Love’s Expands its Corporate HQ

Photo: Love's

Love's Travel Stops has purchased the building and land south of its main corporate campus on Pennsylvania Avenue that was previously occupied by The Hertz Corporation.

The 126,000-square-foot building located on 16 acres adjacent to its main corporate headquarters will give Love's the opportunity to double the size of its existing campus in Oklahoma City, Okla. The purchase agreement closed Aug. 29 and represents a major development for the company as it focuses on expansion.

The 38-year-old building will require extensive updates, and Hertz will have a small presence in the building for the immediate future. Hertz relocated employees who were working in the building to one of its other locations in Oklahoma City. Currently, Love's has 1,200 corporate employees working on three company campuses in Oklahoma City.

“The purchase of our neighboring Hertz data center building is a direct result of Love's plans for the future,” said Greg Love, co-chief executive officer of Love's. “The acquisition of the Hertz building and the associated raw land will allow us to house our future growth needs at our main campus in The Village.”

Related: Love's Donates $25,000 to Louisiana Flood Relief

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Highway Deaths Climbed 7.2% in 2015; Those Involving Large Trucks Rose 4.1%

Image: FMCSA

Traffic crashes took the lives of 35,092 persons in 2015, according to final data released Aug 29 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

That 7.2% increase in highway fatalities from 2014 marks the end of a nearly 50-year trend toward declining fatalities. The largest percentage increase previously was the 8.1-percent rise recorded from 1965 to 1966.

The number of deaths attributed specifically to crashes involving large trucks jumped 4.1%, marking the highest increase in this statistic since 2008. Of the 4,067 large-truck fatalities, 16.4% were occupants of large trucks, 10.1% were non-occupants, and 73.5% were occupants of other vehicles.

The 2015 data also showed that the estimated number of people injured on the roads increased as well, from 2.34 to 2.44 million people, as did the number of police-reported crashes, from 6.0 to 6.3 million.

NHTSA said that traffic deaths increased across nearly every segment of the population, including passenger vehicle occupants, passengers of large trucks, pedestrians and motorcyclists. Also up were alcohol-impaired driving fatalities. Fatalities of drivers of large trucks was one of the few groups that remained unchanged.

Per NHTSA, the number of traffic deaths was nearly 25% higher ten years ago, with 42,708 fatalities reported in 2005. “Since then,” the agency stated, “safety programs have helped lower the number of deaths by increasing seat belt use and reducing impaired driving. Vehicle improvements, including air bags and electronic stability control, have also contributed to reducing traffic fatalities.”

However, NHTSA also pointed out that recently “job growth and low fuel prices… have led to increased driving, including increased leisure driving and driving by young people. More driving can contribute to higher fatality rates. In 2015, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased 3.5% over 2014, the largest increase in nearly 25 years.”

Given the sharp reversal 2015 marks in what had been a long-running positive ...Read the rest of this story

Q&A: Insight into truck inverter-chargers

Downtime is bottom-line killer in trucking operations, which can cost anywhere from $480 to $760 a day per vehicle, according to a survey conducted by maintenance software firm Decisiv conducted last year.

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AllFit Roller Bearings Made for Steer, Drive and Trailer Axles

Meritor's AllFit premium-tapered roller bearings for differentials, transmission and wheel-ends is an all-makes solution for multiple applications including steer, drive and trailer axles.

AllFit bearings are manufactured with high-grade steel and are through-hardened for added tensile strength. To safeguard against contaminants, each bearing is packaged in individually sealed and wrapped plastic bags. Select wheel-end sets include intermediate plastic between the cup and cone for added protection during transportation.

The bearings are offered through independent warehouse distributors and original equipment dealers. AllFit bearings are also available to rebuilders through Meritor's Drivetrain Direct program.

“The AllFit bearing is an ideal all-makes solution offering exceptional reliability, long life and full interchangeability with other manufacturer's bearings,” said Sam Marco, product specialist for Meritor Aftermarket. “The new offering rounds out our portfolio, allowing us to respond to customer requests for cost-effective, high-quality all-makes bearing options.”

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Optronics Offers New Line of LED Directional Warning Lights

Optronics International's line of LED Directional Warning Lights feature nine white and amber directional warning lamps designed for flexibility and durability.

The lamps meet SAE J845 Class II standards for use on work trucks, maintenance and service vehicles and to warn of traffic hazards such as lane blockage or slow-moving vehicles. They are also IP67 rated for use in hot, wet and dusty environments.

The lamps each feature 12 sync-capable flash patterns. Flash patterns include random, steady, single, mega, double, triple, quad, quint, 8-flash, single-quad, single high/low and single-triple-quint. The nine models include surface-mounting and recessed mounting solutions, as well as a light bar design with an aluminum housing.

The lamps all feature polycarbonate lenses that are sonically welded and watertight. The lamps are highly resistant to water and particulate ingress. The lamps employ a solid-state, surface-mount device design that guards electronic components against moisture, shock and vibration.

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