Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/846064
commercial carrier journal | july 2017 19 JASON CANNON is Equipment Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcannon@randallreilly.com or call (205) 248-1175. We're making our own head- way here. Roger Nielsen, president of Daimler Trucks North America, told me in April the company planned to move forward with lower-emissions engines regardless of Trump's action or inaction on Phase 2, and that's not the first time I've heard this from an OEM. Yes, the trucks are more expensive, but a truck that offers 3 to 5 percent more fuel economy does offer a pay- back. Even if it feels like pen- nies being dragged through your nose, it's still real money. And, yes, emissions systems are a pain to maintain, but they are getting better with improved intervals and easier service access. Shippers are also drivers of greener innovation, demanding their carriers reduce their carbon footprints. They aren't about to reverse course over anything that happens in Paris. States also have their own emissions requirements that in some cases exceed what is required by the feds. All these individual regulations will funnel upward to reducing emissions nationwide and, ultimately, globally. In my view, pulling out of the Paris Accord doesn't lessen the U.S. commitment to a cleaner planet; it just changes how we'll arrive at one. Green trucking – whether it's through improved efficiency, fuel cell technology or Tesla's electric semi – is here for good, and it will play a large role in getting us where we all want to go environmentally. WANT MORE EQUIPMENT NEWS? Scan the barcode to sign up for the CCJ Equipment Weekly e-mail newsletter or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK. Tesla working with large fleets on electric semi design W hen Tesla debuts a working prototype of its electric semi-truck this summer, it will be a product of design input from some of trucking's major players. Speaking last month at the company's annual shareholder meeting, Elon Musk, chief executive officer, said carriers have helped drive the design and development of its electric tractor. "e biggest customers of the heavy-duty Tesla semi are helping ensure that it is speci- fied to their needs," Musk said. Bringing fleets into the engineering process has removed some of the mystery surrounding the project and helped Tesla provide a truck that meets trucking's needs and expectations, he said. "We'll be showing off a working prototype at the end of September, and we have shown it to a number of organizations, and they all love it," Musk said. "ey want to know how many can they buy and how soon. It's just going to be a question of scaling volume to make as many as we can." – Jason Cannon Petro-Canada set to debut low-viscosity nexgen oils W hile Petro-Can- ada Lubricants launched most of its Duron CK-4 and FA-4 performance-specifi- cation oils in Decem- ber, the company slated later release dates for two of its lowest-viscosity grades. Barnaby Ngai, Petro-Canada's category portfolio manager for heavy-duty engine and driveline oils, said Duron UHP 5W-30 (API CK-4 5W-30) is expected to launch in the third quarter. Duron Advanced 5W-30 (API FA-4 5W-30) is scheduled to debut late next year, Ngai said. – Jason Cannon Truck OEMs plan to move forward with lower-emissions engines. Petro-Canada's Duron UHP 5W- 30 is expected to launch in the third quarter, while Duron Advanced 5W-30 is scheduled to debut late next year.