Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/625735
COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JANUARY 2016 37 INNOVATORS MODERN TRANSPORTATION Sewickley, Pa. which are not, Cozzens says. If the fuel economy of tractors is less than expected, the root cause can be isolated to driving behaviors, mechanical issues, route characteristics or other fac- tors. Besides using the data to maximize fuel effi ciency, the company also can hold vendors accountable and collaborate with them to improve performance. Bob Smith, director of equipment and maintenance, currently is working on a project to test a fuel-effi cient tractor spec. The company's terminal in Sanford, N.C., is the test bed for this project to compare diesel-powered tractors with CNG- and LNG-powered units. The fi rst truck to be tested, nick- named "Super Diesel," was put into operation in November. It uses a 15-liter diesel engine with a 12-speed fully automated manual transmission mated to a 6x2 single drive axle. The forward nondriven axle in this 6x2 confi guration is a tag axle that au- tomatically raises and lowers according to real-time operating conditions. The truck also is spec'd with a number of aerodynamic features. Smith also is testing both CNG and LNG tractors with a 6x2 tag axle and Modern's data warehouse becomes a valuable tool to build its culture of innovation BY AARON HUFF I n April 2013, Modern Transportation was among the fi rst fl eets to adopt the Cum- mins Westport 12-liter natural gas engine – straight from the assembly line. At the time, diesel prices were about $4. The fl eet's experiment with liquefi ed and compressed natural gas-powered trucks has proven a success, both fi nancially and environmentally. The results for emissions reductions earned Modern the SmartWay Excellence Award in both 2014 and 2015 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. About 40 of the 3,000 truck carriers that participate in the SmartWay program receive this distinction each year. However, the natural gas market has slowed due to the diesel price decline. While a $2.50 gallon of diesel remains equivalent to the price of natural gas, diesel-powered trucks are signifi cantly more fuel-effi cient. Still, Modern continues to use natural gas as a cost-saving strategy by harnessing company data to make better decisions that have lowered its fuel and equipment costs. "It's taken work to do that," says Patrick Cozzens, president of the Sewickley, Pa.- based fl eet. "Part of innovation is hard work, being aggressive and being focused." Of the 350 trucks and 500 drivers in Modern's dedicated fl eet that transports bulk chemicals, minerals and materials, 30 trucks currently are powered by CNG or LNG. That share soon could increase depending on the results of a recent project. Fueling decisions with data When Modern began using natural gas in 2013, the company's data was housed in nine separate databases. About six months ago, it deployed a data warehouse to unite its disparate sources of data and create new reporting and analytical capabilities. The data warehouse combines fuel data from three different sources, allowing execu- tives and managers to identify variances and root causes for performance issues. This helps to quickly assess which strategies for improving fuel effi ciency are working and Despite declining diesel prices, the fleet forges ahead with natural gas.