Time to Panic for Trucking Stocks? (SWFT)
Want to up your game? Collaborate with your customers
For years, smart fleets have been doing everything in their power to boost productivity. But it is getting tougher and tougher to find new ways to make that happen. Still, competitive pressures, regulatory headwinds and rising costs are keeping the pressure on to constantly up your game.
Increasingly, the only way left to do that is through collaboration. The easier moves have already been made.
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Pegasus TransTech Hires New Vice President of Integrated Solutions
Enterprise mobility, telematics and business process automation company Pegasus TransTech has named Mark Spicer its vice president of integrated solutions.
In this new role, Spicer will lead strategic sales and business development for new products and expand the Transflo partner network with leading technology and transportation companies. He will report to the president and chief executive officer.
Spicer has more than 30 years of experience with expertise in transportation technology, mobile communications, telematics and fleet navigation. He most recently served as vice president of sales for Rand McNally and held previous leadership positions with XRS Corporation (now Omnitracs), Geologic Solutions, and Aether.
Spicer holds a bachelor's degree in sales and marketing from the University of Memphis. He is an active member of several local and national transportation associations and resides near Knoxville, Tenn.
“Our company is experiencing a period of continued growth, innovation, and talent acquisition,” said Frank Adelman, president and CEO at Pegasus TransTech. “Mark joins the company with an impressive background that includes driving adoption of transportation technology among enterprise fleets, and we're excited to have him expand Transflo partnerships and integrations.”
Related: Pegasus TransTech Announces Integration with Pilot Flying J Mobile App
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Cummins Starts Production on ISL G Near Zero Natural Gas Engine
<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-isl-g-near-zero-1-2.jpg" border="0" alt="
Photo: Cummins Westport
">Photo: Cummins Westport
">Orders are being processed and production has started for Cummins Westport's ISL G Near Zero NOx natural gas engine, the company announced.
The ISL G NZ has received emission certification from the Environmental Protection Agency and Air Resources Board in California to meet the optional 0.02 g/bhp-hr - the first such midrange engine in North America to do so according to Cummins.
The ISL G NZ has exhaust emissions that are 90% lower than the current EPA and ARB NOx limit and also meet the 2017 EPA greenhouse gas emission requirements.
"The start of production of the ISL G Near Zero natural gas engine offers a game-changing solution for the reduction of urban tailpipe and engine related emissions," said Rob Neitzke, president of Cummins Westport. "The ISL G Near Zero is now at the forefront of cost-effective and dependable emission reduction strategies in transit, medium-duty truck and refuse applications."
The ISL G NZ can operate on compressed, liquid or renewable natural gas. The engine offers low engine ratings from 250-320 horsepower and 660-1,000 lb-ft torque. In addition to NOx emissions reduction, the ISL G NZ will feature closed crankcase ventilation, reducing engine-related GHG methane emissions by 70%.
The ISL G NZ offers improved reliability and durability as well as range and performance with low emissions, through its three-way catalyst (TWC) aftertreatment. TWCs are effective, simple, passive devices, packaged as part of the muffler. Cummins Westport natural gas engines do not require active aftertreatment such as a Diesel Particulate Filter or Selective Catalytic Reduction.
The ISL G NZ engine is available as a first fit engine with transit, shuttle and school bus, refuse and truck original equipment manufacturers or as an engine replacement (repower) for existing ISL G vehicles.
Related: Peterbilt Offers Cummins Near-Zero Emissions Natural Gas Engine
Banned: Driver Who Crashed Truck a Day After Failing Drug Test
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration declared Utah-licensed truck driver Eddie D. Price an imminent hazard, banning him from interstate driving after he crashed his truck a day after failing a pre-employment drug test.
On Sept. 9, Price completed a DOT-required pre-employment controlled substances test, which came back positive for methamphetamine on Sept. 13.
The day after the results of the drug test were confirmed, Price was driving a commercial vehicle in Utah and was involved in a crash with a pick-up truck. Both the driver and passenger of the pick-up were severely injured and airlifted to a Salt Lake City hospital.
Following the crash, Price's then-employer, Superior Service Transport, provided him with a list of substance abuse professionals and information on the federally required return-to-duty process for positive testing CDL holders. The process requires substance abuse professional evaluation and the completion of an education and/or treatment program.
But Price refused to complete the return-to-duty process, so Superior Service Transport terminated his employment.
On Oct. 4, Price informed his former employer that he had found another driving position and that he didn't intend to tell future employers about the positive test or include his former employer on employment applications.
As a result, the FMCSA declared Price an imminent hazard, ordering him out-of-service. If Price doesn't comply with the provisions of a federal imminent hazard out-of-service order, it could result in both civil and criminal penalties.
Related: FMCSA Halving Random Drug-Test Threshold
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