Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/71813
roadside attractions G A UGES How much do you spend each year on maintenance? Owner-operators' average annual maintenance spending was $12,275, according to a 2011 University of Arkansas survey. At the top end, 4 percent of respondents said they spend more than $30,000 a year. * Figures add to less than 100 percent due to rounding $20,000 and above $12,000-$20,000 $8,000-$12,000 $4,000-$8,000 $4,000 or less 11% 26% 28% 18% 15%* HEART AND A SWEET DEAL A BROKEN Reefer leads rate increases Rates for reefer loads jumped a whopping 57 cents per mile from February to May. Smaller hikes occurred in dry van, spiking 35 cents in the same time period, and flatbed, up 20 cents. DRY VAN FLATBED REEFER $2.50 $2.25 $2.00 $1.75 $1.50 May 2010 May 2011 May 2012 Diesel prices spike, then slack National average diesel prices fell below $4 a gallon as summer approached and reached a five-month low June 4. The peak of $4.15 in March was the highest national average since August 2008. $4.40 $4.20 $4.00 $3.80 $3.60 How to judge air coil quality Certain air coil materials are better than others, say the March and April editions of Phillips Industries' Qwik Tech Tips monthly newsletter, available via the phillipsqwiktechtips.com archive. It offers these steps to determine quality: CLAP THE COILS TOGETHER. A dense, low-pitched sound indicates better quality than a higher pitch. SCRUTINIZE THE LAYING PATTERN. Air coils utilizing type B layering with a tighter "diamond pattern" braid offer better reinforcement and less kinking. MIND THE FITTINGS. Three- and four-piece compression fittings and/or barbed fittings offer easier connection and added protection. 12 OVERDRIVE JULY 2012 operator John Randolph runs a five-truck fleet based in Rock Hill, S.C. Owner- John Randolph, whose small fleet has been hauling used equipment to Florida for export, noticed a lot of it is old Mack trucks. "It breaks my heart to see them go," he says. His own 1990 Mack Superliner, powered by a 500-hp Mack E9 and an 18-speed transmission, benefited from a four-year restoration, completed when he put the truck in service in 2001. The 41-year-old's father, the original partner in Randolph Transportation, initially scoffed at the improvements. "That chrome won't make you any more per mile," he said. Yet when Randolph finally backed the finished rig out of the shop, his father said, "I think we're going to do my truck like that." One touch that helped convince his father was the sleeper. "I never thought I could afford a Double Eagle," John Randolph says. The trademark pleating on the back of the 60-inch stand- up, however, is evidence that he could indeed. Randolph remembers calling the Shipshewana, Ind.-based manufacturer (since out of business) in 1999 and discovering they'd had two bunks specially made for a Superliner in stock since 1991, when a customer who ordered them disappeared. "They were willing to make me a deal," he says. — Todd Dills Jan. 2 Jan. 16 Jan. 30 Feb. 13 Feb. 27 March 12 March 26 April 9 April 23 May 7 May 14 May 28 June 11 U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration Internet Truckstop