Brampton driver sought in fellow trucker's shooting death
Opti-Lite Brake Drum Offers Fleets a Lightweight Option
Meritor has expanded its wheel end portfolio to include Opti-Lite brake drums, positioned as a cost-conscious lightweight drum option.
The Opti-Lite drum is designed for linehaul and weight sensitive applications such as tanker/trailer and freight.
Opti-Lite drums were developed on the same platform as the SteeLite X30 brake drums and the Opti-Lite offers similar weight and fuel savings, according to Meritor. The drums are offered most common wheel-end configurations for steer, drive and trailer axle applications.
The Opti-Lite drums do not require welded on weights and offer an optimized balance spec for smoother performance on the road.
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Registration Open for 2017 Work Truck Show
To gain perspective on the work truck industry's evolving dynamics, it's important to understand the big picture, as well as the small details. The Work Truck Show 2017 and Green Truck Summit offer equipment distributors, truck dealers, fleet managers and others in the industry a unique opportunity to do both. In addition to an expansive exhibit hall featuring all the latest work trucks and equipment, the Work Truck Show 2017 includes a full educational conference with sessions covering emerging national and global trends and the new strategies and technologies being developed in response.
North America's largest work truck event is produced annually by NTEA – the Association for the Work Truck Industry. The 2017 Show will be held March 14–17 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Work Truck Show and Green Truck summit educational sessions begin March 14, and the exhibit hall is open March 15–17. Registration is now open at worktruckshow.com.
“This year's Work Truck Show educational conference includes sessions focused on helping attendees with the myriad of regulatory, environmental and competitive challenges they face,” says Steve Carey, NTEA executive director. “At the Show, industry professionals can take courses on satisfying federal safety requirements, optimizing fleet maintenance and recruiting the next generation of technicians. At the same venue, they can talk one-on-one with exhibiting company product engineers, get the latest product developments from leading work truck OEMs, explore fuel-saving technologies and alternative fuels, and ask NTEA staff their individual technical and regulatory questions. It's a can't-miss event.”
New educational sessions at The Work Truck Show 2017:
How to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard rearview camera requirements (FMVSS 111). Demonstrations on how new visibility rules will impact vehicles rated under 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, with phase-in effective May 2017 and full compliance by May 2018.Impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) ...Read the rest of this story
Diesel technicians: Is the shortage real?
The diesel technician shortage currently being experienced in trucking may be more of a management issue rather than strictly a lack-of-personnel problem, according to a panel discussion held during the annual American Trucking Associations (ATA) conference in Las Vegas last week.
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FMCSA: New Final Rule Eases Way to CDLs for Military Vets
<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-dotvets-in-classroom-1-2.jpg" border="0" alt="
Image: U.S. Department of Transportation
">Image: U.S. Department of Transportation
">The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced a final rule on Oct. 12 that simplifies for current and former military personnel the process for obtaining a Commercial Learner's Permit or Commercial Driver's License.
The final rule (Docket No. FMCSA-2016-0051) extends the period of time for applying for a skills test waiver from 90 days to one year after leaving a military position requiring the operation of a CMV.
It also allows a state to accept applications from active-duty military personnel who are stationed in that state and to administer the written and skills tests for a CLP or CDL.
FMCSA said that states choosing to accept such applications must use forms and procedures acceptable to the state of domicile of the military personnel (their state of permanent residence or “home” state), and must transmit the test results electronically to the state of domicile. Then the state of domicile may issue the CLP or CDL on the basis of those results.
When FMCSA released its initial notice of this rulemaking back in March, it noted that it had issued a temporary exemption in 2014 that extended the skills-test waiver to one year, so the final rule makes that change permanent.
“FMCSA believes that this would give former military personnel a better opportunity to obtain a CDL in a way that will not negatively affect safety,” the agency stated in its proposal. The agency also said it is has concluded that lengthening the waiver period permanently “would ease the transition of service members and veterans to civilian life.”
According to the agency, more than 10,000 separated military personnel have taken advantage of the skills-test waiver.
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Mackie Group honored by American Truck Historical Society
Quebec invests in electric truck prototypes