Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/388078
34 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2014 r 5BOHP5SBOTQPSU(CCJ Top 250, No. 124) became the latest trucking company to sue Navistar-Interna- tional over the truck and engine maker's exhaust gas recircula- tion-only MaxxForce engines built between 2008 and 2012. In its suit filed Aug. 28, the Shreveport, La.-based carrier said it bought or leased 455 trucks with defective engines from Navistar and that the OEM knew the engines were defective but concealed that information. r Double Coin and CMA last month notified the National Highway Transportation Safety Adminis - tration of noncompliant sidewall markings on certain Double Coin-branded TBR tires produced by Double Coin Holdings. CMA said that after a full audit in June, it notified NHTSA that about 1.75 million Double Coin tires manu - factured with DOT dates of 2611 to 2514 had omitted the Load Range symbol. r /BWJTUBS is offering Allison Trans - mission's FuelSense fuel-efficiency package on its medium-duty and vocational International trucks, and Kenworth is offering the package on its new Class 8 and medium-du - ty models. FuelSense – available in Allison's 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 Highway Series and Rugged Series transmissions – is engineered to adapt shift schedules and torque automatically, maximizing trans - mission efficiency based on load, grade and duty cycle. r ,FOXPSUI5SVDL$PT vocational T880 daycab and 52-inch midroof sleeper configurations now can be specified with the factory-in - stalled Cummins Westport ISX12 G 400-hp natural gas engine with 1,450 lb.-ft. of torque. The ISX12 G can run on either compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas and is available with manual, automatic and Eaton UltraShift Plus transmission options, includ - ing 10-speed LAS and 13-speed MHP series. r $VNNJOT received certification for its 6.7L Turbo Diesel from the INBRIEF Continued on page 36 Volvo targets fuel savings enhancements for 2016 V olvo said its model year 2016 VN series highway tractors will deliver even greater fuel savings compared with previous models through an assortment of aerodynamic and powertrain enhance- ments. Further sculpting of airflow around the exterior and underneath the hood will improve fuel efficiency by up to 3.5 percent, the company said, and its new XE-Adaptive Gearing and Torque Management options can provide fuel efficiency improvements of more than 2.5 percent. "With Volvo's model year 2016 vehicles come an even greater value of ownership as we continue to refine the aerodynamic profile of our VN series tractors and redefine traditional expectations of powertrain per- formance through our integrated Volvo engines and I-Shift transmis- sion," said Göran Ny- berg, president of Volvo Trucks North America sales and marketing. "Our latest enhance- ments provide a strong complement to the fuel efficiency improve- ments of up to 3 percent provided through last year's introduction of greenhouse gas 2014-certified engines." Aerodynamic enhancements Enhancements to the bumper, chassis and roof fairings are intended to reduce air turbu- lence around the vehicle exterior and improve airflow under the truck, around tires and around the trailer gap. "In real-world operations, an aerodynamic tractor doesn't guarantee optimal aerody- namics for the tractor-trailer combination," said Jason Spence, Volvo Trucks product mar- keting manager. "Through our holistic design approach, we've made further enhancements at key exterior and interior locations of our model year 2016 vehicles to greatly improve the transfer of air from the tractor to the trail- er, ultimately improving the total aerodynam- ic performance of the complete vehicle." Powertrain enhancements Building on the success of its XE – eXception- al Efficiency – powertrain packages, Volvo will offer an XE-Adaptive Gearing package designed to further boost fuel efficiency for dry van trailers and for operations that go out loaded and return empty or lightly loaded, such as bulk haulers, liquid tankers and flatbed carriers. The system is both a direct and overdrive driveline depending on rear axle load, which the system senses in real time. When loaded, the transmission locks out the 12th gear and provides the performance and fuel efficiency benefits of direct drive; during unloaded or lightly loaded trips, the driveline operates in overdrive to facilitate added fuel efficiency and driver comfort. Customers can customize road speed limits for loaded and unloaded portions of the trip to fit operating needs. XE-Adaptive Gearing engine ratings will be available initially for Volvo's D11 and D13 engines paired with an I-Shift automated manual transmission. Volvo Trucks also is offering three new torque control features designed to increase fuel efficiency and tire life and decrease driveline stress. The expanded offerings use Volvo's multitorque engine profiles designed to provide ideal Torque Management in multiple operating environments. "XE-Adaptive Gearing and Torque Man- agement powertrain options provide unprec- edented customization for customers looking for an optimized solution to fit their specific needs," said John Moore, Volvo Trucks prod- uct marketing manager – powertrain. – Jack Roberts 7PMWPTBJEJUTNPEFMZFBS7/TFSJFT IJHIXBZUSBDUPSTXJMMEFMJWFSBEEFEGVFM TBWJOHTUISPVHIBOBTTPSUNFOUPGBFSPEZ- OBNJDBOEQPXFSUSBJOFOIBODFNFOUT