Dealerships will be getting more maintenance business from North America’s truck fleets, at least in the short to medium term, thanks largely to their continued development of skilled technicians, according to Kumar Saha, an industry analyst with Frost and Sullivan’s Automotive & Transportation practice. Continue Reading

Transportation is one area that is ripe for delivering savings to businesses looking for ways to contain costs in the new year, according to Thermo King Corp. Continue Reading

During a webinar hosted by GE Capital Fleet Services (GECFS) yesterday, several experts debunked a set of six hoary yet still-persistent myths about truck fleet decision-making. At the outset, moderator Greg Wilson, truck product leader for GECFS, said these myths, by and large, result in lost productivity and lost revenue as well as negatively impacting driver/employee retention. What’s more, he added they can cause vehicle acquisition and operating costs to rise unnecessarily and can severely ding vehicle resale values. Continue Reading

For years, fleet managers paid very little attention to wheels. As long as their vehicles kept rolling down the road, that was all they cared about. But that was then, and in today’s trucking, there are considerations that make choosing the proper wheel a critical decision. Continue Reading

Kinedyne Corp. has engineered a new line of tarp ties based on input from its customers, the company recently announced. Customers said price, product durability/longevity and the ability to use in cold climates were the most important attributes about the product, and Kinedyne kept those in mind when putting the new Pro-Grade series to the test. The result is exceptional strength, durability and Continue Reading

Bearing manufacturer Timken is releasing tips on how to recognize signs and symptoms of wheel-bearing problems, including indicators that distinguish the beginning of a problem and when it should be replaced. Some signs, such as abnormal tire wear or an extremely hot hub cap, can be detected from a simple walk-around inspection. Alert drivers will notice signs such as wheel vibration or increased fuel consumption, which will Continue Reading

ESCO is making it easier to warn drivers, maintenance personnel and safety inspectors of potential problems with a new heat-sensitive decal affixed to the wheel/rim. When the white arrow becomes and remains bright orange, it could indicate an overheated wheel condition. If a problem with the wheel end, bearings or brakes is determined, then the decal will have to be replaced with a new one to continue to work effectively. The company warns Continue Reading

Goodyear’s latest wide-base drive and trailer model tires feature the company’s Fuel Max technology and its DuraSeal self-sealing properties. The models, the G392 SSD drive and G394 SST trailer wide-base singles, are aimed at long-haul and regional-haul applications for their weight-saving and fuel economy boosting benefits. In addition, both are SmartWay certified. The DuraSeal technology helps instantly repair tire punctures by releasing an Continue Reading

Goodyear’s fleet tire service solutions program, fleetHQ, has expanded its offerings to include providing photos of damaged tires seen on service calls. TirePix provides truck owners and fleet managers a photo that documents the U.S. Department of Transportation information, while the second gives a close-up shot of the damaged area. These photos can then be accessed through a password-protected site. An additional fee is required of this enhanced Continue Reading

New numbers released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) show more and more commercial truck drivers are buckling up. In 2010, seat belt usage rose to 78 percent, up 4 percent from 2009. Overall, the numbers are up 14 percent from data collected in 2007. To derive these numbers, the FMSCA observed more than 26,000 commercial truck drivers at nearly 1,000 roadside stops across the nation. The report also showed that Continue Reading