Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/597582
November 2015 | EquipmentWorld.com 36 Getting data off the truck body Truck manufacturers took an early lead in the adoption of telemat- ics, but there are still truck-specifi c telematics challenges. Telematics data from the front of trucks can be standardized; the back of the truck is a different story. What comes from a dump truck is dif- ferent from what comes from a mixer. On top of that is the need to have truck telematics integrated with equipment telematics so that information from a jobsite can be managed together. Acceptance and use of telematics has been slower in construction than in trucking, but it is growing. Customers who use telematics have high expectations for them and see them as instru- mental in managing their businesses and protecting their profi tability. Open source To provide the fl exibility necessary to meet all these concerns, Inter- national created their OnCommand Connection as an open source, SAS (software as a service) telematics application. They have 15 provider partners that manage the actual data transmission covering 90 percent of the market. OnCommand Connec- tion is a standard, no-charge feature on all new International trucks. International feels that open- source design is essential. While body control module logic is cur- rently available through the CAN bus, data types and fault codes vary by body type and even by body builder and are not fully developed, much less standardized. It's not just error codes that are needed, but also root cause, severity, and repair plan information. "For now Interna- tional is working on a customer-by- customer basis," says Mike Cerilli, vice president and general manager of the company's Connected Vehicle Division. "The long-term goal is to integrate each vehicle with all the equipment on a site for improved jobsite management." Fighting for space Then there's the battle for space. To provide the performance and serviceability expected by truck owners, body builders have to put components in specifi c places. Current emissions components, such as aftertreatment systems and diesel exhaust fl uid (DEF) tanks, take up space that body builders want to use for hardware, hydrau- lics, controls, and electronics. Truck OEMs work out specifi cs with body builders, but they also make some general provisions to facilitate the installation of vocational bodies. "Today many of our customers are challenged by working around the necessary emissions equipment we've added over the last several EPA emission cycle updates," says Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director. "We've done a nice job in packaging components but the new medium duty frame packaging machine matters | continued Design considerations, from sensors and controls to body confi gurations to frame features, vary considerably from one vocational application to another. Keeping up with bridge weight restrictions T he bridge formula, enacted in 1975, limits gross vehicle weights based on the length of the vehicle, the number of axles it has, and the distance between those axles. Truck OEMs offer designs to help increase payload capacities while meeting bridge weight restrictions. Often these designs include a set-forward front axle (SFFA). For example, Peterbilt offers an SFFA version of their Model 567. Both the SFFA and the existing set- back front axle models are available with 115- and 121-inch bumper- to-back-of-cab (BBC) dimensions. Bumper to front axles distances on the SFFA model are 29 inches (115-inch BBC) and 31 inches (121- inch BBC). "These dimensions were carefully engineered to maximize maneuverability while providing the ideal wheelbase to comply with bridge law requirements," says Charles Cook, Peterbilt marketing manager for vocational products. The SFFA Model 567 is well suited for weight-sensitive applications, such as mixers. Peterbilt powers both set-back and set-forward models of the 567 with the PACCAR MX-13 engine. Horsepower rating is 500 and torque is 1,850 pound-feet.