Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/667099
30 commercial carrier journal | april 2016 • Navistar President and CEO Troy Clarke told investors that the company expects to announce a new product on average every six months over the next few years, "completely refreshing the product line by the end of 2018." • Volvo Trucks North America is offering a parking cooler as a facto- ry-installed option for its VNM 630, VNL 630, VNL 670, VNL 730 and VNL 780 sleeper models. The cooler is operated by an automatic ther- mostat and allows drivers to keep the cab and sleeper at 74 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 10 hours with- out idling the engine. Power comes from the truck's starting batteries paired with four AGM deep-cycle batteries. • Peterbilt Motors Co. broke ground on a 102,000-square-foot expan- sion to its heavy-duty truck manu- facturing facility in Denton, Texas. The new building will be located just north of the existing plant and will provide additional capacity for production and testing. The expan- sion is expected to be operational in January 2017 and is Peterbilt's largest facility investment since the Denton plant's construction. • Stemco partnered with TrackPoint Systems to provide fleets with real- time information using its BatRF sensor technology. TrackPoint's TrIPS solar-powered monitoring technology now will allow fleet managers to track tire pressures and mileage for untethered trailers and ensure they are not dispatched without sufficient air pressure. The integration also is intended to im- prove billing and reconciliation for rental and lease fleets by eliminat- ing inaccuracies that can arise from estimating mileage. • Phillips 66 Lubricants is transition- ing away from a tri-branded strategy and will consolidate its Lubricants portfolio into two brands, Phillips 66 and Kendall Motor Oil, beginning July 1 to help drive strategic growth. • Shell Lubricants launched the Na- tionwide Network Shell Lubricants program as part of an agreement with Bridgestone Americas. The INBRIEF Caterpillar dropping on-highway truck production J ust eight months removed from end- ing its partnership with Navistar and pledging to build its own line of on-high- way trucks, Caterpillar announced in late February the company would discontinue production of its vocational trucks based on the current business climate in the truck industry and a thorough evaluation of its business. "Remaining a viable competitor in this market would require significant additional investment to develop and launch a complete portfolio of trucks," said Ramin Younessi, vice president with responsibility for Cat's Industrial Power Systems Division. "Upon an updated review, we determined there was not a sufficient market opportunity to justify the investment." Cat first launched its vocational trucks in the North American market in 2011, working with Navistar on design and assembly. Younessi said Cat had not yet begun production at the plant in Victoria, Texas, where it was scheduled to build the trucks after its split with Navistar. "This decision allows us to exit this business before the transition occurs," he said. While Cat will cease taking new orders for vocational trucks, it will continue to support trucks currently on the road. The company's shuttering of its truck operations is its latest effort in an ongoing restructuring. It is reeling from a slowing demand for mining equipment and soft commodity prices. The company already has closed plants and reduced its workforce by about 11 percent since 2013. Bowing out of the on-highway truck segment will impact about 70 positions, Cat said. – Jason Cannon Momentum adds 150-DGE back-of-cab system M omentum Fuel Technologies, a division of Rush Enterprises, has launched a 150-diesel-gallon-equivalent back-of-cab system for its line of compressed natural gas fuel systems for Class 6-8 trucks. The system features a pressure relief device system with eight fast- flow PRDs to facilitate rapid CNG evacuation in case of emergency. The system also features a high-capacity filter and a pressure regulator designed to reduce leak points and weight, allowing the system to operate from 3,600 pounds per square inch when full to a mini- mum of 230 psi, an improvement from the previous 450-psi minimum. Because of its lower operating pressure, the 150-DGE system has a range equivalent to a 160-DGE fuel system, making it suitable for over-the-road haulers. Also, all high-pressure fuel lines now are painted yellow for easier identification by technicians. – Jason Cannon Last May, Cat rolled out two new refreshed trucks – the CT680L and the CT680LG – but now has decided to withdraw from the market. Momentum Fuel Technologies' 150- DGE system mounts between factory cab extenders with neck-mounted cylinders for added durability. Continued on page 32