Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/573961
28 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 • Volvo Trucks of North America and Mack Trucks entered into a memorandum of understanding with Omnitracs – a provider of fleet management, routing and predictive analytics systems – to develop future fleet management services for carriers. The agree - ment allows Omnitracs to leverage Volvo's Remote Diagnostics and Mack's GuardDog telematics-based proactive diagnostics and repair planning systems. • International Truck finalized the remain - ing 7,950 orders of a 9,000-truck order from Quality Companies Inc., a wholly owned sub- sidiary of Indianapolis-based Celadon Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 35). The order consists primarily of ProStar and LoneStar tractors powered by Cummins ISX15 engines and will be spread across the next three years. • C.R. England (CCJ Top 250, No. 21) is adding 2016 Western Star 5700 XE tractors to its fleet. Over the next several months, the Salt Lake City-based refrigerated company will add nearly 200 new 5700 XEs, with tenured solo and team drivers and million-mile driv - ers the first to receive the new tractors that feature the Detroit DD15 engine and direct- drive DT12 automated shift transmission. • Knight Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 24) selected Volvo Trucks to supply 38 specially decorated VNL 670 tractors to recognize its 25th anniversary. Instead of Knight's tradi - tional red and charcoal gray color scheme, the anniversary trucks feature a silver finish with a special decal with the fleet's logo. • The Goodyear Tire & Service Network opened two Commercial Tire & Service Cen - ters in Seattle and Chesapeake, Va. The ad- ditions follow recent openings in Dearborn, Mich.; Montgomery, Ala.; and Garland, Texas. • Double Coin and CMA launched its rede - signed website at www.doublecointires. com. Optimized for smartphones, tablets and desktop computers, the site is designed to provide an enhanced user experience and an easier and quicker way to obtain the latest news, dealer locations, product specifica - tions, trade shows and other information. • Three Mack Trucks-based models pulled in a combined $870,000 during a charitable auction at WasteExpo 2015 to support research and continuing education efforts by the 21st Century Environmental Research & Education Foundation. Mack provided three chassis – a TerraPro Low Entry, TerraPro Cabover and Granite – each featuring a body donated by Heil, McNeilus and Galbreath, respectively. INBRIEF T he North American Council for Freight Efficiency last month released an in-depth report detailing acceptance and real-world use of low-rolling-resis- tance tires. The report includes Decision Making Tools to help fleets and owner-operators select the best tires for all tractor-trailer positions. These tools include a Decision Guide with high-level information on general tire details, a Total Cost of Owner- ship Calculator and a Confidence Matrix to help calculate return on investment. Mike Roeth, NACFE executive director, noted several important findings in the report that challenge many common assumptions regarding low-rolling-resistance tires today. "Our study confirmed that low-rolling-resistance tires do get better fuel econo- my than standing singles," Roeth said. "But we also found wear characteristics to be better on low-rolling-resistance tires. And while reports of poor traction and driver resistance to these tires are common, we found that overall traction performance was good and driver acceptance is growing." NACFE's report on low-rolling-resistance tires is one of several in-depth studies the organization is planning. – Jack Roberts V olvo Group North America recently was honored with a 2015 Energy Award from the Industrial Energy Technology Conference for its efforts to reduce energy usage at its manufacturing facilities. Since 2009, the Volvo Group has reduced energy consumption by 26.8 percent at eight of its U.S. manufacturing facilities, exceeding its original goal of a 25 percent reduction in energy consumption by the year 2020. The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory nominated the Volvo Group for its energy management activities that have resulted in a significant reduction in energy use under several programs, including DOE's Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge and the Superior Energy Performance program. Three of the Volvo Group's manufacturing sites – the Macungie Cab and Vehicle Assembly facility in Macungie, Pa., where all Mack Trucks for North America and export are assembled; the New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Va., where all Volvo Trucks for North America are assembled; and the Volvo Group Powertrain facility in Hagerstown, Md. – are among the top six SEP Platinum-certified facilities. The IETC Energy Awards are presented annually and recognize individuals, industrial plants or organizations that successfully have applied energy conser- vation in their operations. – Jack Roberts NACFE releases in-depth low-rolling- resistance tire study, recommendations Volvo honored for energy reduction efforts NACFE's report on low-rolling-resistance tires found that overall traction perfor- mance was good and that driver accep- tance is growing. This Volvo VHD tractor was built at the company's New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va.