Rand McNally Launches Next Generation E-Log and Fleet Management Device

The DC 200 comes in both matte silver and champagne gold colors. The light on top changes color to indicate different functions. Green means it's connected to the app. Blue indicates an over-the-air software update is happening. It flashes red and green when booting up. Photo: Deborah Lockridge.

Rand McNally unveiled a sleek, new electronic logging and fleet management device with cellular connectivity at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition.

Available later this year, the DC 200 is designed to meet the needs of small- and medium-sized fleets looking to use existing Android devices.

"The DC 200 was designed for small- and medium-sized fleets – as well as larger fleets – looking for a cost-effective ELD plus fleet management tools that are increasingly critical to the industry," explained Stephen Fletcher, CEO of Rand McNally. "The multi-mode cell modem in the device enables fleet managers to track their trucks in near real-time as well as message drivers."

The DC 200 is part of Rand McNally's DriverConnect ecosystem. So is the Bluetooth plug-and-play ELD 50 introduced earlier this year for owner-operators and professional drivers.

“The beauty of it is a small fleet owner who has both employee and owner-operator drivers can mix and match — it goes through the same back end” as the ELD 50, said Ravi Kodavarti, director of commercial transportation products at Rand McNally.

The low-profile, 5-inch long device (which comes in two different colors) sits on the dash and plugs into a truck's diagnostic port via a single Y cable. The device works with both 6- and 9-pin, type 1 and type 2 ports. Through a Bluetooth and proprietary Wi-Fi connection, the device sends driving data to the free Rand McNally DriverConnect app, where drivers can view current hours of service logs as well as DVIR documents. The DC 200 ...Read the rest of this story

Will New GHG Emissions Prompt a Prebuy?

Unlike previous emissions regulations that actually cut fuel economy, new GHG regs are making trucks more fuel efficient than ever. Photo: Daimler Trucks North America

A new report says the industry will likely see a pre-emission boom in Class 8 truck sales in 2019 and 2020, before a sharp drop into 2021 — but others say this time around is different.

The prebuy is predicted in the new North American On-Highway Commercial Vehicle Engine Outlook by Americas Commercial Transportation (ACT) Research and Rhein Associates.

“New and revised engine introductions over the next few years, together with emission impacts, will lead to changes in demand,” said Tom Rhein, President of Rhein Associates.

Total North American Class 8 truck production peaked in 2015, ACT notes, and it's predicting lower demand in 2016 and 2017 followed by recovery leading up to that pre-buy.

However, not everyone is convinced that we will see the same type of prebuy that we did ahead of the 2007 emissions regulations, when uncertainty about selective catalytic reduction technology

At the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Martin Daum, head of Daimler Trucks North America, said the new Phase 2 greenhouse gas fuel/economy regulations offer manufacturers more flexibility to achieve the required targets, as well as a longer lead time for developing technologies that will be reliable.

"It's not that you have to do something tomorrow. so you have time to really study, plan, test, push. Long term planning gets rewarded. And it gives us certainty, with clear targets between now and 2030 for each vehicle and engine category.”

Daum said this should help avoid the disruptive pre-buy cycles that plagued the emissions regulations of the 2000s, noting that we are still seeing the “aftershocks” from the huge oscillation after the 2006 prebuy.

Similarly, when asked about the likelihood of a prebuy at an ...Read the rest of this story

Record360 releases facial recognition software

Record360 announced the official release of its OFAC and facial recognition security check solution. The new addition to Record360's software allows rental and leasing firms to “stay compliant with federal law and security procedures while seamlessly moving their customers through the checkout process,” according to the company.

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Montgomery County upfits vans with XL Hybrids’ electric powertrain

XL Hybrids announced the installation of its XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System in 15 additional passenger and cargo vans for Montgomery County, MD. The 15 upfitted Ford Transit vans have been added to 10 existing Ford Econoline hybrid vans already in use in the county's fleet.

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Electrified tandem trailer axles?

Here's a concept for you: replacing a trailer's "passive" axle with one powered by an hybrid electric package that helps captured "wasted energy" during nominal operating conditions, such as when braking, stores that energy in a lithium battery pack, and then feeds it back into an electric motor to provide extra "oomph" for getting up hills, etc. End result: an average of 30% fuel savings for a tractor-trailer, at least according to this unusual trailer axle package manufacturer, Hyllion.

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Kenworth Offers 52-Inch Mid-Roof Sleeper on T680 Advantage

Kenworth now offers the Kenworth T680 Advantage Package with 52-inch mid-roof sleeper for regional haul and less-than truckload operations. Photo: Kenworth

Kenworth has ntroduced the fuel-efficient T680 Advantage Package with 52-inch mid-roof sleeper for regional haul and less-than-truckload operations.

The new T680 Advantage configuration features an optimized powertrain with the 2016 Paccar MX-13 engine or Paccar MX-11 engine and Eaton Fuller Advantage series 10-speed automated transmission. This powertrain is combined with more fuel-efficient Meritor MT40-14X drive axles, rated at 40,000 pounds.

The 52-inch sleeper features aerodynamic elements to help redirect airflow around the chassis and sleeper to improve fuel economy. They include a front air dam to redirect around versus under the tractor, mini-kickout fairings to force air around the trailer and drive tires, and lower fairing extenders.

Other fuel-efficient features include Kenworth's Predictive Cruise Control, Neutral Coast, Driver Performance Assistant and FlowBelow wheel covers.

“Our expanded Kenworth T680 Advantage lineup now provides three excellent Advantage choices – day cab, 52-inch mid-roof sleeper and 76-inch sleeper – to those regional haul, LTL fleets and truck operators in constant pursuit of achieving greater fuel economy and lower operating costs,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing.

The 52-inch mid-roof sleeper is especially suited to regional hauling applications – including tank, bulk, flatbed, heavy haul and lowboy – where drivers may spend just two or three nights on the road during a typical week. The sleeper features a liftable lower bunk and upper storage units on the back wall with enough space for drivers to hang their clothes and jackets, plus an optional upper bunk for driving teams.

The optional passenger swivel seat expands the living space into the cab to provide more comfort for the drivers when parked. The design also provides sufficient head room for a driver or passenger up to 6-foot-4 ...Read the rest of this story