From cables to sensors: A wireless approach to truck design

Ask any bodybuilder about upfitting a truck, and they will tell you about the maze of cables that must be navigated. Ask any mechanic about servicing a car or truck with an electrical problem, and they will tell you how sometimes, the answer isn't so simple.

Which cable is the bad one? Where is the problem? Given that a typical truck has between 130 and 229 ft. of cabling, the Volvo Group has gone in search of a solution.

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How long should you keep your assets?

The longer you keep your trucks the lower the total cost of ownership, right? That's not necessarily true for a couple of reasons.

Newer assets tend to be more fuel efficient than older ones. Truck makers have made great strides, aided by government regulations, to make sure today's trucks get more miles out of a gallon of diesel fuel. And there are now a lot of add-in devices that can make the base truck even more efficient.

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Cargo Transporters to Join Trucking Alliance as Group Expands in 2017

Photo: Cargo Transporters

Cargo Transporters has accepted an invitation to join The Alliance for Driver Safety & Security (Trucking Alliance) in 2017. The Claremont, N.C.-based truckload carrier will be among a “small number of carriers” joining the Trucking Alliance next year, according to Chairman/CEO of Maverick USA and Trucking Alliance President Steve Williams.

“The Alliance is small by design, but we are growing the coalition with a few excellent carriers like Cargo Transporters that can help us better achieve our safety objectives,” said Williams.

Williams said Cargo Transporters “leads by example” by embracing technology and driver training “to make sure their men and women deliver goods and return home safely. “We're pleased that Cargo Transporters will join us in our effort to pass federal policies to reduce truck accidents and improve highway safety.”

John Pope, Chairman of Cargo Transporters, will represent the company on the Alliance Board of Directors. “We have a saying that safety is in our DNA and the Trucking Alliance companies are the same way,” said Pope. “We are excited to work with this exclusive group of carriers to achieve more safety reforms for the industry.”

In addition, Meredith Priestley, Cargo Transporters' corporate counsel, will join the Alliance Advisory Group, which provides the board with analysis and recommendations.

The Trucking Alliance noted that it asks its carrier members to adopt six operating standards that “exceed federal regulations and can ensure greater safety for their corporate drivers":

Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) – Install ELDs in company owned interstate trucks to verify hour-of-service compliance.

Truck Speed Limiters – Regulate trucks with speed limiters at a maximum speed of no more than 68mph.

Hair Testing – Include hair testing as part of the commercial driver pre-employment drug testing process.

Public Liability Insurance – Be sufficiently self-insured or if fully insured, carry a ...Read the rest of this story

Time Switch Keeps Interior Cargo Lights Under Control

Peterson Manufacturing has introduced the 5600 Timer Box Switch, a system for controlling interior cargo lights.

The Timer Box is factory programmed to operate interior lights in 30-minute intervals with one touch of its sealed membrane button. Lights flash at each button push to confirm the command was received. The button can be pushed up to four times, extending the lights-on to a total uninterrupted time of two hours. Lights can be turned off at any time by pressing and holding the button.

The 5600 Timer Box provides flexible, efficient switching of LED lights in a compact and simple to install unit. Built to handle the wide temperature swings of vans and service bodies as well as the cold temperatures reefer trailers, the 5600 Series is available in both flush-mount and surface-mount versions.

The Timer Box is designed to pair perfectly with Peterson's 359 Series cove light interior LED units. The 5600 can handle 10-amp maximum loads, enough to daisy chain up to 12 359-3 cove lights, totally nearly 10,000 system lumens, according to Peterson.

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For the first two weeks of November, two customized Kenworth T680 tractors pulled the Big Idaho Potato and the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree across Idaho, south to Colorado, and then eastward towards Washington, D.C.

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