Equipment
Commercial freight transportation is a machine-based business. Highly technical equipment and advanced engineering are at the center of supply chain and require constant innovation. Transport Topics equipment coverage focuses on the machines and other physical assets that make delivery possible. It looks closely at available truck, trailer, and chassis models, developments in the engineering space, and maintenance innovations and best practices.
Tonnage Down 2.8% in February From Year Ago
Truck tonnage dropped 2.8% in February year-over-year, reversing January’s positive momentum, but American Trucking Associations’ chief economist maintains that freight activity remained strong considering February 2016 was a record-setting month.
Bendix Promotes Safety Tech, Air Disc Brakes
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The rising adoption of active safety technology and air disc brakes is building a stronger foundation for the movement toward autonomous trucks, executives with Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems said here at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
Truck Driver David Webb Wins Goodyear Highway Hero Award
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — David Webb of Billings, Montana, a driver for Wilson Logistics, won the 34th annual Highway Hero award presented by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Wabco Adds Air Disc Brakes to North American Manufacturing
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Belgium-based Wabco Holdings is trying to increase its direct presence in North America’s commercial vehicle market beyond its traditional joint ventures, with the most visible evidence a $20 million plant expansion to make air disc brakes for trucks and trailers in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Opinion: Effectively Utilizing Telematics Solutions
The electronic logging device mandate for tracking hours of service has brought a lot of attention to truck telematics, and many experts are providing advice on how to prepare for that transition. But one aspect of telematics that few are addressing is how underutilized most existing systems are. In my estimate, only three in 10 fleets are utilizing their telematics system to the max.
March 20, 2017US Sales of Class 8 Trucks Fall 29.5% in February
U.S. retail sales of Class 8 trucks in February fell 29.5% to just more than 11,000 units, as each truck maker experienced a double-digit decline. But analysts said the market, nonetheless, was showing signs of improvement.
Truckload Driver Pay Inches Up in 4th Quarter
Salaries for truckload drivers rose at the low rate of 0.04 point in the fourth quarter year-over-year, according to the latest National Transportation Institute index (or 0.03% on a preliminary basis), the slowest in 2016.
Cummins Retains Top Spot in Class 8 Engine Market
A second-half slowdown in truck sales for Daimler Trucks’ two North American brands carried Cummins Inc. to its leadership in North American Class 8 truck engines for all of 2016, according to figures from WardsAuto.com.
Reining in Rising Maintenance Costs
Fleet managers are relying more on high-tech shop equipment, technology-savvy technicians, efficient shop practices and flexible preventive maintenance scheduling in efforts to rein in the rising maintenance costs inherent with the complexity of today's trucks.
Nitrite-Free Coolants on the Rise Due to More Aluminum in Engines
As manager of technical development for TA and Petro travel centers, Homer Hogg sells a lot of coolant to fleets of all sizes. In 2010, he started seeing something strange: a white residue plugging coolant filters and coating cylinder liners.