, the service is also more secure than transponder-based variants that use open-radio protocols, preventing unauthorized identification or tracking of a vehicle.

The Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass application comes pre-loaded on in-cab telematics and ELD electronic logging devices from Omnitracs, PeopleNet, Rand McNally, and Zonar.

Fleets can turn on a free analytics weigh-station loss reporting tool to ...Read the rest of this story

Volvo cancels D16, puts VNX tractor on hold

In a mid-day memo to its dealer network last Friday, Volvo Trucks announced that it will no longer be selling its 16-liter D16 engine in the North American market anymore, citing “diminishing demand” as the reason for the cancellation.

Introduced into the U.S. back in 2005, the D16 offered displacement of 550 to 625 hp – mainly at heavy haul applications.

read more

The real struggle: Convincing shippers that trucking has value

John Larkin, managing director and head of transportation capital markets research for Stifel Capital Markets, recently made what I think is a very important point for trucking companies: most shippers seem poised to continue hammering the industry with the cudgel of low freight rates, despite the myriad of challenges

read more

Manitoulin expands wings in Wawa

OTA's okay with photo radar, with a caveat