Shop Talk, Databus and TMC

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Shop Talk discussions at the summer meeting of The Maintenance Council covered issues ranging from air compressor replacement to the pros and cons of owning or leasing truck wash racks.

A regular feature at TMC meetings, Shop Talk encourages individuals to discuss maintenance-related issues and compare experiences with other truck maintenance experts.

For example, one member noted that air compressors seemed to be having a shorter life cycle. The discussion then explored the possibility of mismatched components, the right time to replace filters, the utility of gauges and various practices of different fleets.

At the Indian Wells meeting, study groups gave attention to a wide variety of maintenance issues involving electrical systems, tires and wheels, engines, cabs and controls, fleets, trailers, electronics, and light and medium trucks.

The potential for applications of a standardized “intelligent databus” in commercial vehicles was the subject of the conference’s first technical session.

Moderated by Marc Clark of Federal Express, speakers from Motorola, VES Inc. and Cellport Labs explored systems that would standardize the installation of on-board electronics devices.

ne problem is that “a truck with 1998 electronics will not be available until 2002,” said Allen Kirson of Motorola.

He said the longevity of modern trucks and the rapid pace of change in electronics adds to the difficulty of developing on-board systems.

For the full story, see the July 5 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.