More-Complex Trucks Increasing Maintenance Challenges
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Heavy-duty trucks built since Oct. 1, 2002 have used new controls to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate to cut emissions of nitrogen oxide. Those standards toughen in 2007 to also include particulate matter, and toughen again in 2010.
he need to capitalize on high freight rates and strong demand is putting more pressure on maintenance departments to keep increasingly complex trucks up and running, fleet executives said.
Representatives of several large fleets told Transport Topics recently that engines made to meet federal emission rules continue to generate a steady flow of problems.
The trucks’ problems — from engine electronics to exhaust manifolds — come amid a shortage of technicians and threaten to multiply with the next generation of engines.
For the full story, see the Aug. 29 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
