Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/625735
60 commercial carrier journal | january 2016 If I use thinner oils will my engine still be protected? The ability of engine oil to prevent wear by keeping moving parts separated is one of the key functions that it has to perform. That ability comes from the fluid viscosity and the additives which protect the metal surfaces. The thickness of the oil film which separates the moving parts is dependent on the viscosity of the oil and it will also depend on the speed and load of the engine operation. If oil is too thin to provide effective separation between moving parts or does not effectively control contaminants, this could result in increased wear through the contact of metal parts or abrasive wear, and could possibly shorten engine life. As truck and engine manufacturers are trying to achieve the maximum fuel economy for their equipment, the trend is to use lighter viscosity oils to assist in reducing fuel consumption. These full synthetic or synthetic blend oils are expected to provide fuel economy benefits, but not compromise on engine durability. Through extensive testing on synthetic blend Shell Rotella ® T5 10W-30, Shell has demonstrated a 1.6% fuel economy improvement benefit vs. conventional 15W-40* with no compromise on durability. Manufacturers develop their engines to operate efficiently with specific viscosity grades, so you should check with them to see which viscosity grades they allow and/or any specific conditions such as ambient temperature, which may influence the use of those viscosity grades. The SAE and API have established minimum requirements for lighter viscosity oils which should allow for effective protection of key engine parts. A number of diesel engine manufacturers recommend lower viscosity lubricants in their newest engines, and the move to lower viscosity lubricants is reinforced by the announcement that one of the focus areas for the next generation of heavy-duty diesel engine oils will be fuel economy improvements, which lower viscosity oils have demonstrated the ability to provide. This is particularly important as the first-ever fuel economy regulations for heavy trucks will begin in 2014. Synthetic engine oil also can help keep the engine clean through improved sludge, deposit and varnish protection, and helps reduce overall engine wear under extreme operating conditions. Synthetic engine oils typically have more stable viscosity and provide better protection when the engine is running under high-temperature conditions, such as high speeds and heavy loads. * as demonstrated in 2009 on-the-road field testing for 10W-30 viscosity grade only, highway cycles, compared to Shell Rotella ® T Triple Protection ® 15W-40. The term "Shell Lubricants" refers to the various Shell Group companies engaged in the lubricants business. This monthly column is brought to you by Shell Lubricants. Got a question? Visit ROTELLA.com, call 1-800-237-6950 or write to The ANSWER COLUMN, 1001 Fannin, Ste. 500, Houston, TX 77002. By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants Untitled-5 1 11/9/15 9:07 AM Preventable or not? Doe's U-turn turns out all wrong B urping from a free yogurt smoothie awarded by Bubba's Truck Stop for buying 150 gallons of fuel, tractor-trailer driver John Doe was eastbound on a four-lane turnpike near Greensboro, N.C. It was 10 p.m., the sky was heavily overcast, and the turnpike was as dark as the inside of his diesel's crankcase. In preparation for making a U-turn at the intersec- tion with Grits Road, which was dead ahead, Doe moved into the left lane, actuated his left-side flashers and started to brake. By the time Doe had stopped at the intersection, the traffic signal in his lane was red. That gave Doe time to extract a celery stalk from his survival rations, adjust the bass on his satellite radio and glance at the adjacent lane via his right-side West Coast and convex mirrors, which at that time revealed nothing. Seconds later, while the traffic light still was red, Tommy "The Duke" Gripley be- came weary of staring at the rear of Doe's trailer and began maneuvering his dark blue 1957 "Heavy Chevy" – 327 with mul- tiple Holley carbs, column-mounted Sun tach and four-on-the-floor Hurst – into the right lane, next to Doe's saddle tank. When the light turned green, Doe quickly started to turn, his rig extending into the right lane to complete the maneuver when … Sproing! Oh no! His trailer's ICC bar had encountered the Chevy's left front fender! Because Doe contested the preventable-accident warning letter from his safety director, the accident was turned over to the National Safety Council's Accident Review Committee. NSC upheld the preventable ruling, concluding that – despite Doe's claim that the Heavy Chevy had materialized from thin air – Doe had not checked his mirrors adequately. Also, attempting a wide U- turn at a dark intersection on a high-speed road wasn't exactly a safety-award- winning idea, either. As John Doe attempted a wide U-turn from the left lane, he struck a car that had pulled up next to him in the right lane. Was this a preventable accident? Grits Road Turnpike