Hyliion’s Powered Trailer Axle Goes to Europe

Like the North American version, the powered axle for Europe would replace a "passive" axle. Image: Hyliion Inc.  

Hyliion, the designer of a hybrid electric-powered axle for trailers, is taking its concept to Europe by exhibiting at the giant IAA truck show in Hannover, Germany this week. The company's business development director, RF Culbertson, says it is sharing a booth with its battery supplier, Gentherm, in Building 16.

Meanwhile, the company has coined a name — Intelligent Electric Axle — for the product.

As we've written before, the Hyliion (HIGH-lee-on) axle includes a motor-generator that runs through a standard differential. It captures kinetic energy as the truck coasts or brakes, converts it to electricity that's stored in lithium-ion batteries, then sends the energy back to the axle to help launch a truck or push it up a hill. Electronic controls -- the intelligence in the system -- run the process.

The system is independent of the tractor (and thus will work with any type, new or old), and the driver does nothing to make it operate except making sure it's switched on, says Thomas Healy, Hyliion's founder and CEO.

The powered axle replaces a “passive” axle on a standard trailer tandem, and promises big fuel savings – 10 to 20% from hybrid-powered operation alone. Healy says another 10% or more in fuel can be saved if the batteries are used as an auxiliary power unit to run heating, cooling and other accessories in a tractor sleeper during rest breaks, or by running the reefer unit, lift gate or other equipment on a trailer.

The European version would also replace a passive axle in a trailer's tridem or tandem, and/or the dead axle on a 6x2 truck commonly operated there. Many configurations are possible, he and Culbertson point out.

The Hyliion people are introducing their ...Read the rest of this story

PPG introduces AdjustRite commercial parts listing

PPG announced it has expanded the capabilities of its AdjustRite commercial estimating system, the only program of its type designed especially for heavy-duty truck repairs, with the introduction of a commercial parts listing component.

read more

Trailers: Red-headed step-children no more?

So I got to listen to a wide-ranging and fascinating discourse on the state of the U.S.

read more

Canadian Pacific’s Intermodal Volumes Continued a Good Show Last Week

Truckload Linehaul, Intermodal Rates Continue Tumbling

Measures of both truckload and intermodal rates posted another rounds of declines, according to new figures released by freight payment processor Cass Information Systems.

The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index fell another 2.8% year-over-year in August following decreases of 1.8% and 1.6% in June and July, respectively. This represents six consecutive months of year-over year-declines in truckload linehaul costs.

The reading of 121.5 is also down 0.9% in August from July but is up slightly from June, when it hit a reading of 121.2, it lowest level so far in 2016.

Analysts at the investment firm Avondale Partners have adjusted their pricing forecasts further downward to a range between -3% and 1% over the next four quarters, saying that demand continues to soften while truckload capacity has become more available. “While we have been predicting negative pricing, even we were surprised at how weak the August data point was.”

The index is an indicator of market fluctuations in per-mile truckload pricing, isolating the linehaul component of full truckload costs from other components, such as fuel and accessorials, providing a reflection of trends in baseline truckload prices.

Meantime, the Cass Intermodal Index continued its downward slide, falling another 2% year-over-year in August after declines of 1.5% and 2.4% in June and July, respectively.

Despite the drop, the reading of 125.5 in August is up 1.6% from July's level and marks the second straight month-over-month improvement.

Even with this, Avondale Partners still expects intermodal rates to continue their decline through the remainder of 2016 as the dramatic drop in oil prices continues to negatively impact U.S. domestic demand.

"The greater than 30 cents a mile decline in fuel surcharges collected by truckers in the last two years has to challenge demand and pricing power for domestic intermodal, especially in shorter lengths of haul,” said Avondale. “However, the current year-over-year decline in ...Read the rest of this story

Crete Carrier chairman dead at 84

Grote introduces Electrical Connections and Accessories Catalog

Grote's Global Electrical Connections and Accessories Division introduced its new Electrical Connections and Accessories Supplemental Catalog, which includes more than 90 SKU's representing electrical connection and accessory products.

It includes:

read more