TMC Discussing Engine Technology, Nat Gas, Equipment Regulations During Annual Meeting

This story appears in the March. 11 print edition of Transport Topics.

Truck maintenance directors are gathering for the annual meeting of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council March 11-14 in Nashville, Tenn., to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing fleets today.

And before TMC gets rolling, truck and component manufacturing leaders will meet for the annual Heavy Duty Dialogue on March 11 at the same venue, the first time it has coincided with TMC. The event will be presented by the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association and Transport Topics.

At the TMC event, modern engine technology, upcoming equipment regulations and maintenance for natural-gas trucks will be among the topics explored.

TMC Chairman Lee Long said fleets can benefit by learning from other carriers’ experiences with maintaining modern trucks.

“The technology is always changing,” he said. “TMC is a great place to come together and discuss that in an open forum and seek resolution.”

Long said he expects much of the conversation at the meeting this year to focus on the maintenance of engines with selective catalytic reduction aftertreatment, designed to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 emissions regulations.

“Those [engines] have a few more miles on them now than the last time we met, so I think there’s going to be a lot more discussion on some of the lessons learned by implementing those into the fleets,” said Long, who is also director of maintenance at Southeastern Freight Lines Inc., which is based in Columbia, S.C., and ranks No. 27 on the Transport Topics 100 list of the 100 largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.

Kirk Altrichter, vice president of maintenance at Gordon Trucking Inc., headquartered in Pacific, Wash., will succeed Long as TMC chairman during the meeting.

Gordon ranks No. 62 on the for-hire TT 100.

“Kirk’s going to do great things for us,” Long said. “He’s going to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.”

Reflecting on his time as chairman, Long said he believes the council has “done a great job getting our word out on the need for technicians into the future.”

Altrichter said he plans to continue the group’s attention on the technician shortage. “That’s going to be my focus for the year — technicians and technician training,” he said.

TMC and its member companies will look for ways to improve technician training and the availability of that training, and also to “see what we can do internally to codify a fleet technician training program, possibly even come up with our own certification,” Altrichter said.

Technician training is especially important as vehicle technology continues to advance.

“As the trucks have progressed and as the EPA changes have kicked in over the years, the complexity of the trucks has definitely increased, and the amount of training we have to do and the amount of problems we run into have multiplied,” Altrichter said.

He also encouraged attendees to participate in TMC’s task force meetings, where the group shapes its recommended practices for the industry.

Attendees at Heavy Duty Dialogue will get an in-depth look at the global and North American economies and how they’re affecting manufacturing, as well as changes in government regulations and vehicle technology, said Tim Kraus, HDMA’s president.

Headlining the event will be a panel featuring four manufacturing industry executives: Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America; Dick Giromini, CEO of Wabash National; Gary Gerstenslager, CEO of Hendrickson International; and Chip McClure, chairman of Meritor Inc. The panel will be moderated by Howard Abramson, editorial director of TT.

Economist Jeffrey Rosensweig will present an economic outlook that will serve as the foundation of the dialogue this year, and Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates, will provide an industry forecast.

On the evening of March 11, TMC will hold its fleet operators’ forum and the grand opening for its exhibition hall.

Carl Kirk, TMC’s executive director, said the event this year will feature 335 exhibitors, up from 324 last year.

TMC expects about 3,100 total attendees for the annual meeting this year, he said.

Randy Mullet, vice president of government relations and public affairs at Con-way Inc., will be the featured speaker at TMC’s kickoff breakfast on March 12. Con-way, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., ranks No. 3 on the for-hire TT 100.

Following Mullet’s remarks, TMC will hold a technical session on the maintenance issues associated with adopting trucks that run on liquefied and compressed natural gas.

Kirk said this session will provide a “micro-perspective” on the maintenance concerns that go along with adding natural-gas trucks to an operation, including safety considerations in the shop environment.

TMC also will hold a technical session on fleet managers’ assessments of equipment needs in 2025 and beyond.

Among the study group sessions slated for the meeting will be an update on engine technology, hosted by TMC’s engines study group. A panel of engine experts will address the issues identified in TMC’s “report card” for EPA 2007 and 2010 engines, which the group presented last year at the annual meeting. The session also will address 2013 onboard diagnostics and 2014 and 2017 greenhouse-gas rules.

Other study groups will examine wheel-bearing adjustment, refrigerated trailer maintenance, wide-base tires and maintenance of the integrity of electrical connectors.